How the emergence of Hennie Van Schaik over the past two years will benefit Jeff Walz’s system

Head Coach Jeff Walz has a lot of work to do this offseason as 11 players have departed the program since last season. Six of them left due to graduation: Chrislyn Carr, Josie Williams, Morgan Jones, Mykasa Robinson, and Norika Konno. Five of them left due to the transfer portal: Hailey Van Lith, Payton Verhulst, Jalyn Brown, Zyanna Walker, and Imani Lester.

But, there have been some additions thus far to help fill some of these gaping holes. First, was the mid-season addition of Eylia Love, who was not eligible to play for the Cardinals after transferring from Georgia Tech.

Then a few days ago, California transfer guard Jayda Curry committed to Louisville, followed closely behind by Cal State Bakersfield’s Hennie Van Schaik.

In two seasons at Cal State Bakersfield, the 6-foot-3 forward averaged 7.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and 28.0 total blocks. She will be able to slot in nicely in the front court, filling a hole left by Morgan Jones and Josie Williams.

A native of the Netherlands, Hennie van Schaik committed to the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners prior to the 2021-2022 season. In her freshman year, the Roadrunners struggled, finishing the season with a 5-20 record.

In an interview with The NEXT Hoops, she elaborated on the chaotic season that was her freshman year.

"“Last season I just got thrown out there; I got a lot of playing time for a freshman,” van Schaik told The Next. “I think getting thrown out there at the beginning, I was really struggling, but I think that really helped me and that definitely helped me become the player I am today.”"

Van Schaik was one of the few bright spots for CSBU during her freshman year, and seeking to build off that experience, she took the floor for the Roadrunners for her sophomore season.

She greatly improved her point production, increasing it from 4.3 points per game in Year One to 11.6 points per game in Year Two. Van Schaik also more than doubled her assist total and nearly doubled her rebounding total.

Hennie was clearly getting more comfortable out there on the court as time progressed and now she comes into a Louisville team that has seemingly been ripped apart at the seams, and will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact for Head Coach Jeff Walz.

It will be exciting to see how he continues to structure this roster over the rest of this off-season.