Allyssa DeHaan
Encyclopedia
Allyssa DeHaan is an American former collegiate basketball
player and currently collegiate volleyball
player. She played for Michigan State University
from 2006 to 2010.
She is ranked as the fourth all-time in career points (1,649), rebounds (919) and she is one of just three Spartans to place in the top-five of both categories. She also ranks third in MSU history in made field goals (640) and she made free throws (351), and seventh in free throw percentage (79.8%). DeHaan finished her career with four-year averages of 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. She is also ranked second all-time in Division I with 503 career blocks.
DeHaan is renowned for her impressive and towering height; 2.06 metres (6 ft 9 in) tall, making her one of the tallest female basketball
players in the country and the tallest player in Michigan State history as well as one of the tallest female athletes in the world in general.
, the daughter of Tracie and Brandon DeHaan. Allyssa's athletic life began with gymnastics in preschool. She also tried ballet
, ice skating
, swimming
, tee ball
and volleyball
before she ever picked up a basketball in fifth grade. When some parents of AAU players walked into the gym
and saw her doing gymnastics, they asked her to join their basketball
team, to which DeHaan agreed. She also started playing pickup games in the driveway with her mom, who played basketball at Northwestern University
.
DeHaan has always been tall and is very proud to be. Dehaan's parents are also tall; her father is 6 ft 6 in and her mother is 6 ft 4 in, but Alyssa was to outgrow both of them. In middle school, she had already reached 6 ft 2 in and rapidly grew another six inches in just under a year; between her sixth and seventh-grade. She grew to 6 ft 7 in as a high school sophomore and graduated from Grandville High School at 6 ft 8 in. Already the tallest female player in Michigan State history, she unexpectedly grew another inch before playing her first season at 6 ft 9 in. DeHaan is not afflicted with Marfan syndrome
or any other kind of Overgrowth syndrome
, but instead she is simply extremely tall. She has a 39-inch inseam, and she wears a men's size 14 shoes. Deeply religious, DeHaan claims her great height is a divine gift given to her from God
.
DeHaan stated that she likes being the center of attention wherever she goes, saying, "I'm pretty used to drawing eyes in public because I've always been pretty tall." She admits buying clothes can be difficult and time consuming.
Allyssa's younger brother Collin, is 6 ft 11 in.
In November 2005 she was named Michigan Miss Basketball of 2005, an award given annually to the top senior high school basketball player in the state. She won with 816 points while her nearest rival had 502. DeHaan was also named the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2005. DeHaan was ranked among the top 25 centers in the nation by All-Star Girls Report and named to The Grand Rapids Press all-area team.
DeHaan ranked second on the team in scoring and despite being a rookie played a crucial role in in keeping the team on track, guiding them to their first 3-0 mark in conference play since 1991. By the time she was a senior she had led Grandville to district and regional championships, averaging 24 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots a game. This led Grandville to the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history. She was also a member of the volleyball team and earned honorable mention all-conference honors
In her first season, DeHaan had earned spots on the All-Big Ten Second Team and the All-Big Ten Defensive Team, as well as the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.
On March 2, 2007, in a game against Minnesota where she was described as "unstoppable," Michigan State won a 77-68 victory.
DeHaan began her first season setting a string of new school records including; smashing the school's previous single-season blocks record in her first twelve games. She scored 145 points, beating the previous record of 57 points set by Kristen Rasmussen. DeHaan's 69 blocks during Big Ten regular-season games was the third-best mark in the school's history, just 27 points behind Trish Andrew's mark of 96 set in the 1991 - 1992 season.
During the summer of 2007, DeHaan played at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Bratislava
, Slovakia
, leading the successful Team USA, which would win a gold medal. DeHaan was ranked second amongst all players at the tournament making 19 blocks. In the tournament she averaged 5.0 points and 6.6 rebounds.
She left Michigan State ranked as the fourth all-time in career points (1,649), rebounds (919) and she is one of just three Spartans to place in the top-five of both categories. She also ranks third in MSU history in made field goals (640) and she made free throws (351), and seventh in free throw percentage (79.8%). DeHaan finished her career with four-year averages of 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. She is also ranked second all-time in Division I with 503 career blocks
Shortly before the end of her final season in March, Dehaan was in a game when she was hit in the back and it flared up. She had played a mere eight minutes before leaving early in the first half with back spasms and did not return. It was later revealed that she was playing with a herniated disc in her back.
DeHaan took a medical school placement test during the summer and returned to Michigan State later in the Fall to finish up her degree in human biology. She graduated in December, 2010.
DeHaan’s induction in to the WNBA would have been of some significance; she would have been the third tallest person to have played in the league. One example is Heidi Gillingham at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) is taller than her. The late Margo Dydek
, at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) is the only WNBA basketball player taller than her. Also, since 1997 no player in the WNBA has surpassed 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m); DeHaan would not only have shattered that record but she would have also become the tallest living woman to play in WNBA following the passing of Margo Dydek on May 27, 2011 at age 37.
DeHaan had already planned on taking some prerequisite classes at GVSU, where she plans to apply in the physician assistant program, when she was approached by the Lakers coach Deanne Scanlon with the idea of joining and DeHaan agreed. Her position is a Middle Blocker.
When asked what her greatest asset will be to the team, DeHaan replied confidently, “I’m 6-foot-9, I think that says it all right there.” She is the tallest player on the roster.
and deeply religious and attributes her great height as a blessing from God
. She was raised in a strong Christian home and at an early age she was put in a church and became part of its youth group that would regularly go on mission trips. Her passion to help other s is derived from her faith and is so strong she gave up her chance to attend a Nike basketball camp and play on a travel team in Hawaii during in July, 2005. DeHaan spent a week near Juarez
, Mexico
, across the border from El Paso, Texas
, and helped in the construction of a new home for a family who recently lost their 7-year old son in a fire
that burnt down their house.
Politically, her interests lean to the right
.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and currently collegiate volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
player. She played for Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
from 2006 to 2010.
She is ranked as the fourth all-time in career points (1,649), rebounds (919) and she is one of just three Spartans to place in the top-five of both categories. She also ranks third in MSU history in made field goals (640) and she made free throws (351), and seventh in free throw percentage (79.8%). DeHaan finished her career with four-year averages of 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. She is also ranked second all-time in Division I with 503 career blocks.
DeHaan is renowned for her impressive and towering height; 2.06 metres (6 ft 9 in) tall, making her one of the tallest female basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
players in the country and the tallest player in Michigan State history as well as one of the tallest female athletes in the world in general.
Early life
DeHaan was born on June 21, 1988, in Grandville, MichiganGrandville, Michigan
Grandville is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,263 at the 2000 census. Grandville is one of the oldest suburbs of Grand Rapids, and was incorporated as a city in 1933....
, the daughter of Tracie and Brandon DeHaan. Allyssa's athletic life began with gymnastics in preschool. She also tried ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, tee ball
Tee Ball
Tee Ball or T-Ball is a sport based on baseball and is intended as an introduction for children to develop baseball skills and have fun. The name Tee Ball is a registered trademark while T-Ball is the generic name, although many sources use Tee Ball as a generic title.- Description :In T-Ball, the...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
before she ever picked up a basketball in fifth grade. When some parents of AAU players walked into the gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
and saw her doing gymnastics, they asked her to join their basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, to which DeHaan agreed. She also started playing pickup games in the driveway with her mom, who played basketball at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.
DeHaan has always been tall and is very proud to be. Dehaan's parents are also tall; her father is 6 ft 6 in and her mother is 6 ft 4 in, but Alyssa was to outgrow both of them. In middle school, she had already reached 6 ft 2 in and rapidly grew another six inches in just under a year; between her sixth and seventh-grade. She grew to 6 ft 7 in as a high school sophomore and graduated from Grandville High School at 6 ft 8 in. Already the tallest female player in Michigan State history, she unexpectedly grew another inch before playing her first season at 6 ft 9 in. DeHaan is not afflicted with Marfan syndrome
Marfan syndrome
Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder of the connective tissue. People with Marfan's tend to be unusually tall, with long limbs and long, thin fingers....
or any other kind of Overgrowth syndrome
Overgrowth syndrome
Overgrowth syndrome is a group of genetic disorders in which there is an abnormal increase in the size of the body or a body part that is often noted at birth. Examples of overgrowth syndromes include neurofibromatosis, Sotos syndrome, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome,...
, but instead she is simply extremely tall. She has a 39-inch inseam, and she wears a men's size 14 shoes. Deeply religious, DeHaan claims her great height is a divine gift given to her from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
DeHaan stated that she likes being the center of attention wherever she goes, saying, "I'm pretty used to drawing eyes in public because I've always been pretty tall." She admits buying clothes can be difficult and time consuming.
Allyssa's younger brother Collin, is 6 ft 11 in.
High school
DeHaan attended Grandville High School. She set the Michigan girls high school single-season blocks record with 236 in her junior season. As a junior in 2004 - 2005 she averaged 27.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg. and 9.5 bpg. She led Grandville to a 22-2 record and conference, district and regional championships as a senior in 2005-06.In November 2005 she was named Michigan Miss Basketball of 2005, an award given annually to the top senior high school basketball player in the state. She won with 816 points while her nearest rival had 502. DeHaan was also named the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2005. DeHaan was ranked among the top 25 centers in the nation by All-Star Girls Report and named to The Grand Rapids Press all-area team.
DeHaan ranked second on the team in scoring and despite being a rookie played a crucial role in in keeping the team on track, guiding them to their first 3-0 mark in conference play since 1991. By the time she was a senior she had led Grandville to district and regional championships, averaging 24 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots a game. This led Grandville to the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history. She was also a member of the volleyball team and earned honorable mention all-conference honors
Michigan State
DeHaan's choice of university erupted into a national recruiting war, with offers coming as far away as Tennessee, Connecticut, Purdue, Louisiana State, Duke and Kentucky. DeHaan chose Michigan State University (after narrowing her choices to Michigan State, Grand Valley State, and Cornerstone College) and had one of the most dominant freshman seasons in Big Ten history. DeHaan said she chose MSU because, "I have the opportunity to win a national championship, and equally pursue another dream of becoming a doctor at the same time".Freshman
In her collegiate debut on November 17, 2006, DeHaan scored a team-high 15 points. Two days later, DeHaan set a then-school-record with eight blocked shots, seven of which she made in the second half, as well as scoring her first career double-double in the game, scoring 11 points, and making 11 rebounds. On November 24, 2006, DeHaan scored 17 points and nine rebounds in a game her team won 85-66. DeHaan's dominance continued on November 29, 2006, when she made another career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds for her second career double-double, which was the second-highest game total for a freshman in Michigan State history.In her first season, DeHaan had earned spots on the All-Big Ten Second Team and the All-Big Ten Defensive Team, as well as the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.
On March 2, 2007, in a game against Minnesota where she was described as "unstoppable," Michigan State won a 77-68 victory.
DeHaan began her first season setting a string of new school records including; smashing the school's previous single-season blocks record in her first twelve games. She scored 145 points, beating the previous record of 57 points set by Kristen Rasmussen. DeHaan's 69 blocks during Big Ten regular-season games was the third-best mark in the school's history, just 27 points behind Trish Andrew's mark of 96 set in the 1991 - 1992 season.
During the summer of 2007, DeHaan played at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, leading the successful Team USA, which would win a gold medal. DeHaan was ranked second amongst all players at the tournament making 19 blocks. In the tournament she averaged 5.0 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Sophomore
DeHaan had another record-breaking season as a sophomore. She would become the fourth person in Michigan State woman's basketball history to reach 300 points and 200 rebounds. To cap off her successful first season, DeHaan would become the first ever MSU freshman to score over 400 points. Named MSU Co-Player of the Year with Kalisha Keane. Made 30 consecutive free throws during one stretch in 2007-08, the fourth-longest streak in MSU history, Named Big Ten Player of the Week three times in 2007-08. On December 16, 2007 she became MSU's all-time leader in blocked shots. She reached the mark in just 43 career games. With three blocks on December 20, DeHaan became the fastest player in NCAA Division I history to reach the 200-block milestone while playing in her freshman and sophomore seasons.Junior
DeHaan became the Big Ten career blocked shots leader, MSU's 19th 1,000-point scorer and was also named Second Team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. She appeared in all 33 games, and averaged 10.8 points, ranking her second on the team and 19th in the Big Ten, Also added a team-bests in 6.3 rebounds (13th in the conference) and 3.2 blocks, Led the team and Big Ten with 107 blocks, placing her third in the nation and third on the MSU single-season list, Second on the team and ninth in the Big Ten with a 46.5% field goal percentage, Had 18 double-figure scoring efforts and two double-doubles; also added three double-digit rebounding games, Led MSU in scoring in 12 games (11-1 record) and rebounding in 12 games, Big Ten All-Defensive Team, Academic All-Big Ten, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Second Team, Named to the Berkeley Regional All-Tournament Team.Senior
DeHaan averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while blocking 101 shots during her senior season.She left Michigan State ranked as the fourth all-time in career points (1,649), rebounds (919) and she is one of just three Spartans to place in the top-five of both categories. She also ranks third in MSU history in made field goals (640) and she made free throws (351), and seventh in free throw percentage (79.8%). DeHaan finished her career with four-year averages of 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. She is also ranked second all-time in Division I with 503 career blocks
Shortly before the end of her final season in March, Dehaan was in a game when she was hit in the back and it flared up. She had played a mere eight minutes before leaving early in the first half with back spasms and did not return. It was later revealed that she was playing with a herniated disc in her back.
DeHaan took a medical school placement test during the summer and returned to Michigan State later in the Fall to finish up her degree in human biology. She graduated in December, 2010.
WNBA Draft
As her final season at Michigan State drew to an end DeHaan announced she would not pursue any free agent deals with the WNBA. She was not selected in the WNBA 2010 draft owing to her not being able to physically participate in the any training camps and had decided yet to rule out surgery.DeHaan’s induction in to the WNBA would have been of some significance; she would have been the third tallest person to have played in the league. One example is Heidi Gillingham at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) is taller than her. The late Margo Dydek
Margo Dydek
Małgorzata Dydek , known as Margo Dydek in the United States, was a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world...
, at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) is the only WNBA basketball player taller than her. Also, since 1997 no player in the WNBA has surpassed 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m); DeHaan would not only have shattered that record but she would have also become the tallest living woman to play in WNBA following the passing of Margo Dydek on May 27, 2011 at age 37.
Grand Valley State
In August, 2011 DeHaan announced she would pursues her graduate studies further at Grand Valley State University and would also be joining the university’s volleyball team; the GVSU Lakers. She will first be participating in the fall training camp and she has stated that she will be available to play one full year of volleyball.DeHaan had already planned on taking some prerequisite classes at GVSU, where she plans to apply in the physician assistant program, when she was approached by the Lakers coach Deanne Scanlon with the idea of joining and DeHaan agreed. Her position is a Middle Blocker.
When asked what her greatest asset will be to the team, DeHaan replied confidently, “I’m 6-foot-9, I think that says it all right there.” She is the tallest player on the roster.
Highschool notes
- She was ranked among the top 25 centers in the nation by All-Star Girls Report and also named to the All-State team and was the Gatorade Player of the Year
- Has averaged 24 points, nine blocks and nine rebounds a game
- A member of Grandville High school volleyball team and earned honorable mention all-conference honors, carried a 3.85 GPA.
- Led Grandville to a 22-2 record and conference, district and regional championships as a senior
- She was named first-team all-state the past three seasons and an all-league (OK Red) selection the past three seasons
- Averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds and nearly 10 blocked shots a game her junior year, leading Grandville to the state quarterfinals for the first time in its history
- She was named to The Grand Rapids Press all-area team two years running
College notes
- Set the Michigan single-season blocks record with 236 points in her junior season
- The fourth freshman in Michigan State University's history to reach 300 points and 200 rebounds.
- She was named to The Grand Rapids Press all-area team for two straight years.
- First MSU freshman to score 400-plus points
- She was named the 2007 Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year, as well as being named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. She has also been named to All-Big Ten second team and the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. She was also selected the Two-time Big Ten Player of the Week.
Personal life
DeHaan is a ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and deeply religious and attributes her great height as a blessing from God
Theodicy
Theodicy is a theological and philosophical study which attempts to prove God's intrinsic or foundational nature of omnibenevolence , omniscience , and omnipotence . Theodicy is usually concerned with the God of the Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, due to the relevant...
. She was raised in a strong Christian home and at an early age she was put in a church and became part of its youth group that would regularly go on mission trips. Her passion to help other s is derived from her faith and is so strong she gave up her chance to attend a Nike basketball camp and play on a travel team in Hawaii during in July, 2005. DeHaan spent a week near Juarez
Juárez
Juárez may refer to a number of places and things, most of which are named after Benito Juárez, President of Mexico on several occasions during the 19th century.Mexican cities and towns...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, across the border from El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, and helped in the construction of a new home for a family who recently lost their 7-year old son in a fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
that burnt down their house.
Politically, her interests lean to the right
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
.