Kaela Chapdelaine’s dream of continuing her professional basketball career officially came true Thursday when she signed a contract with Nantes-Reze 44 of the French League.
The former guard for the Oregon women’s basketball team completed her final season with Oregon last winter and has been training just outside Vancouver, B.C. She had said in an e-mail that she would be playing in France next year.
She leaves for France on Aug. 20 with the season set to begin near the end of September.
“I played in college, and the next step any player hopes for is to begin a professional career,” Chapdelaine said in a media release. “I have a contract, an agent – I have to perform to earn a paycheck. I think it’s neat that I play basketball for a job. The French league, along with the Italian and Spanish leagues, is one of the strongest leagues in Europe. There are a lot of older and experienced women who have been playing there for years.”
She spent five years with the Oregon women’s basketball program and earned the team’s Best Defensive Player award for the second straight year.
Chapdelaine contributed in all areas at Oregon with averages of 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game last season.
“I’ve been training with my (Canadian) national team coaches, and we get together twice a week with other players from the area,” Chapdelaine said. “On the other days, I play with the local college men’s team. I am going through my own spring training.”
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