Nebraska's Alberte Rimdal had to move away from her family to play the game she loves

How bad do you want it? Alberte Rimdal so badly wanted to be a basketball player that when she was 15 years old she moved three hours away from her home in Denmark. She’d been invited to play with a club team that had some good players and coaches. It was beneficial.

She improved a lot and got numerous chances to play with various Danish age group national teams. And she got good enough to get to play major college basketball in the United States, first with Florida and now for Nebraska. Rimdal is the only transfer player on Nebraska’s roster of 13 players, and the senior has contributed to the Huskers being one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Big Ten Conference.



With at least 10 games remaining before for Selection Sunday, the Huskers are projected by ESPN to make the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska plays at Purdue on Thursday, with the Boilermakers one of two teams that are still winless in Big Ten play. Rimdal grew up in Koge, Denmark, a city of about 40,000, near Copenhagen.

In Europe, there aren’t really opportunities to play basketball for your high school or college. So she moved away to play for a club team, which meant living with host families. Her father played professional basketball in Denmark and coached his daughter on a team starting in the second grade.

She also played badminton and competed in swimming and gymnastics. But it was always basketball. She loved to shoot, and that shows now.

She’s made 133 3-pointers in her college career, including 19 this season on 42% shooting. Twice while at Florida she had made five 3-pointers in a game. She’s a career 87% shooter on free throws.

From a young age, Rimdal wanted to come to the U.S. for college basketball.

Then she wanted it even more after her family vacationed in the U.S. when she was 12 years old.

“A lot of Danish women players do that because it’s a once-in-a lifetime opportunity with the focus here on women’s basketball and the hype around it,” Rimdal said. “Just everything is so great over here.” Her older sister, Cirkeline also played in college, first at North Dakota State and then Eckerd College in Florida.

When it came time to make her college choice, Rimdal had to make a decision without visiting due to travel restrictions during the pandemic. She’d been in Florida during her previous vacation, so that was always on her mind. Last spring after making the decision to transfer from Florida, Rimdal visited Nebraska and Maryland, one of the top programs in the Big Ten.

At Nebraska, she already knew assistant coach Julian Assibey, who coached Rimdal for two seasons at Florida. This season with Nebraska, Rimdal and the other Huskers get a lot of good 3-point attempts. Nebraska has one of the best post players in the Big Ten with Alexis Markowski, and defenders often choose to drop into the paint to help try to slow down Markowski.

When that happens, the result is sometimes an open shooter. “The way we play here, we share the ball and we shoot a lot of 3s,” Rimdal said. “Everybody here is very determined and passionate.

It’s just a great environment for me to be in.” Rimdal averages 6.5 points per game while playing in all 20 games.

She ranks third on the team in assists with 50, including eight in Nebraska’s win last week against Wisconsin. One of her best games was in Nebraska’s overtime win at Iowa with nine points and three assists. Earlier this week, Rimdal took her mom to the Lincoln Airport after she spent 10 days here, including seeing two home games and being here for Rimdal’s birthday.

“I love having my family watch me play,” Rimdal said. “I’m a big family person. I miss them.

I think my first year in American I was like, ‘I don’t miss them as much.’ But the more I’m away, the more I miss them and my siblings as well. But they’ve been really good to come and visit me.

My dad is coming in two weeks. And my big sister is coming for Senior Night. I’m really lucky.

The support me a lot.” Rimdal is scheduled to graduate in May, and then plans to play pro basketball in Europe. “I think I want to play professional for a long time,” she said.

“I love basketball. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. And I love to travel as well and see new places and cultures.

” Projected starters Nebraska (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) G – Britt Prince; 5-11; Fr.; 13.3 G – Callin Hake; 5-8; Jr.

; 7.2 G – Logan Nissley; 6-0; So.; 6.

8 F – Jessica Petrie; 6-2; So.; 6.0 C –Alexis Markowski; 6-3; Sr.

; 14.7 Purdue (7-13, 0-9) Player; Ht.; Yr.

; PPG. G – Rashunda Jones; 5-8; So.; 7.

8 G – Destini Lombard; 5-9; Sr.; 11.5 G – Ella Collier; 6-0; Sr.

; 6.4 F – Reagan Bass; 6-2; Sr.; 8.

8 F – Lana McCarthy; 6-4; Fr.; 6.7 Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.

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