Quarantine not slowing college picks for Kampschroeder, other DuPage County juniors
Because she hasn't been to school the past two months, Naperville North's Greta Kampschroeder has had a little extra time to think about her decision to play college basketball at Oregon State.
The more she thinks about it, the better she feels about it.
"I was able to kind of sit down with my parents, talk about it and make that decision," said Kampschroeder, a rising senior who announced her pick March 30. "But yeah, I'm happy I didn't wait it out through this whole entire quarantine. It would have been really stressful. I'm happy with the decision I made, and yeah, it does feel good to have that weight lifted off my shoulders."
Kampschroeder - the top-rated player in the Class of 2021 in Illinois and No. 12 in the nation, according to ESPN.com - is one of several DuPage County players in her class to make her college decision while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kampschroeder said she likes the state of Oregon and the family atmosphere the coaching staff embraces. She will be joined at Oregon State by Talia Von Oelhoffen, the No. 10-rated player in the nation.
"Going into this process I was looking for a school where I could thrive on and off the court," Kampschroeder said. "There were a lot of schools that had maybe a little bit of both, but Oregon State had it all. They're a great team. They've been very successful in the past. They went to the Final Four in 2016. They've had some good seasons since then."
Kampschroeder said she plans to study product design with a goal of working for Oregon-based Nike.
Kampschroeder led the Huskies to their best season in years, falling in a Class 4A sectional semifinal to Bolingbrook, which placed third at state. She plays a very well-rounded game, averaging 17.2 points a game, third in DuPage County.
Kampschroeder made 77.3% of her free throws and dished 2.6 assists with 2.4 steals a game.
Kampschroeder is not the only DuPage County player to determine her basketball future while social distancing.
Montini's Taris Thornton settled on Eastern Illinois University after helping the Broncos place third in Class 3A this spring.
Benet's Molly Sheehan decided Valparaiso was the place for her starting with the 2021-22 season. The 5-8 guard was a key player in the Redwings' 29-3 year.
Lauren Cohen, a Glenbard South rising senior, decided she will play guard at Illinois State's Redbird Arena, where she and the Raiders have twice played at state. Cohen averaged 13.7 points, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals a game.
Maggie Stutelberg, a 6-foot guard, chose Western Michigan as her destination after one more season at Glenbard West. She averaged 14.4 points a game last season, making 55 3-point shots.