Too small, not quick enough, Division IV high school; these are just a few of the critiques that Launa Hochstetler has heard all throughout her playing days at Hiland.

Yet all she did was lead her team to the State championship and earn a scholarship to play Division I basketball, leaving her mark behind at Valparaiso as one of the top point guards in school history.

Now she is taking it one step further.

Hochstetler has signed a contract to play for Binnenland, the top women's professional basketball team in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

"We're really excited for her," said Hiland coach Dave Schlabach, the benefactor of having Launa Hochstetler and her twin sister, Leah, play for the Lady Hawks, leading the team to its second State championship.

"All she's done, wherever she's gone, is lead her team to a lot of successes," Schlabach said.  "What happens off the floor is what determines these successes.  I'm sure in the locker room at college she did the exact same things she did in high school, motivate and care about her teammates.

"When they come back and help us out at our camps, they are such quality people," the coach continued.  "They have given so much and excelled so much.  Any time any of my players or my daughters can just be around those two, that's a good day.  They have just given so much."

People always try to discourage you, but it just shows that if you work hard and really enjoy what you're doing, you can be successful," Launa Hochstetler said.

Playing professionally in Europe, however, she will be flying solo.

"The only difference will be that for the first time, she won't have her sister with her," Schlabach said.  "Even though Leah didn't have that big role in college, they did a lot of things together.  It was a nice opportunity for them to play another four years together."

"I hope it won't affect me too much, but I really don't know because I've never done it," Launa Hochstetler said.  "I expect it will be hard at first.  It will be an adjustment.  That's just another aspect I'll have to adjust to; being away from home, a different style of play.  Hopefully, it won't affect me too much, but I'm sure at the beginning I'll definitely feel a difference.

"In college you are on your own and have to take care of yourself and adjust to a new environment," she added.

She will just pour herself into her new job with her new team with the same zeal she has always approached playing basketball.

"Looking back, it's been a lot of hard work.  That's the only reason I'm here," Launa Hochstetler said.  "The program here at Hiland gives you the opportunity to succeed and I have been able to take advantage of it.  I don't feel I'm anything special.  I feel that I've worked really hard to get where I'm at.  Being able to play in Europe is great.  It's been in the back of my mind.  I never really knew if I would actually get here.  Now that I have, it is very satisfying."

And in the eyes of her coach very deserving.

"Kids have to take advantage of opportunities," Schlabach said.  "We played in front of about 140 college coaches this past weekend in two gyms.  It was a tremendous opportunity for these kids who had prepared and got themselves ready.  It was possibly a life-changing weekend for some of our kids.

"Launa has been a great example of what can happen if you work hard and continue to reach your potential and dream a little bigger than most people," the coach continued.  "She's worked extremely hard and it has paid off.

"Good things can happen if you do things the right way.  No one is going to hand you anything in this world.  Launa has done a good job of going out there scooping up what the world has to offer.  A lot of kids have a lot of regrets; they didn't work hard enough, didn't do this, didn't do that.  I can't speak for Launa, but I assume she doesn't have a lot of regrets."

Leadership ability and work ethic are keys to her success.

"That is what has allowed her to have success at every level, and that includes the professional level," Schlabach said. "Those intangibles, they might look at a tape and see a good kid, but once they get her over there, they will be surprised at the other intangibles she brings.

"We probably have some kids who are close to Launa as far as skills go," he added.  "I always said Launa was the most skilled player I ever coached.  There are some kids in our program right now who are close to her skills.

"Launa was such an incredible, incredible leader.  Really good point guards make everyone around them better.  Hilary Weaver is that type of player."

"When I started playing, it wasn't to break a bunch of records or anything like that," Launa Hochstetler said.  "I just really enjoy playing, being around the coaches and other players.  I tried to take advantage of every opportunity I could.  I worked hard every day, and that presented opportunities.

"It wasn't like I always wanted to play in Europe, or play Division I," she continued.  "But because I worked hard, and because of our coaching staff and the Hiland program, those opportunities came around.  When I look back on that, I'm very grateful."

Playing under Schlabach helped prepare her mentally for the college game and beyond.

"I saw teammates struggle with different situations, like not playing as much as they wanted to, or being frustrated with situations.  Those are things Coach (Schlabach) taught us how to handle.  Leah and I talked about that a lot our freshman year, how we felt more mentally stable than a lot of the other players.

"When I got the offer to play professionally, I was a little hesitant.  But then I thought about it, and it sounded like a good situation, and I began to feel more and more comfortable about it.  One thing I've been told about the Netherlands is that it is a good place to transition to if you've never lived in Europe, because a lot of people speak English and it won't be quite as much of a culture shock," Launa Hochstetler said.  "It's a little bonus that they speak Dutch and I might be able to pick a little of that up."

She hopes she is just a trailblazer for opportunities in basketball.

"Take it one day at a time and work as hard as you can that day," Launa Hochstetler said.  "If you do what the coaches tell you and really enjoy what you are doing, opportunities will present themselves."