A year ago, forward Jennifer Aadland was trying to find her love for basketball again. On Monday, she signed her first professional contract with Sparta Bertrange of Luxembourg’s top division, a goal she didn’t know she wanted to pursue until she got to the Vandals.
“As soon as I got to Idaho, [playing overseas] was one of the first things that Arthur [Moreira] asked me. And I was like, ‘that would be so cool,’” Aadland said. “I’d never really thought about it. He was the main spark for me playing overseas. After he put that in my head, I was like, I would love to do that. And it’s been awesome that I got this opportunity.”
Aadland had a few other offers, but after going through the process, she decided to sign with Sparta.
“I chose Sparta because I felt like the coaches were super nice, and I could see that they knew my style of play. They seemed to want to be able to improve upon some of my other skills as well, which I really liked,” Aadland said. “I also like the location—it’s central in Europe, so it’s close to everything. Super clean, nice town. It’ll feel very comfortable, like Moscow.”
When Aadland stepped onto campus, she was a player with the potential to be great. By the end of summer workouts, she was the Vandals’ most improved player. Moreira knew from that point on that she could play at the next level.
“I was really excited for her. She had asked me if I thought it would be possible overseas, and we talked about that. We developed a plan for her to accomplish that goal,” Moreira said.
“After the summer, I revisited with her, and she had improved throughout. She went from being a player that had decent numbers at a good Division II school to a no-brainer starter for us when the season started. I was really excited for her and happy her work paid off.”
After three successful seasons at Augustana University, Aadland’s last season there was with a new coach, and she struggled to find her passion the game. She credits the Vandals with helping her find that love again as she made the switch from Division II to Division I.
“After my previous year at my school, the reason I transferred was because I wasn’t happy. They kind of helped me find my love for basketball again,” Aadland said.
From the first game she stepped on the court, she was a difference maker. Aadland brought high energy and a will to not only put points up but also dominate the boards. She finished the season averaging a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.
She scored in double figures 17 times, including a season-high 19 points against Idaho State. Of those 17 double-figure performances, eight were double-doubles. She was a force on the defensive end with 23 blocks and proved to be a lethal defensive rebounder. She was a force on both ends of the floor for the Vandals and looks to carry those skills over to her professional career.
“I can use my defense and rebounding abilities along with my shooting. I think they also really like my length and how I’m able to guard,” Aadland said.
Moreira, who has sent 17 players to the professional level in his coaching career, sees Aadland succeeding overseas because of her work ethic and her growth over the past year.
“Her motor will carry her through the first couple years of her career, and then the more she plays, the better she gets. The more success she has, the more growth you’re going to see,” Moreira said.
With Aadland heading to Europe, she is excited for new opportunities both on and off the court and ready to experience a new part of the world.
“Being somewhere different, seeing a different part of the world, and adventuring — that’s exciting. On the court, I am looking forward to improving my game and playing with different players, with different playing styles, from all different backgrounds. I think that’ll be super cool. I had a little bit of that at Idaho, but I’m super excited for that,” Aadland said.
The player who fell in love with basketball all over again during her final college season now gets to live out every player’s dream. Aadland proves that passion isn’t a flame that will only burn out, but one that can be rekindled. And when it catches fire again, it can light up courts on the other side of the world.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].