I like that she can handle the ball, pass, and move without the ball. And I like how she's grown from 6-1 to 6-2 since February.
Dutch Star Forward Schipholt Ready For Her New Home
With a big hole in their frontcourt with the upcoming graduation of surefire top five WNBA draftee post Kristine Anigwe, a commitment from 6-2 2019 Dutch forward Evelien Schipholt last month was just what the doctor ordered for the Bears.
Before for the offer came from Cal, the Bears were already on the star forward’s radar, both athletically and academically.
“I know Cal’s a big university with well-known academics,” said Schipholt. “Cal is one of the few universities that provides a combination of high-level academics and high-level basketball.”
Her official visit to Berkeley was an eye-opener for Schipholt.
“I’ve been in the U.S. a couple times before,” noted Schipholt. “My official visit to Cal was in February and I absolutely loved it. The campus is really pretty and the location was remarkable. I had never been to California before and I fell in love with it right away.
“My new home is going to feel like a permanent vacation, so I can call myself lucky, I guess.”
The future Bear was excited for her future teammates after the Bears big opening round NCAA tourney win over North Carolina, 92-72 earlier this week, and was able to see portions of the game.
“I haven’t seen the full game yet but I was so excited and happy for the girls,” said Schipholt. “They deserved this!”
Schipholt noted that the Cal staff sees her as an athletic 4 player.
“With Kristine leaving, there are a lot of rebounds to be caught,” said Schipholt. “Since rebounding is a big part of my game, they said I’d fit in just fine.”
Rebounding isn’t the only part of her game the Bears like, as the 6-2 forward averaged 12.1 points and 11.3 rebounds in the Junior Nationals in Austria over the summer, falling to eventual finalist Liutova, playing with CTO Amsterstam.