Living out her dream
Shaler graduate McQuade playing professional ball
The distinctive sounds of drums, whistles and loud chants can be heard each time Val McQuade steps onto the basketball court for the ChemCats Chemnitz of Germany.
Such is life in the Damen Basketball Bundesliga (DBBL), the country’s premier 12-team professional league with a rowdy and reveling fan base.
Game nights often feel like a New Year’s Eve party for the rookie McQuade and her teammates.
“The crowds can be very loud and animated,” said McQuade, a graduate of Shaler High and Niagara University. “It is definitely different than playing in college. The atmosphere is awesome and challenging.”
A 6-foot forward, McQuade ranks fourth on the ChemCats at 7.7 points per game, while also contributing 2.5 rebounds and shooting 53.5 percent. She recently broke into the starting lineup, but an ankle injury has kept her on the sideline the past two games.
She is expected to return next week as the ChemCats (5-8, eighth place) vie for one of eight playoff spots over the final nine games.
An inside-outside scoring threat, McQuade has found her experience in Europe to be both fascinating and demanding.
“It is definitely more physical and faster than college,” said McQuade, who is taking classes so she can say “yes” when asked, “Sprichst du Deutsch?” (or, Do you speak German?). “I am playing against women who range in age from 18 years to 35. For some, this is their first year playing professional basketball like myself, and others have been playing professionally for years.”
The ChemCats roster features three players from the U.S., four from Germany and one each from Croatia, Argentina and France. Each team can have a maximum of three non-Europeans.
McQuade found her way to Chemnitz — located two hours outside of Berlin in southeast Germany —after attending a player combine at the women’s Final Four last spring. She was offered a spot with the ChemCats on Aug. 15.
The moment was emotional because McQuade’s basketball future had been in limbo since the second half of her senior season in 2015. That’s when she tore an ACL in Niagara’s conference opener, leaving her to wonder if she’d ever play again.
Tapping into the resolve that made her an all-state performer and a WPIAL champion at Shaler, McQuade vigorously rehabilitated the knee while serving as a Niagara graduate-assistant last season. She was determined to return to the sport she loves.
“When I got the call from my agent that I was offered to play basketball in Germany, I was overwhelmed,” said McQuade, who averaged 10.6 points, including a high of 20, as a Niagara senior.
Like most first-year players from the U.S., McQuade is still adjusting to the aggressive nature of the European game. There is also the matter of adapting to a new lifestyle away from the court, according to her coach Amanda Davidson.
“I think the biggest challenge is living in Europe,” said Davidson, who played 10 seasons overseas after graduating from the University of Indianapolis. “Having a language barrier and just being away from your comfort zone is hard.”
To her credit, McQuade is immersing herself in the German culture when time permits. That means meals consisting of schnitzel, bratwurst and doner kebabs; visits to the Karl Marx monument in Chemnitz and to the former site of the Berlin Wall; and trips to Frankfurt and nearby Prague, Czech Republic.
She also has the option of getting a taste of home when needed, given Chemnitz offers a McDonald’s, a Subway and a theater that features English-speaking movies once a week.
“Playing basketball in Germany has been an unreal experience and it’s helped me to grow as a player,” said McQuade.
“After this season, I’m definitely going to consider playing overseas again. I am very grateful for all the coaches and teammates I had along the way that helped to shape me into the player I am today.”