de Vries, RedHawks Ready to Turn MAC Inside-Out

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There was a lot to like about the 2024-25 season for Ilse de Vries and Miami Women's Basketball. The RedHawks posted their best win-loss record since 2019 at 19-12 (more than doubling their win total from the previous season), returned to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland as the No. 5 seed after a five-year hiatus and also made their first WNIT appearance in six years. de Vries started 27 games as a true freshman, averaging nearly five points and three rebounds a night, and ranked sixth in the conference in blocked shots with 33 rejections.

As the season unfolded, the 6'3 native of Groningen, Netherlands showed glimpses of her sky-high potential, both inside near the rim as well as from beyond the three-point arc. While her size obviously lends itself to scoring in the paint, de Vries also buried 10 triples in an eight-game stretch to start Mid-American Conference play, proving she could connect from any distance on the floor.

Head coach Glenn Box was intentional about giving de Vries and her classmate/roommate Tamar Singer plenty of playing time and experience in their first year of college basketball, knowing what that could mean for the RedHawks going forward.

"I personally and specifically invested in those two kids, meaning we were going to give them every opportunity to grow," Box said. He realized the ups-and-downs of playing meaningful minutes as freshmen could pay dividends in the future for Miami's young, talented core.

And now, that future is here. Ilse de Vries at Coastal Carolina

Miami welcomes back three starters this winter, looking to build on last season's success and take a giant step toward the top of the MAC standings. Early returns are positive, as Miami traveled to Coastal Carolina Monday and snapped the Chanticleers' streak of 20 consecutive home-opener wins with a resounding 63-53 victory.

de Vries said she's personally much more comfortable as a sophomore after getting the chance to experience her first taste of American college basketball last season.

"I remember the first game against App State last year, my name was on the board as [part of] the starting five, and for some reason, I just didn't expect to start –because I was a freshman, I'm new, and I'm from a different country– all of that," de Vries remembered.

"Then I saw my name up there, and I was like, 'Ooooooooh. Now I've got to do it!'…

"I was really blessed that I got a lot of playing minutes [last year] because not every freshman gets those playing minutes," she commented. "That really helped me to get into the game and get to understand what college basketball actually means, and the differences between European basketball and college basketball." She mentioned adjusting to the physicality of play in the United States as compared to the spacing and finesse of what she was used to (as well as how officials here don't look quite so kindly on the extended 'eurostep' that's become so popular abroad!).

Ilse de Vries with Netherlands

"I hope this year I can take more of a leading role," de Vries added. "I played overseas this summer and I learned a lot from that and I hope I can bring that to this year too…I'm already playing so much better than I ended last year."

de Vries excelled for her country's U20 team in FIBA Eurobasket play this past August, averaging 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds during the tournament in Portugal. Against Italy, she was a sizzling 7-for-9 from the floor (including four three-pointers!) en route to 18 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots as the Netherlands posted a thrilling 79-77 win.

"She played in the A-division in Portugal," pointed out Box, who was able to travel to Europe and attend some of the games in person to support de Vries. "She played against high-level kids, Power-Four kids and some pros, and she got to see that she can do it.

"She did a good job, especially defensively, but obviously she showed what she can do offensively with making some shots. She had some games where she was really good, [like] the game against Italy, and I had an opportunity to witness some of that. I'm just really pleased and proud of who she is as a player and a person. I think we're fortunate; she's a special kid."

"In Division A, we played the top 14 countries from all of Europe," said de Vries. "You could just feel people competing for their country…there was more excitement because everyone wanted to win so badly… Ilse de Vries and Glenn Box

"It was definitely a good experience, and what I'm taking back [to Miami] is stepping up and taking a bigger role. Last year, as a freshman, I was getting used to everything, but then I came back home and everyone is looking at you, like, 'You're the girl that played in America and played college basketball.'

"When everyone is looking up at you, then you've got to do it. You've got to step up. That was expected for me, so I hope I can bring that more to this team too…

"I was so happy that Coach Box could come over and watch me," de Vries continued. "It's so special to have someone there that you know, especially your coach…it was really nice to have him there. The time that he took for me, to come over there, was really special to me."

de Vries has enjoyed everything about her Miami experience so far, from her teammates and coaches to campus life, and that includes her first exposure to 'American' holidays like Thanksgiving (which she spent at Box's family's house) and Halloween. Last October, de Vries joined Singer and former teammate Katey Richason in dressing up like Alvin and the Chipmunks, and de Vries admitted to being baffled by her experience trick-or-treating with associate head coach Ben Wierzba's children.

"I'd never done that before, and they just gave me a bucket and said, 'Go to the door and say Trick or Treat,'" de Vries recounted. "I thought, 'You mean I'm not singing a song or whatever?' So I came to the door with the kids, and the person just put some candy in my bucket, and I thought, 'This is what you are doing the whole night? Go to a door and get candy, then go to the next door? Okay, this is weird!'

Ilse de Vries

"We have the same kind of holiday [back home], called St. Maarten's Day, but you have to sing a song and also make a creative thing with lights in it. You've got to do some work!"

de Vries and the RedHawks plan to do plenty of work on the hardwood over the next month-and-a-half as they navigate a difficult non-conference schedule to prepare for the MAC grind. Matchups against Purdue, Washington State, LSU or Marist, Cincinnati, Western Kentucky, Colorado and Green Bay in a four-week span heading into the conference opener on New Year's Eve should tell Box a great deal about the makeup of his team heading into its pursuit of a MAC championship.

"When you see that size and length and athleticism…you have to be on point," Box said. "It makes you play with even greater sense of urgency in order to compete."

And as Miami sorts out its rotation and offensive attack, de Vries will be a crucial piece as she continues to develop her game, both from long-distance and especially from close-range. The RedHawks call their forwards 'queens', and Queen Ilse (not to be confused with a certain Disney character from Arendelle) has been doing countless drills and individual workouts to fine-tune her moves on the block heading into Friday's 5 p.m. home opener against Cedarville at Millett Hall.

"I think she's settling down from a comfort perspective," Box said during the MAC's preseason preview show. "She had some success this past summer in Portugal, she's gotten stronger, she's bigger, she's more athletic, and she's playing with a lot more confidence, as expected… Ilse de Vries

"From freshman to sophomore year is typically a big jump…so far it's really showing some good signs."

"I just hope I can be better in both things: Inside and outside," de Vries explained. "I don't want to be remembered as just a post player, because I can do way more than that. I want to build on my inside and my outside game…"

"I'm really excited for this season, and I'm looking forward to showing what we can do and what I can do in the team."

Find more Front Row Features at MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures

Ilse de Vries and the RedHawks open the home portion of their schedule this Friday, Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. at Millett Hall against Cedarville as part of a women's/men's basketball doubleheader (followed by the Miami men hosting Trinity Christian at approximately 7:30). Season tickets and single-game tickets are available here.

de Vries, RedHawks Ready to Turn MAC Inside-Out

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