Senior Spotlight: Grace Van Egeren - Bay Port girls basketball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQO3ytMpw7A

BY RICH PALZEWIC

CORRESPONDENT

Hailey Wilson photo

Grace Van Egeren is a senior member of the Bay Port girls’ basketball team. Grace was to be looked upon as a big part of the season, but she tore the ACL in her left knee on July 23, 2017. She still hopes to play college basketball and is looking at UW-Stout or UW-Eau Claire and will most likely study business.

Name: Grace Van Egeren

Nickname: Goose

Parents: Nicole & Tim

School: Bay Port

Sports: girls basketball

Twitter: @gracebp25

What’s the story behind your nickname? “My sister started calling me that in the eighth grade and then it just caught on from there.”

Your team had a scrimmage last weekend…how was that watching and not being able to play? “I guess it wasn’t as hard as I thought, but I’m sure it’ll be a different feeling when we play a real game. It does stink but I’m still there with the team.”

I know it’s hard to even discuss, but how did your knee injury happen? “It was in AAU basketball this past summer in Minnesota. I was going for a ball that was going out of bounds and just collided with a bigger girl. When I landed, my knee just buckled.”

Did you know right away something serious was wrong? “I really didn’t think it was the ACL right away, but I knew it was pretty bad. I had never experienced an injury like that.”

When did you officially know your senior season was lost? “I waited at the tournament with my team, so I didn’t find out until like three days later when we got back home to Green Bay.”

When will you be cleared to start resuming all normal activities? “Obviously I’ve started some physical therapy and such but it won’t be until like May that I’ll be back to normal stuff. Maybe somewhere down the road I can jump in and do some non-contact drills with the team.”

Enough talk about the knee. Have you done any other sports besides basketball? “I did track my sophomore year – high jump and triple jump – but that’s it.”

What’s it like playing for Coach Coleman? “She’s fun! A new rule this year is to just get stuff done in practice and save the fun stuff for later. She doesn’t yell too much.”

How about a sport you wish you could have done? “I played soccer when I was younger, so maybe that.”

Do you have a most memorable sports moment? “My sophomore year I was on varsity for playoffs. Even though we lost the game, it was just exciting to be a part of the team.”

How about a most embarrassing one? “In track, just how awkward it was for me starting out of the blocks! I never fell or anything but it was just different.”

Do you come from a sports family? “My little sister Alaina is an eighth grader and plays basketball and does track. My dad played hockey and football in high school. My grandpa was a coach at Freedom High School.”

If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be? “Probably Michael Jordan just from a basketball standpoint or maybe Steph Curry. Maybe both at the same time!”

Is there a teammate that should have her own reality TV show? “Grace Krause. She’s just funny and says funny things!”

Which teammate could survive on a deserted island? “I’d say Alexis Tingley because she’s pretty smart.”

How about a teammate that you’d entrust with taking care of your pets? “Peyton Coughlin because she has lots of pets.”

How about a teammate you’d go with on a cross-country road trip? “There's too many I'd want to take so we need to take a team bus, and we’d all go!”

What is something about you that most people wouldn’t know? “Probably that I’m in band. A lot of people don’t know that. I play the clarinet.”

Tree house or tiny house? “Tiny house.”

Chocolate or vanilla? “Definitely chocolate.”

Lie on the beach or ski down the slopes? “Lie on the beach.”

Golf or disc golf? “Disc golf.”

What three words best describe you? “Determined, responsible, caring.”

Do you have any bad habits? “I like to chew on the side of my lip/cheek.”

How will Grace Van Egeren be remembered at Bay Port? “From sports and hopefully that I’m a good student.”

What will you miss most about Bay Port? “All my friends and just how comfortable things are around here.”

Favorites

Food: noodles

Book: Hunger Games

Color: blue

Candy: Kit-kat, Twix, Milky Way

Season: summer

Coach Kati Coleman’s comments: “When I heard Grace possibly tore her ACL, I was wishing it wasn’t that bad – because of the summer she was having. When she told me it was confirmed that she had torn her ACL, my heart hurt for her and the team. Grace would have had a great senior season. Her role has changed from a player, to more of a player-coach. She’s going to be very instrumental in helping the younger kids this year. She still wants to play at the college level and I believe that can happen. She will come back stronger than she was. She now knows the meaning of ‘don’t take anything for granted’ and that will help her in whatever she decides to do in the future.”

Notes: suggestions for the Senior Spotlight can be submitted to Rich via email (palzewic@hotmail.com) or by Twitter (@richpalzewic)… all spotlights can be found online at thepress.media. Check out last week’s spotlight on Bay Port girls’ swimmer Erin Samels.