At any given time, there are approximately 1,000 student athletes competing at Penn. As a popular NCAA television spot reminds us, most of them will be “going pro” in something other than sports. Most of them will never receive compensation for the sport they played while wearing the red and blue.
For a select few, however, their playing days extend past college careers into professional ones.
And even fewer do it with their teammates.
But former Quakers Carrie Biemer, a 2009 College graduate, and Joey Rhoads, a 2007 Wharton graduate, now play together for the SV Halle Lions, a professional women’s basketball team in Germany. Halle, Germany lies about 100 miles southwest of Berlin and almost 4,000 miles from Philadelphia.
Rhoads averaged 13.7 and 15.0 points during her junior and senior years respectively, collecting a myriad of awards and recognitions during her years at Penn.
Biemer, a six-foot tall forward, led the Ivy League in scoring her senior year with 18.1 points per game. By the end of her career, she ranked ninth on Penn’s all-time scoring list.
Biemer and Rhoads, two of only three Americans on the Lions’ current roster, were only recently reunited. After the team lost one of their point guards, it extended an offer to Rhoads after consulting Biemer on how her former teammate would fit in with the team. On her blog where she chronicles her experiences playing in Europe, Biemer wrote, “Obviously I said that she is a very talented player and would be a great asset to our team.”
After a stellar campaign during her junior year at Penn, Biemer began to consider the possibility of playing professionally. Almost immediately after her senior season, Biemer retained an agent who quickly found her a job.
When her team in Switzerland went bankrupt over Christmas, Biemer began looking for a new team.
“I was pretty much open to playing anywhere,” Biemer said. “In the back of my head, I knew I maybe wanted to play in Germany because I knew that the level was a good level for me and I knew girls who had played there before.”
Rhoads’ road to becoming a Lion also had its twists and turns.
She hadn’t even considered playing overseas until after her senior season.
“I knew [the option to play abroad] existed, and I always thought it’d be really cool, but I had no idea how people even went about it or if I would be able to,” Rhoads said.
Michele Koclanes, an assistant coach at the time under head coach Pat Knapp, was the first person to broach the subject with Rhoads. Koclanes was in a unique position to offer advice because she had played professionally in Greece. Koclanes put Rhoads in touch with an agent, who has represented her ever since.
After graduating from Penn, Rhoads played for teams in Finland and Spain before electing to take a hiatus and return home.
“I hadn’t been playing for a year and a half, but I got a call to come [to Halle] and I was like, ‘Sounds great!’” Rhoads said. “I’ve never been one to really plan out my life.”
The former Quakers each make between 1,200 and 1,300 euros per month. They are also provided with apartments and cars on top of their salary.
Rhoads, a Wharton graduate, mused, “It’s nothing like what an investment banker coming out of Wharton would get.”
Being so far from home isn’t all roses either.
“You miss your family and friends,” Biemer said. “You’re playing for your job. It can get a little stressful.”
Nonetheless, both players seem to be relishing the experience and the chance to play abroad.
“Overall,” Biemer said, “it’s been awesome and I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity.”
