From the Netherlands to Oxford: Ilse de Vries wants to push Miami far

The Miami University RedHawks women’s basketball team began the 2024-25 season strong.

Through the first four games of the season, the RedHawks have risen to 3-1, their best start since the 2021-22 season.

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) preseason poll had the RedHawks projected to finish eighth in the conference. Currently, Miami sits at third behind the Ball State University Cardinals and the University of Buffalo Bulls.

This start is especially important when considering where the team stood at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Last year’s 9-20 overall record and last place finish in the MAC prompted head coach Glenn Box and his coaching staff to add new talent to a strong group of returning players.

An important addition to the RedHawks’ roster is first-year forward Ilse de Vries, who began her collegiate career with her first game against the Appalachian State University Mountaineers. De Vries finished third on the team in scoring with 10 points and six rebounds.

De Vries holds a unique journey that has led her to this point in her life. Growing up in Groningen, Netherlands, she started playing basketball when she was 10 years old.

“I just started in a neighborhood where my parents lived,” De Vries said. “I started at a really small club team, and a couple years later, I went to the city where my parents live, which is a higher club team. Then, I got scouted for the national team.”

De Vries played for the National Team Under 15 before getting scouted to play for the Orange Lines Academy in Amsterdam. She said the opportunity to play for the capital city of the Netherlands was a huge stepping stone for her.

While she said she was grateful for her opportunities, she wanted more and knew what the United States had to offer her.

She said her inspiration to come to the U.S. began after Box watched her at the European Championship. De Vries was the first player he spoke to shortly after getting the job with the RedHawks.

After speaking with him, De Vries said she knew she had to take the opportunity.

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“I really wanted to come to the United States because basketball is so much bigger than in my country,” De Vries said. “When I got the opportunity to go I knew I should do it because it was such a big opportunity for me.”

Through the first four games of the season, De Vries scored 18 points, including four free throws on six attempts. Her 13 rebounds is tied for second-most on the team.

Overall, Box feels De Vries has improved by leaps and bounds compared to when she first arrived in Oxford.

“She’s a freshman [who was] kind of thrown into the fire,” Box said. “I think she’s handled it well. She’s a good kid, she works extremely hard and she’s adapted to our culture here.”

Sophomore forward Amber Tretter, the RedHawks’ leading scorer, said she is grateful for not only the talent De Vries brings to the team but also her great energy for her teammates.

“She’s a great teammate to have because while she does a lot for the team basketball-wise, she’s also someone that will always make us laugh and cheer us up in the locker room,” Tretter said.

Acclimating to a new team and school is tough enough, but for an international player, new concerns can come up. Five RedHawks arrived in Oxford from outside the U.S. this year.

Rather than adapting specific measures for international players, the Redhawks’ coaches and players said they feel it is important for it to be a complete team effort.

“I think one thing that we try to do is just invite them to everything,” Tretter said. “We do everything together as a team and try to give them more experiences that they might not have at home.”

For De Vries, understanding the coaches at practice and getting used to Oxford was difficult at first. However, she said she appreciates the team’s efforts to help her.

“My teammates are helping me really well,” De Vries said. “They’re always supporting me, especially since there’s sometimes a language barrier. Sometimes I struggle with understanding what the coach means, so my teammates are always helping me understand better.”

So far, Miami’s offseason has paid off with a 3-1 start. De Vries continues to get involved with 69 total minutes.

The RedHawks have six more games until conference play begins. They are hoping to overshadow last year’s performance, and De Vries may prove to be a factor in Miami’s success this winter.

“Anytime you include somebody in your program that has her character traits, that’s big in itself,” Box said. “From a player standpoint, her upside is incredible. She’s graceful in her movements, [and] she has the potential to be a dynamic rim protector, not to mention a low post score.”

burbrikn@miamioh.edu