Sarah Talon’s wish is coming to fruition.
The Windham native has wanted to play professional basketball for a long time, and the recent University of Maine graduate is going to get that opportunity after signing a contract with New Basket ’92 Oberhausen, a team in Germany’s second-tier league, the Bundesliga.
Her Black Bear teammate, fellow guard Asta Blauenfeldt, is also headed to Europe as the Dane will play for A.D. Sanjoanense in Portugal’s top pro league, Liga Feminina.
Each team will play 22 regular season games in their respective leagues followed by the playoffs.
The Bundesliga season runs from Sept. 26 to March 27, while Liga Feminina goes from Oct. 3 to March 26.
There are 24 teams in the Bundesliga, and it is divided into two 12-team divisions, North and South.
Oberhausen, a city of 209,000 people in northwest Germany located on the Emscher River, is in the North division.
Liga Feminina has 12 teams, and Sanjoanense is located in Sao Joao da Madeira, a city of 21,000 in northwest Portugal.
“We are very proud of both Sarah and Asta for continuing their journeys playing professionally in Germany and Portugal,” UMaine head coach Amy Vachon said. “They join a long list of UMaine alums who have and continue to represent UMaine on the professional stage. We wish them luck on this next chapter.”
They will join nine other former Black Bears currently playing professional basketball: Sigi Koizar in Austria, Blanca Millan in Spain, Anne Simon in Italy, Fanny Wadling in Sweden, Dor Saar in Israel, Alba Orois in Spain, Chantel Charles in England, Mikaela Gustafsson in Sweden and Adrianna Smith, who played in Australia but is moving on to Italy.
“It’s a dream come true. I’m so blessed and excited for this opportunity,” Talon said. “I’ve always had this in the back of my mind. Knowing that after my career at Maine, I didn’t want my basketball to stop. I love it too much. It’s something I can’t let go just yet. I’ll always be grateful for everything that led me there.”
There were other options, but she said, “Germany showed the most [interest], and they were very interested from the beginning.”
She also is very happy for Blauenfeldt.
“I’m really proud of her. It’s going to be a great opportunity for her, for sure,” said Talon, who added that her former teammate is really looking forward to playing in Portugal.
The athletic 5-foot-10 Talon is coming off her best season as a Black Bear, posting career-highs in points (284), rebounds (146), assists (57), steals (41) and blocked shots (15).
She averaged 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game and led the Black Bears in field goal shooting percentage (46.7). She shot 27.9% from beyond the 3-point arc and was a 60.2% shooter from the free-throw line.
She was third on the team in scoring, rebounding and assists and was tied for third in steals.
Her strong senior campaign will give her confidence heading to Germany, she said.
“It’s a fresh start, it’s a new experience, it’s a turn of the page. Carrying over what I learned at Maine is going to be crucial for me,” Talon said. “Not only on the basketball court, but the lessons I’ve learned off the court.
“Being confident and bringing my best self to Germany.”
She concluded her four-year, 124-game career with 772 points, 334 rebounds, 151 assists, 89 steals and 49 blocked shots.
Talon said the Oberhausen coaching staff has been “extremely welcoming,” and she is joining a “great program that runs deep and is very tight-knit, which is the program I’m used to.”
She has been working out at the Point Sebago Golf Course in Sebago and training to prepare for her pro career. She will be leaving for Germany later this month. Her contract starts Sept. 1.
They will play one game a week. She also will be coaching a youth girls team as part of her contract.
“I’m really excited for that. It’s going to give me something to do and give me a new experience and perspective of the basketball in Germany,” said Talon, who will be supplied with an apartment and other accommodations.
She is also looking forward to experiencing life in Europe.
“I’ve been a homebody for my entire life. I’ve been to Australia and to Denmark, but being there and living there and adjusting to their lifestyle is something I am so looking forward to. It’s going to be so fun,” said Talon, who recently spent two weeks in Denmark with Blauenfeldt and her family and got a “little sense of Europe.”
The speedy 5-foot-6 Blauenfeldt was the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 11 points per game, and her shooting percentage (35.3) from long distance was tops on the team among players who took at least nine shots. She was second on the team in free-throw percentage (85), her 50 steals were second-most and her 42.8% shooting from the floor was third-best.
She averaged 1.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals. She received All-America East third team honors.
Two seasons ago, in her first year at UMaine, the Seattle University transfer was the team’s best shooter from the floor (45.5%), long distance (40%) and from the free-throw line (84.9%). She was tied for second on the team in scoring (9.7 points per game), and her 49 steals led the team. She averaged 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists.