By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

At a recent coaches meeting, Craig Foreman had a specific message to his staff: We have to remember who we have here.

The veteran Kent Roosevelt girls basketball coach was speaking about senior Claire VanDamme.

Not that the 6-foot-3 standout forward has been under appreciated during her career or even this season, but through the course of the daily grind, Foreman wanted to make sure that he and his staff cherished the closing weeks with such a uniquely talented player.

“Honestly, I don’t think we will ever see another player at Kent that is quite like Claire,” Foreman said. “The way she plays, the way she leads, she is just special all the way around.”

It has been special since the beginning.

Foreman said he remembers the night he met VanDamme for the first time.

Shortly after VanDamme’s father, Casey VanDamme, was named the Kent State University women’s golf coach in August of 2021, Claire attended an open gym at Roosevelt ahead of her 8th grade season.

“Claire came in, introduced herself and asked if she could play on the varsity court for the open gym,” Foreman said. “She definitely held her own from the start.”

It was the nexus of her impact on the program, which has done nothing but expand throughout her career.

This season, VanDamme is putting her stamp on games in ways she has become known for in the past, dominating the low post and defending well.

She is averaging 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

But VanDamme, who recently signed her Letter of Intent to play at Northern Michigan University, is also a different kind of player this season.

She has stretched her game to new levels.

She is now fully comfortable stepping out to hit 3-pointers (second on the Rough Riders this season and sixth in Portage County with 14) and has also honed her ball-handling skills to confidently create opportunities for her teammates in transition or in the halfcourt.

It has all been part of a concerted effort by VanDamme to not be content with being a player who is solely a low-post threat.

Her love for the game inspired her to continue to across all areas.

“I have always had a decent shot, but I have always been told to get to the block. That saying, ‘get to the block,’ lives in my mind,” VanDamme said with a laugh. “Of course I want to use my height to my advantage, and I use my post moves to do that, but I wanted my game to be more.

“Coach (Foreman) encouraged me to shoot more 3-pointers starting last year,” VanDamme said. “At first, honestly, I was a little nervous, because what if I didn’t make them? My mom shot only one 3-pointer her entire college career, but the game has changed since then and when I talked with coach, we thought the idea of shooting from the outside not only would help prepare me for the college game, but would also help when we played teams that wanted to double team me in the post or throw a zone at us.”

What has impressed Foreman the most is how VanDamme has added new elements to her game without taking a step back from any of the skill areas that she has already had.

“She has done everything the right way,” Foreman said. “I definitely encouraged her to start shooting more 3s, I wanted it to happen, but she didn’t just become a player running on the perimeter seeking that shot. She has mixed it up and is still very dangerous down low. Her shooting, and even her ball-handling, were additions to her game, not replacements. And she was the one to make it happen. It was her motivation to want to be an all-around player and it has been really special to be a part of.”