Lauraine Joensen Becomes First EST Participant in Class of 2017 Off The Board, Commits To Canisius

Why waste time when you've found the right one?

Yes, that's what Steph Curry said about getting married young. The same logic, however, can be applied to the college decision for Lauraine Joensen (Northampton (MA) 2017), a 2015 All-EST Honorable Mention selection who will be back this summer. After receiving her first Division I scholarship offer from Canisius College over the weekend, she slept on it. By Tuesday, she made it official except for the paper by verbally committing. With that verbal commitment, she becomes the first girl in both last year & this year's EST summer showcase league from the Class of 2017 to go 'off the board'.

New Canisius commit Lauraine Joensen shooting over AAU teammate Tara Sager at NYG Hoops' Friday Night Super Showcase on April 15, 2016

In both academics and athletics, Canisius proves to be a strong fit for Lauraine. She has proven to be a standout in the classroom with future plans to be a veterinarian, and Canisius offers both majors that she's interested in (Biology & Animal Behavior). As an academically driven individual, this put them in a favorable position off the bat. On the court, Canisius favors a style of play conducive to Lauraine's strengths. At 6'2", she vastly prefers the face-up game over playing with her back to the basket, and her ability to shoot from the perimeter & handle the ball makes her valuable as a stretch/face-up 4 that can also spot minutes at the wing. Offensively, Canisius plays a more open style that requires its players to be able to knock down shots and create - right in Lauraine's wheelhouse.

Upon moving stateside from Denmark right before her sophomore year began, she became an instant force on the basketball court. She jumped on the scene right away, scoring 20+ in 2 of her first 3 varsity games for Northampton High School and averaging 13.9 PPG on the season. She continued to thrive on the AAU circuit, playing for Springfield-area based Mass Frenzy last year. In Empire State Takeover last summer, she showcased her well-rounded offensive skill set by scoring at the rim both off drives & post moves, along with consistently hitting the 15'-18' jumper. She averaged 8.8 PPG, tied for 8th in EST, on a very balanced Outwork team that had 4 players average between 8 and 11 points per game. Her offensive production blew up for Northampton this winter, finishing 13th in WMass with a 16.7 PPG average. She exploded for a 48 point performance against a strong Holyoke team in mid-February, which stood as the highest single game point total in Massachusetts girls basketball this year. Her exploits earned her numerous postseason accolades, including All-WMass 1st Team honors. Lauraine's emergence as a knockdown perimeter jump shooter has also helped her take her game to the next level; she isn't a volume shooter from deep, but consistently shoots it at around a 40% clip, including knocking down 4 in that 48 point game. She's continued that on the AAU circuit this spring, now with Albany based New York Havoc.

Not only is Lauraine the first EST participant from the Class of 2017 to commit, but she's also the first ever Division I commitment out of the New York Havoc AAU program, currently excelling in its first year on the circuit. Canisius seemed to turn the heat up more on Lauraine, after first reaching out to her in February, following a strong performance in the final game at the Deep South Classic in Raleigh, NC in late April. Havoc features three other 2017s on the board in Nina Fedullo, Madison Little, and Tara Sager, along with one other player with a scholarship offer currently in hand with Grace Heeps (Columbia 2019; Lafayette offer).

Congrats to Lauraine & her family on the scholarship, and congrats to Canisius for getting someone who is not only a great person, but someone who may thrive in the MAAC for a long time to come!