Along the way she proved it to her coach and her teammates: Geurink is ready to go.
The Saginaw Valley State basketball freshman from Hamilton didn’t look to impress the Cardinals, earning a starting spot in the preseason and maintaining it every game.
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“At first we didn’t know who was going to start. I had to work for my position from the beginning, work every day. It’s something I didn’t really expect, but I’ve really taken advantage of it,” Geurink said. “It’s really special because I didn’t expect it. The fact that I can start, it makes me feel really proud of myself (for getting there).”
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The list of players from the Holland area who have started in college is very small. The list at the scholarship level is even smaller: fewer than five over the past two decades combined.
Geurink, who was All-State the last two years at Hamilton and Holland Sentinel Player of the Year his senior year, has worked for this distinction.
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“I’ve really expanded my skills. I’ve improved my shooting and learned how to finish off defenders better than I did in high school where I was able to overcome things. I really learned how to play against defenders. It took me a while to get used to it at first, but we all have a great connection off the court. We all love each other. That always helps on the court,” Geurink said. “It’s about trying harder every day. The confidence boost has really helped me. The first two games I felt really shy, but once I realized I could hang with the teams we were playing against, it really built that confidence and helped me play better.”
Saginaw Valley State’s Kaitlyn Geurink, a Hamilton native, is a starter for the Cardinals.
Geurink and the Cardinals also discovered what it’s like to play against the county’s best, facing defending NCAA champion Grand Valley State earlier in the season.
“It was cool because they’ve always been a team around me, so it was cool to be in that moment playing against that team and really realizing how good they are,” he said. “It’s nothing I’ve ever faced.” That’s something I need to adapt to. It was really special to have the Hamilton community show up like that. I didn’t even know that many people would come. I didn’t expect anything like that. “It was a very good moment to see all that support.”
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Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter. @DanDAddona or facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared in The Holland Sentinel: Saginaw Valley State’s Kaitlyn Geurink is a freshman starter.