EAST LANSING — A few years ago, Julia Ayrault viewed her college basketball career as more of a business.
She saw being part of the Michigan State women’s basketball program as a job and put pressure on herself to perform to high standards and achieve success.
That didn’t prove to be the best approach.
Ayrault battled through injuries and had some highs and lows during those early years while navigating that internal pressure.
But things shifted for Ayrault when coach Robyn Fralick took over the program in April 2023, and she began building relationships with the new staff.
And Fralick’s approach played a role in Ayrault finding love in basketball again.
“I feel like I’m just playing again,” Ayrault said. “I feel like it is so much more freeing and I’m able to just really enjoy it. I feel like a little kid again to be honest.”
That freeness led to a breakout season for Ayrault last winter when she was named first team All-Big Ten while playing a large role in the Spartans finishing fourth in the Big Ten and reaching the NCAA tournament. Ayrault led MSU in scoring at 15.4 points per game and rebounding at 7.3 per game during a career year where she thrived while being an undersized post presence for MSU.
Ayrault said last season marked the most fun she has had playing basketball since her high school days starring at Grosse Pointe North.
“Being able to feel free and being able to just play a sport that I’ve loved from my childhood — I felt that love again,” Ayrault said. “I think there were definitely times earlier on in my career where I was like what happened to that love and where did it go? I think I was trying to navigate that and figure that out.
“When Coach Fralick got here she was really able to just bring that out in me and really kind of help me refocus myself on the fact that I play this game for a reason, I love this game for a reason and I want to continue playing this game for a reason. She’s just done a good job of supporting me in that and kind of helping me understand that I love basketball and that should be the number one thing.”
Fralick has noticed the passion Ayrault has found in basketball. She has also seen Ayrault do nothing but get better since her staff took over. And that improvement showed in Ayrault scoring more points last season than the 434 she had total during the previous three seasons where she played.
“I think that’s the really fun part of coaching is that everybody’s story looks different,” Fralick said. “I think everybody’s story has breakthroughs at different time. I think we live in a world where if things don’t happen immediately we think something is wrong and the reality is nothing that’s really, really great usually ever happens really fast.
“We have a reverse thinking in our culture, but the reality is most things there’s a story to it and there’s a resilience and a toughness and a detour and there’s a peak and a valley. I’m just proud that she kept letting her story happen and has had a breakthrough in it.”
With her breakthrough behind her, Ayrault wants to help the Spartans build on the momentum they established in Fralick’s debut season as she embarks on the final year of her college career. And Ayrault wants to build on her individual success while leading MSU as one of its captains.
“It’s kind of taking what we learned from last year and what things work and what things don’t and just kind of building off of that,” Ayrault said. “I think (assistant coach) Dean (Lockwood) does a good job of (telling us) every day how do we get one step better and one thing can we attack today and get better at.
“I think that’s something I focused on all summer is just like baby steps. You’re not going to be anybody better in a day. It’s just time and just putting the time in and trusting the time that you’ve put in is something (I’ve focused on).”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU’s Julia Ayrault found passion for basketball in breakout season
