Hofstraat signs with SCC
Photo by Peter W. Zubaty
Bardstown senior Rianne Hofstraat, second from right, signed last week to play basketball at St. Catharine College. She is pictured with (front) her host family, Paul and Stacy Bowling, and SCC coach Lena Bramblett, as well as (back) Bardstown athletic director David Clark, Barstown principal Cara Blackmon and Bardstown coach Paul Stone.
By Peter W. Zubaty
Playing club basketball as a youngster growing up in The Netherlands, Rianne Hofstraat knew she wanted to play college basketball, and she knew what she had to do to get there.
“I always wanted to go to America,” said the Bardstown High School senior last week after signing a letter-of-intent with St. Catharine. “I was always playing basketball.”
While it was tough to leave her homeland and her parents behind to chase her dream, it wasn’t an unprecedented move, as Hofstraat’s brother finished his high school career in Missouri. Once in Bardstown, she found a welcoming community and made fast friends with her schoolmates.
“In the beginning, it was kind of hard” adjusting to her new home, and the cultural and linguistic differences, she said. But with the help of her host family — Paul and Stacy Bowling — and her schoolmates, she was able to make a relatively easy transition to American life.
“It’s been a lot of fun; everybody here’s really nice,” Hofstraat said.
That was evident after her signing last week, as her friends and teammates lined up one-by-one to congratulate Hofstraat with a warm hug.
“I think I’m going to stay in America,” she said with a smile.
Hofstraat showed up at Bardstown coach Paul Stone’s basketball practice in the fall, and he almost instantly knew he had an impact player on his hands.
Bardstown’s Rianne Hofstraat will continue her basketball career at St. Catharine College.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” he said of the 6-foot Hofstraat. “Her defense was stellar. She had a nice jumper and she passed the ball well. It was a pleasure to coach her.”
Hofstraat averaged nine points and seven rebounds per game, and also swatted away more than two shots a game.
“She set a school record (80) for blocks,” Stone said. “I’ve never had anybody close to that.”
Stone said Hofstraat possesses strong ball skills for her size, and it should enable her to play power forward and possibly move out to a small forward position, where she can better take advantage of her good outside shooting touch.
“She’ll have to be aggressive and learn to shoot more,” he said.
That was a sentiment echoed by her new coach, Leah Bramblett, who will have Hofstraat working on developing a mean streak and learning perimeter defense.
“Obviously, her size” was an attractive attribute, Bramblett said. “She can bring that finesse game and post up.”
Hofstraat said the European game isn’t as rough as what she saw last year in the 5th Region, and that’s taken some getting used to. She’ll spend a lot of time working on toughening herself up for the college game.
“In America it’s a lot more physical,” she said, with players looking to drive to the basket and draw contact rather than settling for the outside jumper.
Hofstraat said she wants to study biology and chemistry with the hopes of attaining a medical degree the way her sister — who practices in Africa — did. Before heading to St. Catharine, however, she will travel back to The Netherlands to visit her family, and also take a side trip to Africa to visit her sister.
No matter what the future holds, Hofstraat will always have a piece of Bardstown in her heart.
“A year like this, you can’t forget,” she said.