Former LU player Kathryn Verboom inks deal with German team

When you’re as committed to the game as Kathryn Verboom, the itch to play never really goes away.

Verboom, who starred for five years at Lakehead University, thought she was done after she graduated in 2009, but after spending a year coaching and teaching in Timmins, realized more than anything she wanted to be back on the court in a starring role.

She’ll get that chance this season, though she’ll have to leave her friends and family far behind to do it. Verboom last week inked a one-year deal to play professionally in the German second division, where she’ll also help coach and teach a young Towers Speyer-Schifferstadt squad that lost in the league semifinal last season.

It’ll be a different story this fall, as the club moves into rebuilding mode.

For Verboom, it’s back to the daily grind of practice and working on her shooting, a mindset the Fort William Collegiate Institute graduate thought she could retire along with her game.

"As soon as I started (teaching), I said I’m done. That’s it, there’s no more basketball, it’s just coaching for me," said Verboom, who leaves for Europe on Sept. 1, five days ahead of her scheduled reporting date in the southwestern German community, located about 45 minutes outside of Frankfurt.

"I guess I never really thought (playing pro) would happen, especially after I took one year off."

Her interest began to pique last spring, when there was talk of her playing summer ball for the Netherlands’ national squad. Her father was born in Holland, but time and paperwork issues quashed her chances, at least for this year.

But it sparked her love of competition, and after contacting her old agent, who made some calls on her behalf, Towers Speyer said yes.

A two-time OUA all-star, Verboom not only has to get used to playing again, she’s also going to have to change her game.

She’ll get that time, her new coach said.

"There will be a natural transition period for her to adjust, but after having a successful career at Lakehead University, we are sure Kathryn will continue that success at the Towers."

At 5-foot-11, Verboom was among the tallest of Thunderwolves. That won’t be the case overseas, she said.

"I’m going to have to adjust my game and become more of a shooter. That’s one of the things that they said from Day 1: ‘You need to shoot, you need to shoot.’ I never really had to shoot at Lakehead. I always just did layups. It will be an adjustment that way, working on a different aspect of my game," Verboom said.

"Also, the three-point line is a little bit further back there than it is here. But I think the work ethic I developed here is definitely going to have to continue to play in Europe."

Jon Kreiner recruited Verboom to come to Lakehead, when no one else seemed to want her. He was only too happy to take her, when every other women’s basketball coach in the country turned her down.

Seeing a strong all-around athlete, Kreiner took a chance, and hasn’t regretted it for a minute. One of the hardest-working players he’s ever coached, he called her a natural athlete that likely could have succeeded at any sport she tried.

"You put athlete and work together you’re usually going to get something pretty good in the end," Kreiner said.

His expectations are high for his former player, both on and off the court.

That’s good news for up-and-coming players in the German system, Kreiner said.

"She’s actually working with the younger club players, and she’s done that here, so she’s got that experience. And she’s also going to be teaching at the school, so it kind of has a balance of everything, between coaching, teaching and playing.

But she will be expected – because this club team does play in a Division 2 pro league – to step up and provide for her team … She’s a little nervous definitely going out there, but I think it’s a great situation for her to be successful."