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Zeeland's Nathan Claerbaut signs pro contract with European basketball team
Two years ago, Nathan Claerbaut had a plan.When his Ferris State coach took the basketball job at Central Michigan, the Zeeland East graduate would follow, and if he had a good season, would try to play overseas.Claerbaut had a good season at the NCAA Division I level to keep that dream going. He was the top shot-blocker in the Mid-American Conference and was on the MAC All-Defensive team.In his senior season, the 23-year-old averaged 29 minutes in 31 games and scored 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and an outstanding 2.1 blocks per game.More: Nate Claerbaut emerges as starting center, post force for Central MichiganThat again kept the dream going, and on Monday, Claerbaut signed to play with the Artland Dragons in Quakenbruck, Germany - a European ProB team."With Nathan, we get a hungry player straight from college who will help us enormously with his size and presence," Dragons coach Hendrick Gruhn said in a translated interview. "He made 11 blocks in one game last season, which I think underlines how much he can help us protect the zone. That will give our defense a real push. Offensively, Nathan is a good finisher near the basket and has a soft wrist. I believe that his offensive potential is far from exhausted. In the talks with him, he made it clear to us that he absolutely wants to help the team and take the next step in his career with us. With his height, Nathan brings a completely different dynamic to our squad. I'm very happy that Nathan has chosen us and can't wait to get to work with him."Contact sports editor Dan DAddona atDan.DAddona@hollandsentinel.com.Follow him onX, formerly knownasTwitter@DanDAddonaor Facebook@HollandSentinelSports.This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Zeeland's Nathan Claerbaut signs pro contract with European basketball team
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