The Luverne Cardinals girls’ basketball team enjoyed a successful 2019-2020 season, finishing with a respectable 19-10 record. They earned the No. 1 seed in their subsection before falling to Windom, the No. 2 seed, on a buzzer-beater.
The Cardinals were paced by Brooklynn Ver Steeg. As a sophomore last season, Ver Steeg averaged 16.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 2.2 assists per game. She was a do-it-all guard for the Cardinals.
“Brooklynn is our motor,” said Luverne head coach TJ Newgard.
“She sets the tone offensively and defensively. She creates constant pressure on opposing teams with her ‘on the ball’ defense and her attacking style of offense. There are very few teams that have a player that is able to keep Brooklynn in front of them.”
Ver Steeg is a three-sport athlete for the Cardinals. She’s a member of the cross country and track and field teams where she shines due to her quickness.
On the hardwood that quickness gives opposing teams nightmares.
“I’d say her greatest strength is her speed and quickness,” Newgard said.
“She’s able to dictate what happens on both ends of the floor with her quickness. On defense, she can really put a team out of their offensive flow by hounding the point guard.”
This creates turnovers that lead to Cardinal scoring opportunities.
Started in third grade
Ver Steeg first started playing competitive basketball when she was in third grade. She said she gets her passion for the game of basketball from her father, Nate Ver Steeg.
“He’s a hard worker,” she said. “He really liked basketball and worked hard at it when he was in high school. I get my drive for basketball from him.”
That drive to be great paid off for Ver Steeg as she became a member of Luverne’s varsity squad as an eighth-grader.
Now as she enters her junior season, her game has improved and adapted. Newgard said the biggest difference is the confidence she has in herself.
“When she started playing varsity as an eighth-grader, she was, as expected, much more timid than she is now,” Newgard said.
“It’s apparent she has grown used to the spotlight, although she would rather have it on her teammates. She’s become more comfortable in her own skin. Her three-point shot has improved greatly over the course of her varsity career.”
It’s not very often that sophomores are leaders of a varsity squad, but that’s exactly what Ver Steeg was for the Cardinals last season.
Now as a junior she’s comfortable at the helm.
“She’s a leader both vocally and by example,” Newgard said. “The younger girls really look up to her.”
Ver Steeg has earned multiple individual accolades, such as being named to the all-conference team and receiving all-area Player of the Year.
She said these achievements wouldn’t have been possible without her teammates.
“It takes the whole team working together to be successful,” Ver Steeg said. “We all have to be working in unison in order to succeed. You can’t just have one player doing it all. It takes everybody.”
The start of the 2020-2021 winter sports season has been delayed due to Covid-19. Ver Steeg said that she and her teammates are just looking forward to spending time on the court together.
“We just want to gain more experience,” Ver Steeg said. “That’s our goal. We just want to be able to gain valuable experience together on the court. We will be thankful if we get to play this season.”