Ever since Sophia North started playing basketball at the age of six, she had always hoped to continue competing as part of a college team. Fortunately for North, this dream would come true as she officially committed to play for the Chicago Maroons early on in her senior year of high school. However, during her first year on the team, things went differently than expected. The season was canceled due to the pandemic, and although teams still practiced every day, they had to follow strict guidelines and weren’t able to compete in any tournaments. North noted how the experience wasn’t what she had hoped for coming into college. “You come into college, and you want to make friends, you want to get a routine going, you want to explore new places. All of that was just taken away from us,” North told the Maroon.
Following the pandemic season, North was eager for a fresh start during her second year. Yet she was soon disappointed. She barely made the starting lineup and didn’t even get to play in the first few games of the season. When she was given play time, it was usually just a couple minutes. “Freshman year was tough. Sophomore year was very tough for different reasons,” North explained.
Despite the rough start to her college basketball career, North was motivated to get more playing time and become a starter. She trained hard during the following summer, and it all paid off in her third year. She started all 25 regular season games and even competed in the NCAA playoffs, making it all the way to the Sweet 16 round.
Nearing the end of her college basketball career, North was torn between the feasibility of pursuing basketball as a profession and her love for the sport. She didn’t feel like playing professionally was a viable option because of the low pay and career instability. However, a few trips to Japan quickly changed that. North spent many summers overseas, having opportunities to play with high-level teams and participate in advanced training programs.
As she began immersing herself in the Japanese basketball scene, she became drawn to its unique playing environment. North noted that there were many women who were interested in playing competitively and a lot of opportunities for them to play high-level basketball, both recreationally and professionally. “I was playing with women who are like 40 years old, like in actual games. You just don’t really see that in America. And I really liked that culture when I was in Japan,” North commented.
Slowly, North began to envision this possibility of continuing her basketball career abroad. “I love coming to Japan. If I could play professional basketball here, it’s like the best of both worlds. I get to live in the place that I love and do the thing that I love.”
She started talking to other athletes to understand what the recruitment process was like and cold-emailed teams she was interested in playing with. One of the teams that responded to North was the Fujitsu Red Wave, who play in the W-League Premier division of Women’s Japan Basketball League; she officially became set to join them post-graduation, following her recruitment and tryout process with the team.
Looking to the start of this new journey in basketball, North notes that she is one of the youngest people on the team and one of the few who isn’t based out of Japan. Unlike North, who has only ever played in the United States, most of the players in the Women’s Japan Basketball League were born in Japan or at least played in Japan during high school. While North recognizes that it may take some time to establish herself, she is excited to learn as much as she can from the team, especially considering the Red Wave are the reigning Women’s Japan Basketball League champions and have players who medaled in the 2020 Olympics. She’s also eager to experience Japan’s unique style of basketball, which typically involves dynamic gameplay, endurance, and frequent ball movement.
While the path hasn’t always been straightforward for North, she’s ready to start this new chapter in her life and take her passion for basketball to the next level. “If I wanted to get a desk job or something, that will be there for me in the future; that’s something I can still do years from now. But this is something I can only do now, and I have the opportunity to do it.”
