The first call former Notre Dame Academy basketball standout Grace VanSlooten got when she entered the transfer portal came from a bit of a familiar name.
Fresh off two straight honorable mention All-Pac-12 seasons at Oregon, VanSlooten was looking to expand her game individually while winning games and competing in the postseason as a team collectively.
The opportunity she was looking for presented itself right away when Michigan State coach Robyn Fralick wasted little time in dialing up the talented and versatile 6-foot-3 forward.
“I was looking to be somewhere where I was pushed more personally,” VanSlooten said. “Then I was just looking for a place where I would be playing deep into the postseason and really making strides towards winning.”
After VanSlooten got a call from Fralick on the first day she entered the portal and the Spartans staff maintained contact throughout the process, VanSlooten rewarded the effort by committing to Michigan State this week and will join Fralick and Co. in East Lansing next season.
She had never met or spoken with Fralick directly but did attend her basketball camp at Bowling Green in ninth grade and was well aware of the northwest Ohio ties from Fralick's time as the head coach of the Falcons.
“I think she just really knows how to get the best out of her players and really wants to get the best out of everyone,” VanSlooten said. “I love how she plays fast and is downhill and lets everybody play their style. It seems like every team she coaches for, they all just want each other to succeed, and I really like that.”
As a sophomore, VanSlooten played 35.1 minutes per game for Oregon, averaging 15.0 points, 7.1, rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
The Pac-12 was one of the strongest conferences in the country, and VanSlooten proved she could play at the highest level.
“She does a little bit of everything, which is cool to see from a post and is not necessarily traditional, but it’s that kind of versatility which makes her special,” said national women’s college basketball reporter Talia Goodman. “I think they will use her really well [at Michigan State], which I think will be big, and she will fit in with her style of play maybe even better than she did at Oregon.
“She still has so much time left in her college career. Her goals are pretty big, and I think that’s a good way to step into any situation. She was originally a five-star prospect, and the opportunity she has here to replace some of the production that was lost is big, and I think they will use her accordingly.”
Furthering the northwest Ohio connection at Michigan State is incoming freshman Sinai Douglas from Start High School.
Douglas and VanSlooten were part of the same AAU program, but since VanSlooten was a few years older, the two never got the chance to play together.
“My freshman year I had heard about her,” Douglas said. “I think that is really cool. When I heard about it, I thought it would be really great, because we did play in the same program. I knew what she was doing at Oregon. I thought that was cool just how everything comes full circle.”
One aspect of her personal development that VanSlooten pointed to was her 3-point shooting.
She has always possessed the ability to face up from the perimeter and beat opposing defenders in the stretch-four mold. But the 3-point shooting hasn’t always come easy. VanSlooten was 2-for-29 from 3 as a sophomore.
“I’ve gotten a lot stronger first and foremost,” VanSlooten said. “I’ve learned to play at a really high pace and I’ve just become more versatile — being able to play outside and inside. I’d say that’s where I’ve improved the most. But I’m looking to still improve my perimeter game, especially my 3-point shooting. That’s probably my most important part.”
The Pac-12 was a gauntlet last year, and the Big Ten could be more of the same this year with the addition of Southern California, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon.
“The competition is just going to go to a different level,” VanSlooten said. “There’s so many great players in the Pac-12 and for them to come over to the Big Ten, I think it’s going to be interesting to see.”
Playing for Michigan State, a team on the rise with Fralick after making the NCAA tournament last season, should only help in VanSlooten’s college development.
After two strong seasons in the Pac-12, the potential is there for an even bigger breakout.
“She was only a sophomore, and you saw what she did for that Oregon team,” Goodman said. “What she was able to do there I think will transfer over pretty well. As she continues to develop her game, I think the ceiling is kind of endless. I think there is a lot you can do in the Big Ten to improve yourself and improve your game, and it’s a great opportunity for her.”
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