When Roger Hansen first laid eyes on Cathrine Kraayeveld in a Lake Washington High School uniform, he knew she was going to be something special.
“The first time she stepped on the court she hit eight out of nine three-pointers,” said Hansen, Kraayeveld’s high school coach. “Everyone just said ‘Holy smokes.’”
According to Hansen, Kraayeveld set a record for Lake Washington that day with her eight three-pointers. Amazingly, it was her first career game for the Kangaroos. She had transferred as a junior from Bellevue Christian that season, and went on to lead Lake Washington to a second-place finish in the Washington state Class 4A playoffs. As a senior, she took them to the semifinals.
But the accolades don’t stop there. The Seattle Times named her Prep Athlete of the Year both seasons at Lake Washington. Kraayeveld earned first-team all-state honors her senior season and was the MVP of the KingCo Conference. The list doesn’t stop there, but naming all of her awards would just take too long.
Point is, Kraayeveld is one heck of a player.
“She’s probably the most talented and complete player I’ve seen in my 10 years of coaching,” Hansen said.
Flash forward to the present and Kraayeveld, now a sophomore, is a force to be reckoned with for the Ducks. The 6-foot-3 forward has a laundry list of statistical achievements so far this season.
Kraayeveld is fifth in the Pacific-10 Conference in shooting percentage (.509), 10th in rebounds per game (6.2) and sixth in blocked shots (18).
But there is more about her than just statistics. Kraayeveld is a versatile inside strength for the Ducks that Oregon has not seen in years. She can post up and put the ball in the hoop from a few feet away, or she can go to the perimeter and sink an 18-foot jumper.
“She brings a little more, a new dimension, because she can shoot inside and out,” senior Alyssa Fredrick said. “It helps us spread out defenses a little more, and have them not just focus on her inside or outside game. They kind of have to guess with her.”
And have they ever guessed. Since becoming a starter Dec. 28 against Washington, the Kirkland, Wash., native has averaged almost 11 points per game and set a career high 18 points against Washington State. The most impressive facet of her game has been rebounding.
In her six games since becoming a starter, she has averaged 9.3 boards per game.
“I think that’s been one of the things I’ve focused on the whole season, trying to be more consistent at that, because that is what we really need on this team,” Kraayeveld said about her improving rebounding prowess.
Oregon head coach Bev Smith has been impressed with Kraayeveld’s play as well.
“I think Cathrine has certainly made some strides and I think that giving her starting opportunities and the fact she has taken advantage of those opportunities to be our leading rebounder, and at times our leading scorer, has caused her to have some attention paid to her by her opponents,” Smith said.
Stanford paid attention to Kraayeveld in Oregon’s most recent game, forcing her to shoot 2-of-11 from the field. She was, however, also able to snag a career-high 14 rebounds against the Cardinal.
After a game in which her shooting was not up to par, Kraayeveld can be seen taking extra shots after practice, quietly intense and working to improve. She has a dedication about her that is unmatched by few and wanted by many.
“When I’m shooting, I just make sure I’m doing it the same way every time,” she said. “It’s kind of like muscle memory. If I’m consistently shooting the same way every time, it will help.”
Growing up in Kirkland, Kraayeveld was introduced to the sporting life early on. Her father, Dave, played on the defensive line for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in 1978, and although she wasn’t born until 1981, that athletic spirit never really left the household.
Kraayeveld’s mother, Cindy, also played an important role in her upbringing, and her parents made sure she had her priorities straight. Kraayeveld said her father worked hard to help her improve, but also knew at times he was overdoing it. Nevertheless, she said she appreciates what her parents have done for her.
To this day, Kraayeveld’s parents are her biggest fans. Dave is in attendance at every Oregon home game, and even manages to attend a few selected contests on the road as well.
“It definitely helps to see your parents there and knowing that they are supporting you whether you have a bad game, win or lose,” Kraayeveld said. “There are those people who say ‘good job, it’s all right,’ but it’s not the same because they really don’t know you as a person or know what you’re going through.
“My parents can really relate to me and since they raised me, they really know what I’m feeling and going through.”
Kraayeveld’s parents played a large role in Kraayeveld’s psyche last season. After being the go-to player for Lake Washington, Kraayeveld came to the Ducks as a wide-eyed freshman, the only new face on a senior-laden squad. Often, she didn’t know what to expect and was caught up in the turmoil that plagued the team and its coach, Jody Runge.
“It was tough for her last year because she was the only freshman and last year, everything that was wrong was Kat’s fault in practice,” junior Shaquala Williams said. “I’d imagine that was pretty tough on her in practice, but I saw that she was really mentally strong and never let it get to her too much. No matter what was said, she just kept on playing.”
Runge, who was known as an aggressive tactician, did not find much room on the court for the freshman. Kraayeveld averaged only 2.1 points per game, playing for a little more than eight minutes per game.
“At times, I really did get frustrated, but I just tried to stay focused and know that it is just a game, and I am doing things right, but also making mistakes,” she said. “Through those hard times, I just try to stay calm, and know that I will do things wrong, but just do things hard and I’ll come through.”
Kraayeveld’s confidence and mental stability allowed her to stay focused and positive through the tough times of last season, and her ability to take things as they come helps give her a positive spin on the game.
These qualities have begun to rub off on her teammates as well.
“Nothing seems to bother Kat,” Williams said. “Everything is ho-hum, oh well. She’s really low maintenance, so she’s the kind of person you love to have on your team. She’s not going to complain, she’s not going to cause any problems. She’s going to come in every day, work hard and do her job.”
With more playing time this year, Kraayeveld has become a focal point of the Oregon offense. Smith, since taking over the Ducks’ head coaching spot, has been confident in the sophomore. Kraayeveld has played 35 minutes in a game twice this season, and has yet to play under 10 in any contest.
“I think everybody has been happy with her progress and I think everyone thinks she is a huge part of this team,” Williams said. “She’s probably one of the top two or three offensive options and she’s taken that role and done wonders with it.”
In her second year at Oregon, Kraayeveld has opened up and allowed the rest of the Pac-10 to learn her secrets. They now know her ability to shoot from beyond the three-point arc in one possession, and then come down the floor and bang on the boards. But the one thing they don’t know is that her jumping ability allows her to dunk a volleyball.
Fredrick doesn’t believe it, but Kraayeveld says it’s true.
“I did it my senior year (in high school),” she said. “I was playing in an all-star game and we were having a practice for it and I did it after practice. I have a witness; my dad’s seen me do it.”
With two years remaining in her collegiate career after this season, Kraayeveld is in the perfect position. She has begun to show flashes of brilliance as a sophomore, and is maturing at the right time. With this season’s you
ng squad, Kraayeveld has the chance to be the leader and go-to player of the future.
At least that’s what Smith thinks of her young-but-seasoned forward.
“The scary thing about Cathrine Kraayeveld is that she can get better. She can still get better,” Smith said. “She’s still got a lot of room to grow, as well as her understanding of the game, and just her ability to know that she is a competitor.
“Her mental toughness is getting better day-by-day, and when she gets a little bit greedier, she will be a top Pac-10 player.”
E-mail sports reporter Hank Hager
at [email protected].