From the Palestra to the pros

Brendel is taking her game to the next level If you're a collegiate basketball star, you might have dreams of a professional career. After all, you were your team's and conference's best player, you hold all kinds of records, you were even an all-American candidate. While the amount of college players that go on to the pros is small, it's still natural to hope the next step will be that you are drafted by a pro team. What happens if you fit all of these qualities, but you're a woman? Although attempts have been made in the past, and still more will be made in the future (the WBA is set to begin in 1995), there currently are no professional basketball leagues for women in the United States. So if collegiate stars want to continue their athletic careers, they have to do it overseas. That's exactly what Kirsten Brendel did. A 1991 Penn graduate and basketball star from Holmdel, New Jersey, Brendel decided to hop on a plane to play hoops rather than stay put and get a "real" job. "When I graduated, I didn't want to stay in America and work 50 hours a week," Brendel said from Heidenheim, Germany, her new home. "I wanted to be on the road and basketball gave me the opportunity to do that, fortunately." Of course, Brendel had to have the ability to gain that opportunity. A quick look at her basketball resume proves that she had what it takes to play professionally. As a Quaker, including being captain for three years, Brendel averaged 16.2 points and 8.3 rebounds throughout her career. She broke a total of nine Ivy League records, including most points in an Ivy season (351) and best average (25.1). She also firmly imprinted her name in the Penn record book, breaking seven school records, including points in a career (1,656). No other player, male or female, holds more Ivy League basketball records, except for Bill Bradley, who now has a place in Springfield, Mass. and calls Capitol Hill his home. These credentials more than made her qualified for a career on the hardwood. But there were no outlets in the United States for her. According to Brendel, even if such American opportunities existed, she probably still would have opted to cross the Atlantic. "It's more than just earning money for basketball," she said. "It's experiencing different lifestyles. It's a real eye-opener." Her stats on the international scene are sure to raise some eyebrows as well. Brendel has played in Australia, Switzerland and now Germany in her two years since receiving a degree in economics from Penn. Down under, Brendel started in the New South Wales League with the Lithgow Lazers in 1991, where she averaged 25.4 points and 15 rebounds per game. Those numbers were good enough to raise her to the next level – the Australian National Team. As a member of the Sydney Akai Flames, Brendel finished in the top 10 in points per game, free throw and field goal percentage and was nominated for the Women's National Basketball League All-Star team. After that season was done, Brendel moved on to the Switzerland National Basketball League. In Birsfelden, Brendel averaged a whopping 31.2 points per game over a span of 19 games. Following that experience, Brendel moved to her current country-of-residence in Germany. This have-ball will-travel mentality probably came from Brendel's early childhood, when she spent three years in Iran and logged a lot of time in airports. It's also the main reason why Brendel isn't planning to return to the States any time soon, even if a proposed Women's Basketball Association, slated to begin in 1995, comes to fruition. "I love to travel and being in an airport brings back good memories," she said. "Maybe I'll come back in a few more years. But my primary reason [for playing overseas] is to experience different lifestyles. Being in three countries in two years has enabled me to do that." That's not to say that Brendel hasn't given a pro league in the U.S. a lot of thought. In fact, she has a lot to say about why past leagues have failed and what has to be done to make one succeed in the future. She's even considered making that her career goal when she eventually returns and "settles down." "The only way it will work is if the NBA supports it because they're the ones who have the money," she said. "You have to try to get fans from the NBA by being affiliated with NBA teams. You could play in the big arenas before the men's games and attract fans to come before the men's games." Brendel's ideas come directly from her playing experience. The Australian league, says Brendel, is run via affiliations. The team she played for, the Sydney City Flames, is affiliated with the popular men's national team which goes by the same name. Approximately 10,000 fans come to see the City Flames play at the Sydney Entertainment Center. More fans see the Akai Flames because they play before their male counterparts. In addition, Brendel's former team's sponsor also gains an advantage from the arrangement. The Akai banner which hangs in the arena gets ample television exposure during the men's games. So, says Brendel, everyone benefits from the affiliation. With all of these ideas stored away, Brendel faces the possibility of returning home, starting a "real job," and putting her Ivy League education to work, something she knows many people will be relieved to hear. Even her parents, who have been very supportive of their daughter's travels, often ask when all that tuition money will start to pay off. "Some people say they're so jealous that I have a dream job," she says. "Others say, 'When are you going to start a career?' My parents always ask when I'm coming home." Eventually, Brendel will come back to the United States and "settle down." But for now, she's happy in Heidenheim, population 50,000 where kids look up to her and she gets paid to experience a different lifestyle and put a ball in the hoop.

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