Wednesday, September 2, 2020
MONMOUTH, Ore. – While Western Oregon's Dalven Brushier was making the big play or running the offense or coming up with a big defensive stop that once the season ended, he knew he could be continuing his journey at the next level. It was just a matter of when and where.
That news came down in late August when Brushier found out that his journey would take him overseas to the Netherlands and the Dutch Basketball League after signing with Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
Once the season concluded, the mindset and goal remained the same. Brushier was ready to keep playing if given the opportunity. He continued to work, just waiting for the call. He received a call earlier in the summer to possibly play elsewhere in Western Europe, but due to passport issues, he wasn't able to accept the offer.
While he continued to work on getting everything ready to potentially play overseas, he was able to get his passport worked out and then his agent called with the news he had been waiting for. Another offer, this time with Feyenoord.
"I'm just excited and blessed for this opportunity," Brushier said. "I really thought early on I might end up with another team, but as the summer continued, I was just glad to get a chance with another team and I can't wait to get started. Feyenoord plays in one of the two leagues in the Netherlands and this is the top league of the two,"
Feyenoord, one of nine teams in the Dutch Basketball League, is led former University of Louisville player Quentin Snider who averaged 19.1 points and 33.9 minutes per game last season. Two other players averaged double-digits in scoring with Keyshawn Woods at 16.7 per game and Jeroen List van der at 11.8 per game. Woods also had ties to the United States, having attended UNC Charlotte, Wake Forest and Ohio State.
Brushier knows he will have a few other Americans on the team, which will help with the transition to a new area and culture.
"Knowing some of the players that played on the team last year that attended Division I schools in the United States will be nice. I think it helps to have some players that are used to the culture here in America but have also gone overseas and have had success. I'm looking forward to learning from them and showing what I can do," Brushier said.
Having multiple foreign players isn't too common in the Dutch Basketball League, as early on teams were not allowed to have more than four players without a Dutch passport in their on-court team at the same time. As recently as 2019, teams were required to have a minimum of six homegrown players on the roster.
"I know the teams over there have a lot of local talent on the teams, but they do have some room to add foreign players. Knowing the quality of play that this league has had over the years, I'm really looking forward to seeing how I can compete over there," Brushier said.
With the COVID pandemic making it harder to try and be found remotely, Brushier was able to rely on his agent to get the word out and after a few talks with Feyenoord, he was ready to sign.
"I chatted with them on the phone and through email during the whole process," Brushier said. "I remember talking to my agent about it and them mentioning to me that this was a good opportunity and something I should go for right now. After I had the chance to talk with them, everything was good and I was ready to sign."
Like many before him, all he needs is a chance and a shot to show the players and the scouts over there that he has the game to compete at that level. Brushier certainly proved he was ready for the next step in his career.
Following his senior season at Western Oregon University, he was a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection and also added D2CCA West Region second-team accolades. He led the Wolves in scoring at 18.1 points per game, along with leading the way in field goals (168), three-pointers (73), free throws (79) and in minutes played with 924. He grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game, dished out 79 assists and tallied 16 steals while starting all 27 games.
Brushier put together a game to remember at home against Saint Martin's reaching a career-high 37 points versus the Saints hitting 13-19 from the field, 9-15 from three and also dished out six assists. He reached double-figures in scoring in 26 games, going for at least 20 in 11 games including the final game of the season in which he went for 21 points against Alaska.
"I'm just ready to get there and show them the game I've been working on over these past few years. I plan on bringing the same work ethic and determination into this new journey and I can't wait to see where it takes me," Brushier said.
While most of the unknown as far as where he will go and where he will stay when he first arrives is taken care of, wanting to always improve, Brushier has already started to wonder what kind of facilities will be there when he gets settled.
"With most of the other items pretty much taken care of, I'm curious to see what the training facilities, the athletic trainers and everything else will look like. I think like most athletes, just wanting to have an idea of what that will look like will make the transition even easier once I get there," Brushier said.
This will be the first time Brushier has left the United States except for travel to Canada to play Simon Fraser. Rotterdam is one of the largest cities in the Netherlands and is a Dutch province in South Holland. The population of 600,000 will certainly be a change from the size of Monmouth.
"I'm really looking forward to being immersed in a new culture and to learning new things. Having not really been outside of the states, this will be a great chance to see something totally new that I might not have been able to outside of basketball. I've been working on trying to learn some new languages and hopefully after being over there for a bit I can start to pick up some Dutch. I know the size of the city will also take a bit of time to adjust, but having lived in other big cities, I will start to pick it up," Brushier said.
For everyone that had the chance to watch Brushier progress over the past two seasons at WOU know that Feyenoord will get a player that is comfortable playing in almost any setting. Whether you need someone to lead, take the last shot, make a key assist, grab a rebound or a big defensive stop, there isn't anything that Brushier won't do to help his team succeed.
"I know when I get over there the plan is to have me play shooting guard and I will also get some time at point guard," Brushier said. "Whatever I'm asked to do, I will do it. Knowing that I get to play at the next level is just a blessing and I can't wait to keep working to see how much more I can improve my game. The sky's the limit at this point."