Arella Guirantes

Classroom

A 2020 Rutgers graduate with a degree in journalism and media studies, Guirantes is studying toward a master’s degree in global sports business. This included an interview with Billie Jean King and an internship with ICM Partners as part of recent practicum.

Character

An indelible spokeswoman for her team and the game of women’s basketball, Guirantes is a respected extension of the coaching staff on the court.

Guirantes’ leadership took center stage this season when a teammate went down with a serious injury. Guirantes rallied her teammates to carry on and finish the game and was the first to check on the hurt teammate after the victory.

Community

Guirantes volunteered with the Somerset Community Action Program over the past two years, conducting physical education classes for youths.

She will also continue her work on the Global Citizens Project with speaking engagements at local high schools, where she shares her basketball and education experience and their impact on her life. This past Christmas, Guirantes sent a personal video of encouragement and motivation to hospitalized children at RWJBarnabas Health.

Competition

Arella Guirantes has been named a Big Ten Coaches preseason Co-Player of the Year and earned three mentions on preseason watch lists for National Player of the Year. These honors follow the 2019-20 season in which she was the Big Ten scoring champion and the No. 9 ranked scorer in the nation with 20.6 points per game, an All-America Honorable Mention by the AP, WBCA and USBWA, and first team All-Big Ten.

Eight games into the 2020-21 campaign, Guirantes has already claimed a National Player of the Week award and two Big Ten Player of the Week accolades, while becoming just the third player in program history and one of just five players across the nation this year to record a triple-double. She ranks in the nation’s Top 30 in points, assists, steals, and blocks per game.