Rejuvenating a struggling Women’s Basketball Program is no easy task. The University of Wisconsin Women’s Basketball program is a particularly difficult task. Wisconsin is a member of one of the nation’s premier conferences—The Big Ten—in what has become an increasingly popular sport—Women’s Basketball. Few people can forget the excitement that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark’s dynamic play along with stars in the South East Conference (SEC) like Aliyah Boston’s (South Carolina), Angel Reese’s (LSU), and Big Ten Conference’s Juju Watkins’ (USC) ability to grow the fan base by filling the stadiums and expanding TV viewership. Along with the dynamic performances of the players, women’s coaches also attract our attention. We know the names of Dawn Staley (South Carolina), Kim Mulkey (LSU), Gino Auriemma (Connecticut), and Tara Vanderveer (Stanford) for their longevity and sometimes their on the court histrionics.
For several decades, UW Madison has struggled to develop an NCAA tournament level team, and this has created a carousel of coaches. But having a new coach signals the ability to have a clean slate and to start afresh. This year is no different. Along with the hiring of head coach Robin Pingeton from the University of Missouri, we get to welcome a crew of new assistant coaches. One of those new hires is Assistant Coach, Ariel Massengale. Coach Massengale hails from Bollingbrook, IL where she was among the most heralded high school players in the country. She was a McDonald’s All-American, a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American, Illinois Miss Basketball, and the Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year who led her high school (Bollingbrook High School) to 3 Illinois State girls’ basketball titles.
Coach Massengale played her college ball under the tutelage of the legendary Coach Pat Summit at the University of Tennessee. For decades Tennessee has been among the top tier of women’s basketball program, regularly playing high level basketball and sending its basketball alumnae to the WNBA and to international leagues throughout the world. Massengale was a four-year starter at Tennessee having led the Lady Vols to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. She also earned 4 gold medals representing USA Basketball at the Under 16 (U16) FIBA Americas Cup, the U17 World Cup, the U19 World Championship, and the World University Games. Her prowess as both a high school and college athlete culminated in her being selected 29th in the 2015 WNBA draft by the Atlanta Dream. Massengale also played professionally in Finland.
Massengale began her coaching journey in 2017 as a graduate assistant at Ole Miss where she earned a Master’s degree in Sports and Recreation Management. From 2019-2021 she served as an assistant coach at Liscomb University (Nashville, TN) and from 2021-2025 she was an assistant coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Coach Massengale says that she, “… was drawn to the opportunity to work under and learn from [our] head coach, Robin Pingeton, and to help bring her vision for the Wisconsin’s Women’s Basketball program to life.” She further states, “Wisconsin is a prestigious institution that values both academic and athletic excellence and competing in the Big Ten provides one of the greatest stages in college basketball. More importantly, this role allows me to empower, uplift and mentor our student-athletes—helping them grow into strong, confident, and bold women on and off the court.”
Like all coaches, Coach Massengale has set goals for this 2025-2026 season. She shared that, “My goals for this season center around growth, consistency and connection. I want to help our student-athletes continue to develop both individually and collectively—building habits that translate to success. From a team standpoint, we’re focused on establishing our identity, competing with toughness and discipline every time we step on the floor, and continuing to raise the standard for Wisconsin’s women’s basketball.” Beyond this season, Coach Massengale asserts, “Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to a culture of excellence—one that values preparation, accountability, and a genuine belief in one another—while ensuring we put a product on the court that reflects the pride and standards of our program, our university, and our fans.”
It is easy to see that Coach Massengale is a winner and is committed to turning the women’s basketball program into a winner. Hopefully, Umoja readers and the broader community will be prepared to support her and the team. Check them out and purchase tickets here: https://uwbadgers.evenue.net/list/W. We wish Coach Massengale and the team all the best… “U-Rah-Rah-Wisconsin!”
