Whitinsville Christian's Vander Baan wins first pro basketball title in Sweden

Justin Vander Baan’s Whitinsville Christian basketball teams piled up a lot of victories during his four years playing for the Crusaders, but until last week, the 7-footer had never won a major championship. In his first season playing professionally in Europe, Vander Baan helped Boras Basket to the Swedish Basketligan title. “That felt good,” Vander Baan said in a phone interview from his family’s home in Northbridge two days after returning to the U.

S. “I was happy to win it for the older guys on the team who made it to the final the last three years but lost. I’m happy they finally got a championship and I’m very happy to win my first championship.

” Vander Baan starred collegiately at Lafayette, a Patriot League foe of Holy Cross, and dominated his senior season, ranking among the NCAA leaders in blocked shots and earning PL Defensive Player of the Year honors. “The opportunity to be an important player at Lafayette set me up well to be a pro,” Vander Baan said. “Because of last year at Lafayette I thought, ‘I know I can do this.

’ I went into Sweden the most confident I’ve probably ever been as a player. ” Soon after Vander Baan graduated from Lafayette in May 2025, his agent called him about the opportunity with Swedish Basketligan, which is the highest tier of Swedish basketball. Vander Baan signed his rookie overseas contract in July and headed to Boras, known as a textile city and as the rainiest city in Sweden, in late August.