Every time freshman guard Katlin Kangur, better known as “KK,” laces up her shoes and puts on her blue jersey with “Estonia” across the front, she is representing not only her country but the six-year-old version of herself who dreamed of one day wearing those colors.
“It’s an amazing opportunity. When you reach the women’s national team, the environment and putting on your country’s jersey, it’s such a special feeling,” Kangur said. “All the players coming together from different teams, different places, it’s amazing.”
Kangur, a native of Tallinn, Estonia, first discovered basketball in a PE class. While in first grade, she was spotted by a basketball coach and from there, she rose through the ranks, going from a little girl with a dream to a player ready to live it out.
It wasn’t always basketball for Kangur. She first tried dancing and singing, but once she picked up a ball and stepped onto a court, her mind was made up and her heart belonged to basketball.
“I love basketball because I tried dance and I went to singing classes, but basketball, the team, the contact, I just loved it,” Kangur said. “Who inspired me? I was my own inspiration. From a young age I got the opportunity to represent my country, so every year I pushed harder to be better at that level.”
Kangur began representing Estonia at 14 and moved to the senior national team at 16. Most recently, she played for a professional club team, winning a senior league championship and leading her team with 5.8 assists per game.
Looking for a new challenge, Kangur made a bold decision and moved 4,794 miles from Estonia to Moscow, Idaho, to take a chance on playing for the Vandals. Through a connection with Idaho head coach Arthur Moreira made via another coach, Kangur committed to the program and arrived on campus on August 18, 2025.
“I really like the people here. I’ve found a lot of friends, the team is amazing, and the coaches are really supportive,” Kangur said.
Coming from Europe, the adjustment has been real, both on the court and off.
“I feel like the speed and the system are a little bit different, but basketball is basketball,” Kangur said.
Beyond learning a new style of play, Kangur also had to pick up a new language, adapt to a new culture, and do it all within a few months.
“Back home, people weren’t so open. So, at first, when I came here, it was really weird for me,” Kangur said. “People are so talkative and friendly with each other. I struggled with that. The food is different too;that’s been hard. But I love that people are so supportive.”
Kangur entered a guard room loaded with experienced talent, including junior Hope Hassmann, seniors Kyra Gardner and Mary McMorris, and sophomores Ana Pinheiro and Ana Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva. With that kind of depth, not everyone was going to get minutes early in the season, Kangur included.
To start the year, she was used in a late-game mop-up role, balancing the demands of learning the system, the language, and her place on the team.
“I feel like I have more confidence in myself now, just trying to focus on the things I can control, defense, rebounding, moving the ball, cutting, figuring out my position,” Kangur said.
Then came an injury to McMorris, and with it, Kangur’s opportunity. She didn’t miss it. Her relentless work ethic and willingness to do the little things saw her climb the depth chart, and she has since become a key piece of the Vandals’ rotation.
“KK came in as a freshman on a good team. She wasn’t playing a lot early in the season. She had a little doubt about it,” Moreira said. “Then we had an injury to Mary, and KK was ready. She took advantage of it, and now I can’t imagine our rotation without her.”
Kangur has appeared in 24 games this season, averaging 2.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and just over one assist per game. But her impact goes well beyond the stat sheet. She is an elite defender and rebounder, two qualities Moreira prizes, and her attention to the little things, cutting, setting screens, making the extra pass, has made her irreplaceable in the rotation.
Whether she’s on the court or off it, Kangur’s outgoing personality is impossible to miss.
“I’m a people person,” she said. “I love to spend time with people. I also love to read and watch movies, but most of all, just spend time with people.”
Kangur plans to continue her career in Europe after her four years with the Vandals and hopes to keep representing Estonia on the biggest stage possible. Until then, every time she pulls on no. 14 and steps onto the court in Moscow, Idaho, she carries with her the kid from Tallinn who fell in love with the game in a PE class and never stopped believing she belonged.