Freshman Thelma Dis Agustsdottir brings experience from Iceland to Ball State Women's Basketball

<p>Ball State freshman forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir brings the ball down the court during the Cardinals' game against Cleveland State University's Nov. 11, 2018 in John E. Worthen Arena. Dis Agustsdottir scored 11 points. <strong>Paige Grider, DN</strong></p>

Ball State freshman forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir brings the ball down the court during the Cardinals' game against Cleveland State University's Nov. 11, 2018 in John E. Worthen Arena. Dis Agustsdottir scored 11 points. Paige Grider, DN

Growing up, Thelma Dis Agustsdóttir was surrounded by basketball. Her mother, Björg Hafsteinsdóttir, played on the national teams when Thelma was young and from the age of five, she knew she want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. 

“My mom took me to my first practice when I was about five or six years old,” Agustsdóttir said. “Since she played herself, she was the one that really introduced me to the sport.”

The freshman forward gained experience as a player for Keflavik in the Icelandic league before coming to Ball State. While on Keflavík, the team won the national championship and the Icelandic Cup twice. Alongside the team championships, Agustsdóttir was a two-time Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team player. She was also named Úrvalsdeild Domestic Player of the Year in 2017.

“Playing for the national team is so much fun, and it’s such an honor,” Agustsdóttir said. “Getting to play with players that you’ve looked up to ever since you were little, it’s amazing.”

In the middle of the season, when her team won the national championship, she said she realized her potential to play college basketball in the United States. After getting encouragement from a friend, she decided to den her tape to a recruiting office in the United States.

From there, Thelma’s tape was sent to school’s all over the United States, including Ball State. 

“We heard about her through word-of-mouth,” head coach Brady Sallee said. “We’ve got some people that help us to identify some players that are over the pond, so we got the film on her and we liked what we saw. [Ryan Patterson] went and watched her play a few games in Iceland and got to know her a little bit.”

After Patterson, an assistant coach for Ball State, traveled to Iceland to see her play, Agustsdóttir received word that Ball State was interested in bringing her to Muncie.

“We liked that she had played at such a high level on the national team,” Sallee said. “We felt like she would come in right away and hit the ground running and not have as much of that learning curve coming into college basketball.”

Prior to her move to Muncie, Agustsdóttir had never played against a team in the United States. Her knowledge of American basketball came from watching friends and family who had journeyed here to play.

“Before coming to Ball State, I hadn’t really experienced basketball in the United States,” Agustsdóttir said. “My cousin played in California, so I got to see how that worked for him, and seeing other friends from Iceland come here to play gave me the chance to see how it differed from Iceland.”

While Iceland is 3,067 miles from Muncie, Agustdóttir said the way basketball is played is similar, which has helped her to adjust to her new surroundings. She added that those she has met at Ball State have helped her along the way as well.

“My teammates and the coaching staff have really helped me in every way,” Agustsdóttir said. “My time here so far has been a really great experience.” 

Her skill and experience from her time spent on the national team have proved to be a crucial asset to the Cardinals’ this season.  While she plays at the post, Sallee said they trust her with the ball implicitly.

“She’s got a lot of skill and makes good decisions when she’s out there on the floor,” Sallee said. “We do a lot to try and get her the ball. The skill set that she came in here with is something that you can’t coach, and being as young as she is, it’s almost unheard of.” 

Contact Gabi Glass with any comments at grglass@bsu.edu or on Twitter @gabiglassbsu

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