Christian basketball star puts play in context
Drafted to U.S. college, Jantzen has sights set on Olympics
By
Kevin Heinrichs
ChristianWeek Staff
CALGARY–Theresa Jantzen is on a winning streak, and has been for some time.
 |
The six-foot-two
basketball player averaged 27 points per game and
10 rebounds in her graduating year at her high
school in Medicine Hat. The strong play earned
the 17-year-old the title of Miss Basketball
Alberta, the top women’s basketball player
in the province, for the second year in a row.
She became the youngest player ever to receive
the same title last year in grade 11, playing for
the Medicine Hat Kwahommies. A profile in a 1997 edition of Sports Illustrated and her play in some U.S. tournaments brought her to the attention of U.S. college scouts. More than 40 colleges offered her basketball scholarships. She recently settled on a $170,000 U.S. four-year scholarship offer from Arizona State University, an NCAA Division 1 school. Having just returned from representing Alberta at the Canadian Junior Championships, where her team finished fifth, Jantzen is excited about her upcoming move to Phoenix. "I knew this is where God wanted me to go. The coaches care about me as a person, not just an athlete," she says. "It’s amazing how it’s all worked out. I’m thankful that he’s given me these opportunities." |
| Driving to the hoop:
17-year old basketball sensation Theresa Jantzen has been listed among the top 100 high school seniors in American recruiting magazines. She heads to Arizona Sate University in fall. |
Mark Jantzen, Theresa’s father, is a Mennonite Brethren pastor at Calgary’s Dalhousie Community Church. The family recently moved from Medicine Hat where he was pastor at Crestwood M.B. Church.
"We’re proud of who she is. It’s a challenge to keep it in perspective," says the 6’2¸" former University of Saskatchewan basketball player. "As a parent and pastor, you want them to discover who God has created them to be. It seems Theresa has found what God has created for her," he says.
The university has been quite accommodating of Theresa’s Christian faith. They put her in touch with the local fellowship of Christian athletes and arranged for her to have roommates who share her faith. She also plans to hook up with a new Mennonite Brethren church plant in Phoenix.
Jantzen’s long term goal is to represent Canada at the Olympics, if not at Sydney in 2000, then maybe in 2004. And how about the Women’s NBA? "If it’s still around, and I can still play, we’ll see," she says.
Jantzen’s other interests include baseball, piano (up to Grade 8 so far) and "just hanging out with friends." She plans to major in broadcast journalism in the fall.
"I have a confidence he’s always with me; I find strength in [God] too," she says.
"I wouldn’t be where I am without him."
