The soul sparkplug

Senior Vikings guard Heather Arns, a local product with boundless hustle, has filled many roles since joining the Vikings as a true freshman in 2003, but “emotional sparkplug” has always been near the top of the list since she became a full-time starter two years ago.

As a centerpiece to her Glencoe High School team and a Metro League first-teamer her senior year, Arns had narrowed down her choices for college. For Arns, who turned 22 on Wednesday, the choice was clear.

“I loved the coaches that recruited me here. Not only were they amazingly nice but when I went on the recruiting trip I just fit with all the girls,” Arns said. “And there was no way that I would leave my mom and not have her watch every game. She’s my best friend and the most important person in the world to me.”

Nine games into her freshman season, Arns showed a glimpse of her potential as she went off for 16 points against Big Sky foe Eastern Washington. Three games later, Arns started her first game as a Viking and has rarely relinquished a starting spot since.

“Freshman year was kind of difficult for me because I went from a high school where I played every game, started every game, played every minute to maybe averaging 10 minutes a game at the beginning,” she said. “I never talked about red shirting or any of that. I’m the type of person that if I don’t get the minutes I want or the playing time I want I’m going to prove that I deserve it.”

After winning just seven games that year utilizing a post-heavy offense, head coach George Wolfe was fired and replaced by Charity Elliott, a young, hard-nosed coach who would stress frenetic defense and a motion offense.

“When I first got here I was more concerned about setting the tone than getting to know them as people,” said Elliott. “Initially it was all business.”

While it took awhile for Arns and her new head coach to get to know each other, the burden of carrying the team along with senior Heidi Stuart was immediate.

Arns did compile some impressive stats in her first full year as a starter, leading the team with 13.9 points and five rebounds a game, which earned her honorable mention All-Big Sky honors. But under a new coach, a new offense and an almost entirely new cast, the young Vikings struggled to a 3-23 record.

“Sophomore year was really hard on me regardless of stats,” Arns said. “I put everything on my shoulders all the time.”

As Elliott installed her system and recruited a strong class of freshmen led by Kahle and sharp-shooting Jenni Ritter, the 2005-06 Vikings made the postseason for the first time in years. Just four games into the season, Portland State notched a defining win over the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks, from the powerful Southeastern Conference.

Arns had only five points on 2-12 shooting, but was integral in shutting down the Razorbacks in the Vikings’ 65-61 victory at Stott Center on Nov. 26, 2005. In typical fashion, Arns cites the victory as one of her favorite moments as a Viking, despite her rough shooting night.

“One of my favorite memories is when we beat Arkansas at home. It was one of the biggest things for the Portland State program,” she said. “As a team and a family, literally, we were so excited.”

While the 5-foot-9 guard from Hillsboro has had some monster games as a Viking, including a 28-point, nine-rebound game against Idaho State last year, stats have rarely mattered.

“I told coach Elliott the other day that I would rather score zero points, play solid defense and win a game than score 20 or 25 points and lose,” Arns said. “I’m not that type of player, I’m way more into the team.”

Her willingness to fill whatever role the team needs and dogged work ethic quickly won over her new coach.

“Heather and I, every year we’ve gotten a better understanding of each other and our relationship has become so much better,” said Elliott. “I trust her 100 percent that she is all about the team, and it is all about us winning, and she has bought in 100 percent to what we’re trying to do.”

Lately, that has meant heavy doses of Kelsey Kahle, who was the Big Sky Outstanding Freshman last season. Elliott has been impressed with how easily Arns has adapted to no longer being the number-one option on offense.

“It’s taken a little while to progress to where as she’s been surrounded by more talent every year,” Elliott said. “I’ve come to respect her so much that she’s really understood her role has changed but yet she’s still looked upon to be such a leader emotionally for us. She brings such a fire and intensity.”

Arns’ defining moment this season came on Dec. 30, when the Vikings went into halftime trailing Utah Valley State at home.

“I said, ‘Heather, you’re being very passive right now, we need you to step up, you can knock some shots down.’ She came out and had a great second half. She ended up hitting the free throw to win it,” said Elliott. “It’s been a fine line where we’ve had to have some conversations about, just because you’re not scoring 20 points doesn’t mean we still don’t need those 10 or 12 from you.”

Regardless of her scoring prowess, number 20 continues to mean a great deal to her ball club. Junior forward Delaney Conway was recruited in the same class as Arns and redshirted her first year at PSU.

“Heather and I have been here longer than the coaches,” Conway said. “She’s a great leader on the court. As a senior leader she wants to win as much if not more than anyone on the team. Everybody looks up to her.”

Arns is aware of the effect she can have on people on and off the court.

“As far as leadership goes, I told coach and the girls at the very beginning of the year that all I’m about is team,” she said. “I have some weird thing where I have an effect on people in the way that I act. You can be a leader in terms of what you say and do or just people watching you and seeing how you are.”

After Thursday night’s 80-72 victory over the Hornets, Arns has nine games left in her career at Portland State and is taking everything “minute by minute.”

Her coach summed up Arns’ impact in the South Park Blocks.

“I hope people remember what she’s given to establishing this program five years down the road when hopefully we’re doing phenomenal. She was part of the building blocks and setting the expectations,” Elliott said. “There’s times when Heather, Delaney, myself and Chris were the only ones left that were here that first year that can sit and cry together and remember how difficult it was. I for one will always remember that Heather stuck with it and came out on the other end a phenomenal person and I think has grown as a player in every facet of the game. She is just the heart and soul of this team.”