Vorhees Continues to Shine Overseas.

Anyone who has followed Notre Dame College basketball since its existence remembers NDC great Will Vorhees. Amongst the many awards that Vorhees collected last season was the MEC- and- Ron Lenz NCAA DII Player Of The Year, along with being named the Atlantic Region Player Of The Year. Vorhees led the Falcons to the school's first ever conference title in basketball- and- the automatic berth in the NCAA Division II tournament that comes with it. Vorhees currently is playing overseas as a member of the Eisenbaren Bremerhaven Polar Bears where he is a member of the starting five. He is averaging 12.6 points- and- 6.1 rebounds per game on a team that is 15-4- and- in second place in the Pro-A division in Germany (German basketball is like soccer in that teams move up and down based on how they were the previous season.)

"Other than the fact that I am away from my family and friends and I miss being around them- seeing them on a regular basis I don't mind live here at all."Vorhees told me.

It has been an adjustment for him but as Vorhees said he has learned some simple words and phrases like hello and thank you but by no means can he hold a conversation in German. He explained to me how it is a very hard language to pick up. The living situation has been pretty good thus far though. Bremerhaven,Germany is in northern Germany and is right along the water. It is five hours from Berlin and one hour from Hamburg. He has his own car- and-apartment along with medical and dental insurance. As for the basketball side of things the Eisenbaren team that Vorhees is on is very unique. It is explained by the fact that they have a very talented team and every player provides a specific skill set that makes them unique from everyone else. In other words no players on this team are similar in playing style. That is very nice to have to have but injuries and illness are a part of basketball. In this case if someone is out with an injury or illness the team really misses having that guy because he serves an important role. As for the specific role he has on the squad Vorhees said:

" My job is to be a physical low post defender- low post scoring threat- stretch four- and- tenacious rebounder."

He continued and talked about the biggest difference between the games he played at NDC and the games he plays now in the pro's in Germany:

" The biggest difference between NDC games and my games now is obviously the pro level is a little more advanced than DII basketball. Not that DII basketball isn't highly competitive but everyone who makes it here was either the best or second best player on there team. It is the best of the best. The refs also allow way more physicality than they do in the states- which can actually help me at times. We also play in arenas a lot so that's a much different feel than playing in gymnasiums like I am used to. The name of the arena we play in is called Stadenhall Arena."

Vorhees explained to me how he really like his coaches in Germany and that they are both Americans:

" Mike Mai is the head coach and Allen Smith is his assistant. These guys are awesome as coaches, the fact that they are both Americans really helped me adjust. They have been very patient with my growth and progress. I struggled early on because the European pro style is different than what I am used to. My coaches kept encouraging me and telling me I would adjust as well as figure it out. I think they were right."

Vorhees filled me in on how the biggest difference between the college and pro game is size and strength. In DII he did not have to play against great big men on his level very often. A couple of exceptions exist to every rule though. In Germany Vorhees has definitely seen his game translate well. One big difference is that most post-players are taller/longer than him. So finishing over the top of lengthy defenders has been challenging at times. As any good big men would Vorhees recognizes great guard play and he talked about how he has been fortunate to play with the guards that he did at NDC and now with the Polar Bears. Here were his thoughts on those matters:

" Playing with good guards is a big man's dream. Looking back at my college career I was very fortunate to play with good guards in Tyree (Gaiter-) and- Larenz (Thurman.) Kasey Hill is a current teammate of mine who was an All-American at the University of Florida. He is our floor general. He is an extraordinary player and makes my job a lot easier."

Vorhees still watches almost every NDC game as he has many friends who are currently on the team. Obviously he told me he wants them to do well, but he knows it has been a tough season for many thus far. He told me how he is very confident that these guys will improve as the season continues.

Vorhees keeps in touch with many of his former NDC teammates and a couple of them spoke to me about the relationship that they have with him. First was former NDC teammate and current Fairmont State sophomore Isaiah Sanders:

" Will has always been a killer that does his job. He fits a role and exceeds what he is told to do. I'm not surprised at all that his game has translated to the pro's because he has played for several years now. He is only going to get better as time goes on and I won't be surprised if he is playing on that big stage one day. Will is my big brother and I love him."Sanders said.

Former NDC teammate and current NDC senior Bruce Hodges injected a little humor into the conversation as he poked fun at himself while complementing Vorhees:

" If you don't tell Will he can't shoot worse from the free throw line than me. In all seriousness though I follow and talk to Will all the time! He is playing well-and- is only going to get better."

Hodges mentioned.

Kamile Kuizaitis is the girlfriend of Vorhees for the past almost two years. She had a chance to go see him play and gave her insight on everything Vorhees:

" Seeing Will play at the pro level is definitely very different. The competition is much higher and the pace of the game is quicker. Even though Will vocalized that he greatly misses his family-friends- and- past coaches from NDC he has been adjusting very well with the help of his new coaches and teammates. Attending Will's basketball games in Bremerhaven and seeing him play in a new environment was definitely a moment I will never forget. Will still believes he has a lot of improving to do. I know he will continue to work hard and bring his great attitude plus the skills that he has learned throughout his lifetime no matter what time he plays on. I am very proud to be a part of Will's basketball journey and I am excited to see what the future holds."Kuizaitis said.

Like any basketball player, or just competitive person in general Vorhees loves competition. So in the German league it means that the team Bremerhaven is shooting for is Chemnitz.

Vorhees spoke about running that team down (or whoever is in first place at the time:)

" Our biggest rival is whoever is in first place and right now that is Chemnitz. They beat us earlier this year by eight. We play them again in the regular season and we plan on winning and taking back that top spot eventually."

In basketball it all starts and ends with the coaches and friends that are made along the way. I talk to TK (Fairmont State Coach Tim Koenig-) about once a week and watch all of there games as I have a lot of friends on that team that I played with last year and met over the summer so I definitely keep in touch. I owe TK and Baab (Fairmont State Assistant Coach Tim Baab) a lot for how far i've made it and I still plan on never losing contact with those two."Vorhees stated.

But as great as it is to be a pro athlete Vorhees talked about what he thinks is his greatest achievement thus far as a player:

" It is truly an honor to be the first player ever in NDC history to have my jersey retired and it may be my proudest achievement to date. A lot of hard work and stress was put in to make that become a reality and I couldn't be more satisfied with the college career that I had."

Koenig explained how some familiarity was good for Vorhees and the quality of the Pro-A in Germany:

" It was really good for Will when Kamile came to visit he was getting lonely at the beginning- but he adjusted very well. You can not overstate how good that league is that he plays in. Quite an accomplishment for a guy whose only scholarship offer out of high school was Notre Dame College."

One thing is for certain with Vorhees on all levels. If you ever count him out he will prove you wrong. After all this is the same guy who is playing pro ball who only had one scholarship offer out of high school.