Basketball plays an important role in the van Schaik op Urk family. Father Edwin and mother Hermina are closely involved in the Orca basketball club from the village and their children Bart and Heeney work on their careers in sports.
Life mainly revolves around basketball for Van Schaik. “We don’t know any better and we all enjoy it together,” says Edwin van Schaik. Father and mother try to watch their children’s matches as often as possible. “When I see them play, I really enjoy it,” says Hermina van Schaik.
Bart van Schaik is active in his country with Yoast Unided from Pemmel in Gelderland, and Hermina moved from Bakersfield to the University of Louisville in Kentucky last month in America.
Bart has now completed his first season with Yoast Unided. Last year he moved from Zwolle to Bemmel in the summer to play more at the highest national level. Van Schaik says he’s gained more confidence in Unided and that makes his game better.
Henny van Schyck will start for Louisville next season. “Are you ready to be treated like a queen? That’s what they said when I got here last week,” Heaney says with a smile on her face. The Urk Woman is living her dream of basketball at a high level in America. She eventually wants to advance to the WNBA, the top women’s basketball league in America. This path to the true summit is still difficult, but Van Schaik is already making major strides in America.
