Dane Readjusts After Basketball in Belgium

Kelly Dane of St. Margaret’s High is American, but she is having a little difficulty readjusting to life in the United States. After living in Belgium for nine years, Dane returned to the States last year and is suffering from culture shock.

“It’s strange to be back,” Dane said. “School is the same everywhere, there are cliques and everyone is trying to follow their niche. So I’m still having a tough time getting back into things.”

Dane, a 5-foot-10 forward, is off to a fast start on the court, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in St. Margaret’s opening victory over Buckley.

Born in Connecticut and raised in Chicago until she was 7, Dane, now 17, moved to Belgium with her family when her father was sent there for work. The family didn’t return to the United States until August, 1993, when the Danes moved to San Juan Capistrano.

“It was difficult to leave Belgium,” Dane said. “But a lot of the people were there because their parents were working, so friends were always coming in and out of my life. I had a lot of constant friends and was always meeting new people.

“My first few days of school back here I came home upset, because in one day I had met almost everyone in the school.”

From the second grade through the end of her sophomore year, Dane attended the International School of Brussels, where she was introduced to basketball.

Dane, who had never played organized basketball, met Coach Ron Parham when she was a freshman, and he decided to give her a chance with the team.

After playing two years in Brussels and one season so far in California, Dane believes the game was more demanding in Belgium. Parham conducted intense workouts and had the players learn college-sized playbooks.

“I don’t think many high school teams here have playbooks. We had a huge playbook; it was unbelievable,” Dane said. “And if someone didn’t know one of the plays, the whole team had to run.”

The workouts consisted of weight training three days a week, with each player having a personal program. That was followed by 30 minutes of conditioning and then a regular practice.

“We had to match up against some big girls. I mean big, with a lot of meat,” Dane said. “Most of the games were against military schools and these girls were good.”

The team played schools from all over Europe, traveling five to six hours for games. The team would play on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, with the girls staying in the homes of opposing players or in the barracks on military bases.

“It was really neat. You got to spend a lot more time with your teammates,” Dane said. “We were like a family. Here, it is just short bus trips and quick meals. It is sad we don’t have more time together. After one game we came back and had a huge water-balloon fight. It was a blast. It was things like that that brought our team closer together.”