WBB: UM-Milwaukee’s Stephanie Kostowicz on hooping around the world

Stephanie Kostowicz has played basketball on both sides of the Atlantic. Overseas, she has won a championship in Germany, saved a team from relegation in Hungary, and been named the center of the year in Greece. As an undersized 5, the 6-foot-2 Kostowicz overpowers her rivals using the core strength she developed as a track athlete. Her heart, however, is in Wisconsin, where she’s from and where she returns every offseason.

As she’s about to embark on another season in Europe and add Czechia to her resume, we were able to talk to her about her career so far.

Let’s start with your heritage. Your surname sounds Polish.

My great grandfather was from… [tries to pronounce Grudziądz but gives up] I’m going to butcher it anyway. It’s like an hour from [successfully pronounces Bydgoszcz]. Gosh, I knew that from when I played there. There’s actually a bit more German in my blood than Polish, but yeah, obviously, I have a bit of Polish in me.

Growing up in Wisconsin, how were you introduced to the game of basketball? And what was the basketball culture like in Wisconsin when you were a kid?

I started kind of late, when I was 12 or so. I have three older sisters and I wanted to do everything that they did, and they played basketball. So basketball was just one of the things—one of the many things—that they did that I picked up from them. I continued at it to a higher level and I’m happy to still be playing. As for the culture, the Midwest loves basketball. There’s a lot of opportunities, a lot of tournaments, a lot of teams you can join to further develop your skills. So it was nice to grow up in that environment and get the opportunity to get better at basketball.

Are you the best at basketball in your family?

I would say so, but I think my sisters would say so too, even though they stopped playing after high school.

I’m guessing that since you decided to study at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, you are close with your family.

Yep, my sisters are all married with kids now, but we all live within 15 minutes of each other, so I’m still living with my parents when I’m home for the offseason and they’re all within driving distance, so that’s nice.

For four years, you were the starter for the Panthers [at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee], where you were selected to First-Team All-Horizon League once and the Second-Team twice. Are you happy with your college basketball career?

I’m happy with it. Looking back, I think I have a better work ethic now than I did then, so I think if I were to repeat those years, maybe I would be a bit more successful individually and we’d be probably more successful as a team. But I’m happy and proud of myself. I did a lot in college. I was actually also on the track team.

That was supposed to be my next question.

Yeah, so I mean for as much as I did in basketball and track, and nursing school, and I double majored in psychology. For all of the things that I did, I’m very proud of myself. I had a great career, I developed as a person and I’m here now.

Was track and field or basketball your first love?

Basketball was first. I started track in high school and I wasn’t planning on doing it in college. And then after I committed to Milwaukee for basketball, the track coach came up to me during my senior year of high school and asked if I would be willing to do both. I didn’t know that was an option, but I was excited to have that opportunity. He just came into my math class and said, “You’re gonna do this now.” And I was like,“OK.” And then it turned out I was pretty good at it.

Were shot put and discus workouts helpful in becoming a better basketball player?

Mm-hmm. Absolutely, especially because of my position and my height. I’m a bit of an undersized forward and I think that work in the weight room has helped me get to where I am now.

What what would you consider a greater achievement? What you did on the court or the fact that you graduated and are a nurse?

I think the biggest achievement was that I was able to do both at the same time. The fact that I have my career set up and ready for me whenever I decide to be done with basketball, I think that’s an incredible achievement that maybe not a lot of my peers have.

You don’t get to do much nursing now, do you?

This summer and last summer, I have not been able to work as a nurse because I’ve been playing basketball in Mexico, but every other summer in my offseason, I’ve been able to practice as a nurse.

And why did you decide to become a nurse?

We have to go back to the first question on this one, one of my older sisters is actually a nurse practitioner. So obviously I had to do what she did.

OK, but after graduating you did something neither one of them had done: You moved to Greece to become a professional basketball player. How did that come about?

I didn’t really have the dream of being a professional basketball player… I would say… until my senior year of college. Only then I kind of decided that, “Hey, this is something I’m good at.” I had a coach, Coach Goldsberry. He planted the seed in my head continuously, saying things like, “You can be in the best shape of your life, you can travel the world, you can have all these opportunities.” And I’m like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” But it turns out he knew what he was talking about.

Were you ever actually abroad or in Europe prior to your move to Greece?

No, my going to Greece was the first time I left America. I remember my first year, my first team, my room was a closet of this house. I had a roommate who was on my team and she got the bedroom with a queen-sized bed. There were dressers. She had a balcony. My room was half the size of hers. I had a small bed, like one of the single ones that you get at some of those hotels. I didn’t have a door. I didn’t have a dresser, so that was my first impression of the country. But I loved Greece.

As a family person, were you afraid of moving out on your own?

I actually wasn’t alone. I brought my cat with me to Greece my first year. They have a lot of cats in Greece, which I enjoyed, but I took my cat with me as well. He’s spoiled.

After two years in Greece and a short stay in Hungary, where you helped a team stay in the A1 League, you go to Olympiacos. That’s a basketball powerhouse in Europe.

My first year, I was literally on the bottom team in Greece and then just to even be recognized, to be on the Olympiacos team, let alone being a starter for them, that was a huge deal for me personally. I was very proud to be on that team and to wear their colors. But it was just an incredible experience and I still carry that with pride today to say that I played for them.

Did you get to play in the derby against Panathinaikos? The “derby of the eternal rivals” is one of the most intense games in Europe, regardless of the discipline.

Yeah. Absolutely. It was during COVID though, so it wasn’t open to the public. But even without the fans, it was incredibly intense and when the fans were able to join us for playoffs… Just a lot of intensity. There’s a story I tell people. It’s funny now, looking back on it. But in the moment, it was intense. That’s the word I would again use to describe it. I was waiting at a bus stop the day before we played Panathinaikos and I had my Olympiakos bag with me and this grown man comes up to me and he kicks me in the shin! He starts calling me names, going crazy and people had to, like, separate us.

Was the best year of your career at Olympiakos? Or was it in Poland, Romania, Germany, Mexico, or Italy?

I would say as a team, my best year was probably in Germany just because we won the title, but individually I would have to say Italy last year was my best season. I just had some pretty big stats in a very good league and, like I said earlier, I like having to prove myself in every league that I get into, to show that I belong, just taking steps each time. So I think that was a really big step for me individually.

Any regrets that you didn’t get to play in the WNBA?

Yeah, it’s tough. Obviously, I’m a competitor. I want to compete with the best. And so I belong with the best, but just the way the game is now, maybe if I graduated college now, maybe just because women’s basketball has taken such a big step, maybe it would be different.

Thank you to Gherdan Sports for arranging the interview.