Duquesne Women's Basketball
Duquesne WBB’s Alum Wasylson Signs Pro Contract In Serbia
Lauren Wasylson was on a flight down to Denver, where she was set to see friend and former teammate when she decided to text Duquesne Women’s Basketball Coach Dan Burt with a simple question.
“(I) said that ‘I know this sounds crazy and tell me if I am, but I want to go play professionally,'” Wasylson recalled.
Wasylson had the itch to play professionally for the past several months, but she wanted to hear the thoughts of the coach she was with for the previous three seasons, the last two of which she played.
Burt expressed his belief in her ability to do it but wanted to have a chat with her in his office, asking in that moment if she was ready.
The immediate response? Absolutely.
Fast forward a few months, and Wasylson will be on a plane Wednesday with a final destination of Serbia as she will be playing for ZKK Spartak Subotica, who competes in the top-tier Serbian women’s basketball league.
“For me it’s always been a dream of mine to play professionally, so to see it come full circle is so surreal,” Wasylson exclusively told PSN. “Now that it’s here and I leave Wednesday, lots of emotions behind it, but excited to be a pro, play professionally and see the world playing the game I love.”
When the pair spoke, Burt explained that maybe it was good to try for January and then the process started.
In addition to Burt’s assistance, Andjela Matic was a valuable asset, in helped her reach out to an agent in Croatia who spoke to Wasylson’s agent, and they were able to agree to sign a contract.
Wasylson is quick to credit her Duquesne basketball family which has helped in a multitude of ways.
“Family, that’s what Duquesne prides itself on, especially our team itself,” beamed Wasylson. “It just goes to show every single aspect. Andj has only been here for a few months and is helping a person she doesn’t even know. Just having that charisma and character of each person and player. I could go down the whole roster and each is a good person and wants to help another teammate. That just goes such a long way.”
Wasylson has practiced throughout the past months, bouncing ideas off the team and working out with her trainer, Justice Cuthburtson, leading up to this opportunity, but also shared her experiences while training younger players.
When she told her students that she was leaving, they were sad but also excited at the same time. In turn, they wrote Wasylson cards and handwritten letters expressing gratitude for the growth they took in their game, something she struggled to put words to in order to explain her gratitude.
Wasylson acknowledges that it will be challenging for her being alone over there. On her roster, there is one other American, and she will have a six-hour time difference to contend with, all while adjusting to a different style of play and adjusting to European basketball.
It is her hope that does not just grow as person or player, but in a rounded way.
When Wasylson described what she hoped her legacy was, she struggled to finish her answer, but her words expressed the journey she has been on, from a torn ACL, to a sprained ankle and lastly blood clots which not only threatened her playing career, but her life as a whole.
It was her perspective and fight which got her through, and she hopes that can serve as an inspiration to others.
“I think with me going through all the adversity I had; I want to be a person people can look up to,” she determined. “You can do this; you just have to put your mind through it. If you put your mind to it, your dreams will happen, and I can (be proof) for that with me signing my first professional contract.”
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