Washington signee Ari Long beating defenders, Type 1 diabetes on basketball court

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. – There is a joke about a math problem where 14 candy bars are shown and four are taken away. It prompts the question, “What do you have?”

“Diabetes,” quips the student.

Funny. 

But Type 1 diabetes is no laughing matter for Valley View High of Moreno Valley senior basketball star Ari Long.

“It’s serious,” Ari says. “I’ve had a couple of hospital runs because of my blood sugar. But we’re managing and I think we’ve done a good job.”

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The condition has not cramped her style. The 6-foot guard averages 31 points, 13.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.7 steals per game for the Eagles (16-6 overall, 3-0 in the Ivy League). Valley View has a huge Ivy League showdown at 6 p.m. Tuesday with host Rancho Christian which is also 3-0 in league.

Ari’s sophomore sister, guard Mason Long, is also a budding star who averages 12.4 points per game.

“It (diabetes) is a constant concern,” said Leigh Ann Long, the mother of the Valley View stars who coaches the team. “Unless you are living it, you don’t understand it. We are very lucky that (Ari) has not let it change her drive to be the best.”

Besides Ari’s basketball ability, she is both a standout golfer and cross-country runner who rocks a 4.5 grade point average.

HIGH-TECH

It is halftime at Valley View and Ari is en route to another 30-point effort during a 21-point victory against Xavier Prep of Palm Desert. During the break she beelines from the court to the scorekeeper to seemingly ask about her point total. But no.

“My blood sugar is always up and down,” Ari says. “It can be very dangerous. That’s why I’m always going to the scorer’s table and asking what my blood sugar is. I wear a monitor on my arm during the game. The girl on the scorebook will tell me during every timeout what my blood sugar is, and whether I need more insulin or need to eat a snack.”

Ari also has a pump affixed to her body which delivers the doses of insulin her body craves.

“For most people their pancreas gives them insulin but mine doesn’t,” Ari says. “So I’m taking over my pancreas’ role.”

There is no cure for Type 1 diabetes, which is a genetic condition.

HOW ARI ROLLS

It is early in the second quarter against Xavier Prep and Ari races up court. She uses her left hand to lightly fend off a defender, darts around a screen and softly banks the ball off the backboard and through the hoop.

That’s how Ari rolls – grabbing rebounds with her ponytail bobbing, maneuvering, zipping one-handed passes and launching shots.

The Washington signee plays with the ease of a coach’s daughter. It figures, since not only is her mom the Valley View girls’ coach but her father, Jim Long, is the Eagles’ boys’ coach. And besides little sis Mason, she has three older sisters who were basketball stars at Valley View. Two of them — Taylor (26) and RyLeigh (24) — assist their coaching mom. Another sister, Jalen (22), is a senior on the Colorado State University-Pueblo team.

“I have three older sisters who all played college basketball and I was always playing against them,” Ari says. “So I think having that push from them helped me grow confidence. I’ve put in a lot of hours and it’s like if I miss a shot, I know the next one is going in.” 

John Murphy is a San Francisco native and the sports editor for Century Media Group in Southern California. Contact him with human interest feature story ideas at berdooman@gmail.com. Twitter: @PrepDawg2