BGSU senior Giese shows heart after surgery in new role on team

Bowling Green senior Maribeth Giese, back, center, cheers on her Falcons teammates during a game this season. Giese had heart surgery in November, forcing her to end her career prematurely. The team will honor her and Jessica Slagle on Saturday.

BOWLING GREEN -- Before Saturday's game against Miami, the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team will honor its two seniors -- one is a team leader and the other has never been on the court this season.

Falcon fans all know what Jessica Slagle is doing in her final season, averaging 11.8 points per game.

Some may have forgotten the other senior -- Maribeth Giese, whose year was cut short by a medical condition that could have proven to be life-threatening had she continued to play.

Giese was diagnosed with a heart condition during her sophomore year in high school, but was on medication that kept the condition under control until this past summer.

"Her attitude has been unbelievable this year," BG coach Curt Miller said of Giese. "She's an amazing person, both on and off the court.

"She means so much to us with her leadership, seeing how positive she can be even though she never gets to play in games anymore."

Giese sensed something was wrong before the season began.

"We had lost a lot of senior post players, and this was going to be my chance to step in," she said. "I would get really bad migraines, and my heart condition was causing those problems.

"The symptoms I was having [in the summer] were symptomatic with a stroke, and the doctors were afraid that if I kept running and kept playing at this level, some serious issues could arise."

Giese had heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on November 8, and doctors advised her to end her basketball career.

"It was something that needed to be fixed if I was going to lead a normal life," Giese said. "It was the right decision, and it came in the nick of time.

"But it still was a huge disappointment, to be ready to step in to have it taken away by something I couldn't control. But at the same time, the first thing coach Miller said, 'This doesn't change anything. You're still on this team.' "

Miller said his first emotion when hearing Giese's career was over was one of disappointment.

"You hear from role players all the time, that they are probably better than we realize -- and that they didn't get to show us what they were capable of," he said. "That's what I think Maribeth missed: she didn't get to show her friends and family, her coaches, and 'Falcon Nation' that she did have a lot of talent that no one got to see.

"I really believe that, in Maribeth's case, she was going to show that she belonged at a high mid-major program."

A native of Cincinnati who set the career scoring record at Mother of Mercy High School, Giese had suffered hardships throughout her BG career. She played in two games as a sophomore before suffering a season-ending case of mononucleosis, then saw action in 17 contests as a junior, which had four senior post players in front of her.

"I think Maribeth would be the first to tell you she wasn't going to be a superstar in the MAC or a superstar in our program," Miller said. "But she had waited her turn, and this was the season that would be her opportunity for her to contribute on the floor.

"I was disappointed for her. It's hard to watch kids pay their dues to get their turn, and then not get that turn."

Still, Giese has spent this season working with the team in practices and games, trying to add her unique perspective as a former player.

"Throughout my career, I've always enjoyed the 'academic' side of the game," she said. "I like to break down plays and see what other player's weaknesses are -- and trying to exploit them."

Miller acknowledged Giese's contributions to the team on the court, but said she also helps the team off the court.

"Our teams through the years have always looked up to Maribeth, going to her when they have academic questions," he said. "They know they are going to get a genuine friendship -- she's not into cliques, and she's not so opinionated that her way is the only way. They can count on her to be level-headed."

Giese said the finality of the situation didn't really sink in until the team's first exhibition game on Nov. 1.

"Before the first exhibition game, it hit me: I wasn't going to be putting on a jersey that night," she said. "That was hard. But at the same time, staying with the team and staying in the game has been a huge help. It has let me still be 'on' this team."

She also is a poster child for taking advantage of the academic opportunities a college scholarship provides. Giese graduated in December with a degree in political science and is taking a full masters course-load in public administration, the next step in a political science career.

"I'm most interested of international diplomacy, especially the fields of diplomacy and development," she said. "Down the line, I'd love to work for the State Department or the United Nations.

"Most people with political science degrees look at law school, and international law would be a consideration. But I want to work in humanitarian work, and I'm looking at my options right now."

For one moment Saturday, Giese will be celebrated for her time at Bowling Green, including the role she currently serves on a team that could claim the Mid-American Conference's East Division title outright with a win over Miami.

"I try to push [my teammates] so that they don't take this for granted," Giese said.

Of course, Giese admits she has been lucky to be a part of the BG program.

"If you would have talked to me in the first week [I knew I had to stop playing basketball], you would have seen I was devastated," she said. "I've been playing this game my whole life, and it has been a huge part of my life. Basketball has brought me to the places I am today, and you can't expect someone to just give up the game and be OK. But those are the cards I've been dealt. My time at BG has been influential in my life. And I get to cheer on my teammates, and help this team win a MAC championship -- in whatever way I can."

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481, or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.