Zeeland East High School graduate Nathan Claerbaut scores on a power move in a game with Central Michigan University last winter. Claerbaut has signed a contract with the Artland Dragons professional team in Germany, and headed overseas this week.
Photo courtesy Central Michigan University Athletic Communications
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
From the time Nathan Claerbaut learned to dribble and shoot a basketball, he had a dream of playing professionally.
On Tuesday, the 7-foot center who graduated from Zeeland East High School in 2021 boarded a plane to Germany to begin fulfilling his lifelong dream.
Claerbaut, who played last season at Central Michigan University, signed a contract two weeks ago with the Artland Dragons, a professional team in the northwest German town of Quakenbruck. The Dragons compete in the 18-team ProA league, the second tier of professional basketball in Germany.
In an interview with the Zeeland Record last Friday, Claerbaut credited his agent for lining up the opportunity with the Dragons.
“(The agent) said this would be a really great opportunity for me and that I should strongly consider taking it, and that’s really all I needed,” he said.
Claerbaut talked to Dragons head coach Hendrik Gruhn, then waited a couple of days to see if the team would offer him a contract. They did.
Claerbaut transferred to CMU from Ferris State University a year ago, following his coach, Andy Bronkema, from Big Rapids to Mount Pleasant. He had an outstanding season for the Chippewas, averaging 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game. He led the team and was second in the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage (.577), and scored in double figures in 23 games.
However, Claerbaut’s impact was felt most strongly as a rim protector on defense, as he was named to the MAC All-Defensive Team. Among his 64 blocks on the season was a school-record 11 rejections on Feb. 21 against archrival Western Michigan. The 11 blocks tied for the most by any NCAA Division I player last season.
Claerbaut said the level of competition he faced at CMU helped get him ready for the overseas opportunity.
“Our preseason schedule last year was (tough). We played big teams like Wisconsin and Marquette. Obviously, playing teams like that (and) being able to put up good stats against them … helps with the confidence,” he said.
“The jump from Division II (at Ferris) to Division I, the skill gap was not as big as what one would think. There’s a lot of great players at Division II – I’d say the difference is (there are) bigger guards and bigger centers (in Division I).”
At Zeeland East, Claerbaut teamed up with his twin brother, Brandon, and a talented roster that also included Trip Riemersma, Ethan Houghtaling and Adam Cassel, coached by Jeff Carlson, to win 19 consecutive games, claim the O-K Green Conference championship and advance to the regional finals in his senior year.
Claerbaut then went on to Ferris, where he redshirted his first year, then came off the bench the next two years. His breakout season with the Bulldogs was in the 2024-25 campaign, where he averaged 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and blocked 78 shots to rank among the national leaders in Division II in that category.
The Dragons were the most improved team in the ProA league last year, finishing fifth among 18 teams with a record of 21-13, after having gone 9-25 the year before. Artland lost in the quarterfinals of the league playoffs.
Claerbaut doesn’t expect any issues with language in Germany. “All the coaches speak English, there will be no language barrier,” he said.
Most of all, Claerbaut is eager to explore his new digs.
“I’ve never been to Europe before. I’m excited to be out there living on my own,” he said. “I really excited to meet my teammates, meet the guys, because those are going to be my friends for the next 10 months. I’m looking forward to bonding and getting close with them … (I’m looking forward to) exploring the town and exploring a foreign country.”
Zeeland Record
From the time Nathan Claerbaut learned to dribble and shoot a basketball, he had a dream of playing professionally.
On Tuesday, the 7-foot center who graduated from Zeeland East High School in 2021 boarded a plane to Germany to begin fulfilling his lifelong dream.
Claerbaut, who played last season at Central Michigan University, signed a contract two weeks ago with the Artland Dragons, a professional team in the northwest German town of Quakenbruck. The Dragons compete in the 18-team ProA league, the second tier of professional basketball in Germany.
In an interview with the Zeeland Record last Friday, Claerbaut credited his agent for lining up the opportunity with the Dragons.
“(The agent) said this would be a really great opportunity for me and that I should strongly consider taking it, and that’s really all I needed,” he said.
Claerbaut talked to Dragons head coach Hendrik Gruhn, then waited a couple of days to see if the team would offer him a contract. They did.
Claerbaut transferred to CMU from Ferris State University a year ago, following his coach, Andy Bronkema, from Big Rapids to Mount Pleasant. He had an outstanding season for the Chippewas, averaging 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game. He led the team and was second in the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage (.577), and scored in double figures in 23 games.
However, Claerbaut’s impact was felt most strongly as a rim protector on defense, as he was named to the MAC All-Defensive Team. Among his 64 blocks on the season was a school-record 11 rejections on Feb. 21 against archrival Western Michigan. The 11 blocks tied for the most by any NCAA Division I player last season.
Claerbaut said the level of competition he faced at CMU helped get him ready for the overseas opportunity.
“Our preseason schedule last year was (tough). We played big teams like Wisconsin and Marquette. Obviously, playing teams like that (and) being able to put up good stats against them … helps with the confidence,” he said.
“The jump from Division II (at Ferris) to Division I, the skill gap was not as big as what one would think. There’s a lot of great players at Division II – I’d say the difference is (there are) bigger guards and bigger centers (in Division I).”
At Zeeland East, Claerbaut teamed up with his twin brother, Brandon, and a talented roster that also included Trip Riemersma, Ethan Houghtaling and Adam Cassel, coached by Jeff Carlson, to win 19 consecutive games, claim the O-K Green Conference championship and advance to the regional finals in his senior year.
Claerbaut then went on to Ferris, where he redshirted his first year, then came off the bench the next two years. His breakout season with the Bulldogs was in the 2024-25 campaign, where he averaged 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and blocked 78 shots to rank among the national leaders in Division II in that category.
The Dragons were the most improved team in the ProA league last year, finishing fifth among 18 teams with a record of 21-13, after having gone 9-25 the year before. Artland lost in the quarterfinals of the league playoffs.
Claerbaut doesn’t expect any issues with language in Germany. “All the coaches speak English, there will be no language barrier,” he said.
Most of all, Claerbaut is eager to explore his new digs.
“I’ve never been to Europe before. I’m excited to be out there living on my own,” he said. “I really excited to meet my teammates, meet the guys, because those are going to be my friends for the next 10 months. I’m looking forward to bonding and getting close with them … (I’m looking forward to) exploring the town and exploring a foreign country.”
