Braydey Hodgins is following in the footsteps of several family members and following her basketball dreams to Europe.
The former Boise State star has signed with the Saarlouis Royals of the Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga, the premier women’s basketball league in Germany. The Royals are scheduled to begin play in September.
“With everything going on and COVID effecting stuff worldwide, I wasn’t really sure how things were going to pan out,” Hodgins said. “This opportunity just kind of just fell in my lap and I jumped on it. Now I’m super excited to get over there.”
Hodgin’s mother, Karen, played professionally in Germany, while her father, Mike, was a coach in the country. Her older sister, Delaney Bruce, recently retired following two seasons playing in Finland.
“My parents told me the experiences playing over there are just different,” Hodgins said. “It’s something new that you don’t really get to experience, you get to be over there, get paid, it’s easier to travel there. I know, for me, we’re going to be on the bus a lot traveling to our games. So being able to see different places and just experience a new culture and a new way of life is something I’m looking forward to.”
The league is scheduled to begin practice four weeks before the start of the season, but Hodgins anticipates that because of the pandemic, she will need to travel to Germany at least two weeks before that in order to complete a 14-day quarantine upon entering the country.
Hodgins wrapped up her Boise State career in March with a fourth straight Mountain West Tournament Championship. The team had received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guard finished with 1,150 career points and was named to the all-conference team and earned Mountain West Tournament MVP honors as a junior. As a senior this past season, she averaged 10.9 points and 3.4 assists per game.
Following her junior season, Hodgins says she made the decision to try and pursue a professional career after finishing college. Having her senior season ending prematurely due to the virus only strengthened that drive.
Following this past season, she signed with the Scorers 1st Sports Agency. After they guided her through which leagues were options for her, she said she signed with Saarlouis about a month ago. She decided to keep it quiet, telling only a few friends and her family until the team announced the signing on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be different. Different teammates, different country, a different setting,” Hodgins said. “But it’s still basketball. It’s the game and it’s something that I enjoy.”
