She also tried ballet, ice skating, swimming, tee ball and volleyball before she ever picked up a basketball in fifth grade.

When some parents of AAU players walked into the gym and saw her doing gymnastics, they asked her to join their basketball team, to which DeHaan agreed.

In middle school, she had already reached 6 ft 2 in and rapidly grew another six inches in just under a year, between sixth and seventh grade.

Already the tallest female player in Michigan State history when she joined the basketball team, she unexpectedly grew another inch before playing her first season at 6 ft 9 in.

She was ranked among the top 25 centers in the nation by All-Star Girls Report and named to The Grand Rapids Press all-area team.

By the time she was a senior she had led Grandville to district and regional championships, averaging 24 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots a game.

[1] DeHaan's choice of university erupted into a national recruiting war, with offers coming from as far away as Tennessee, Connecticut, Purdue, Louisiana State, Duke and Kentucky.

DeHaan said she chose MSU because "I have the opportunity to win a national championship, and equally pursue another dream of becoming a doctor at the same time."

Her dominance continued on November 29, 2006, when she made another career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds for her second career double-double, which was the second-highest game total for a freshman in Michigan State history.

During the summer of 2007, DeHaan played at the 2007 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia, leading the successful Team USA, which won a gold medal.

She became the fourth person in Michigan State women's basketball history to reach 300 points and 200 rebounds.

With three blocks on December 20, DeHaan became the fastest player in NCAA Division I history to reach the 200-block milestone while playing in her freshman and sophomore seasons.

She left Michigan State ranked as the fourth all-time in career points (1,649), rebounds (919), and is one of just three Spartans to place in the top five of both categories.

Shortly before the end of her final season in March, DeHaan was in a game when she was hit in the back and it flared up.

[10] DeHaan took a medical school placement test during the summer and returned to Michigan State in the fall to finish her degree in human biology.

[10] Source[11] DeHaan was a member of the USA Women's U19 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The event was held in July and August 2007, when the USA team defeated Sweden to win the championship.