By Madyson Montoya
Andrea Kohlhaas had no idea her after-school hobby as a 13-year-old would take her 5,757 miles away from home.
“Basketball got pretty serious, pretty quickly,” the 5-foot-11 junior forward said.
Because she took her passion and skill seriously, Kohlhaas — a native of Besigheim, Germany — knew her future in basketball was bright.
“I always knew I wanted to play college in the States,” she said.
It turns out the foreign prospect would be in the right place at the right time to make her dream come true.
A tournament in San Diego was the first step.
“It was a game that we weren’t even supposed to be at,” said SJSU assistant coach Jourdan Willard. “We were killing time before our next game to recruit the local kids.”
In that one game, Kohlhaas stood out right away and was immediately on SJSU’s radar.
“She’s a great shooter, a really good teammate and after that we just started following her,” Willard said.
Remodeling her playing style and adjusting to the new form of life were just a couple of hurdles Kohlhaas faced.
“It’s completely different,” she said. “In Germany, it’s slower and more about the team play.”
Kohlhaas noted she was accustomed to not shooting until there was 10 seconds left on the shot clock.
Here meanwhile, the game is faster and the team tries to score immediately to maximize points.
“She was a little homesick and a little stubborn, but she has taken coaching really well,” Willard said.
Most of Kohlhaas’ friends back home, who also played internationally, quit after a year or two because of how difficult it is being away from home for the majority of the year.
What helps her overcome the distance from close ones is her teammates.
“I just love to have a team full of sisters that are like my family away from home,” Kohlhaas said.
She had the team’s best three-point shooting percentage in the 2016-2017 season.
Adapting fast to this new style of playing, she now plays with ease and is able to help out her newer teammates.
“This is my first year playing with Dre,” said freshman point guard Danae Marquez. “I think she’s adjusted to the game and style we play.”
Although she has grown throughout her three years here at SJSU, another obstacle displayed itself this past season.
After a couple games into the season, Kohlhaas was struck with a torn ACL, which restricted her from finishing her junior season.
Kohlhaas recently underwent surgery and has every intention of coming back stronger.
“She’s taken the adversity, and gotten through her rehab and is starting to train,” Willard said.
Kohlhaas has worked tremendously hard to make it here in the States, not letting her injury get in the way of her future.
“You really have to want it,” Kohlhaas said. “You have to be really independent to make the step and play college over here.”
It takes a lot for a young player to leave their home country for their sport. Kohlhaas has not only traveled far, but she has proven that she is willing to stay for the team, for the program and for herself.
“She’s very encouraging, she works hard and she wants to win,” Marquez said.
Tournament Prediction
Q: You play basketball, but how popular is it compared to soccer in Germany?
A: It’s not that popular. Soccer is clearly the number one sport, but basketball is becoming more and more popular in Germany.
Q: How much would you say soccer means to the average person from Germany?
A: A lot. It’s some peoples’ life. Even though they don’t play, people go basically crazy during the World Cup or even the European Championships. People really love soccer.
Q: Best soccer player in the world?
A: I am a big fan of our goalie, Manuel Neuer. He plays on the German national team, obviously, and he’s just one of the best goalies in the world.
Q: Who is your favorite player on the German national soccer team and why?
A: Probably Jerome Boateng. It’s super random, he’s not like a huge part of the team, but to me personally if he doesn’t play you can just tell a huge part is missing because he does all the small things that the team needs.
Q: Germany is in a group with Sweden, Mexico, and South Korea. What are the chances they make it to the round of 16?
A: Oh! We’ll be No. 1 in that group for sure.
Q: Finals Prediction on July 15. Who plays in it and who wins?
A: I obviously hope that we will make it to the finals. I mean I think that’s where we are expected to be because we won the last one, so a lot of people think that we will make it to the finals.
