Kuiper signs pro deal with UBSC Graz of Austria’s top league

August 5, 2019
Dane Kuiper basketball

Dane Kuiper

Wasilla’s Dane Kuiper is headed overseas to play professional basketball after signing a deal with UBSC Graz from the top league in Austria.

The former University of New Mexico standout is a defensive specialist who wrapped up his NCAA eligibility in the spring and will be playing pro ball in the fall.

UBSC Graz is based in Wels, Austria. The team plays in the Austrian Basketball League since it was founded in 2000 and won the Austrian national championship in 2009.

Since then, though, the team has fallen on hard times with eight straight seasons of finishing last or second-to-last in the league.

Adding an experienced player with Kuiper’s defensive prowess should only help the team get back to prosperity in Austria.

Kuiper, of Wasilla High fame, started 58 of 113 career games at New Mexico and averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game overall. He also made 84 steals.

The 6-foot-7 forward enjoyed his best season as a junior in 2017-18 when he averaged 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds and shot .837 from the free-throw line.

As a senior, he posted eight double-digit scoring games and twice pumped in a season high 15 points.

Kuiper secured a 73-72 victory over Boise State on Senior Night with a clutch last-second steal. He had 26 steals on the season, twice getting a career-high four steals in a game.