Charlette Leurs, a 2018 Bronx River alum, achieved her dream of playing professional basketball. Despite some setbacks along the way, she continues to work toward her dreams and finds support through her mom.

Leurs played for five different colleges before landing in the pros. She now plays for Flamutari, a basketball club in Vlorë, Albania.

She started her college career in 2019 at the University of Hartford, where a severe injury kept her from playing her freshman year. She transferred to Morehead State during the 2022-2023 season. She soon enrolled at Florida National University in 2024 and played until 2025.

Her coach from Fort Lauderdale encouraged, supported and welcomed Leurs during her time there. “Coach Joy was an amazing coach,’’ Ms. Leurs said, explaining that she regained her confidence there.

Leurs, who attended Bronx River High School, played for the Lehman Lions basketball team. She was in the second graduating class of 2018 with Gregory Fucheck as principal. During her time here, Mr Fucheck pushed her academically by placing her in a math AP class and despite her efforts to drop out of the class, he insisted she stayed.

“I knew she was really smart,” he said. He wanted to make sure she was using her full potential.

Fucheck is proud of Leurs and all that she has accomplished. “It makes me really happy,’’ he said. “I know playing basketball was a dream for her.’’

He attended one of her games when she played at Hartford. “I was very proud to see her play,” he said. While he was sad to see her go, Fucheck is grateful that Leurs gets to accomplish her dreams.

He says many others from the campus will be cheering her on, and during her time here she was not only acknowledged at Bronx River but the whole campus.“She was someone the whole campus loved,’’ he said.

Leurs’s height caught the attention of basketball coaches not only through high school and college but also in middle school. Leurs played basketball throughout middle school, where she was on the girls and boys varsity team. Her middle school experience showed her how much community comes from playing on a team. She felt like she had a true family. She said it was “a bonding thing.”

Playing on a boys varsity team exposed her to competition and helped her become stronger. Her true skill was revealed through her season, it “set the standard to know I can play on different levels,” she said. Her middle school experience showed her she genuinely liked being on a team with others and having a true bond with her team.

At first, Leurs didn’t intend on playing basketball after middle school. People told her she should play because of her height advantage but she didn’t think basketball was for her. “I wanted to see if there was something else that interested me,” she said.

Going into high school, she questioned whether she wanted to join the team. Her high school coach came up to her and insisted she should join. She learned quickly how drastic the change between middle school and high school basketball was. “You definitely need to be running more,” she said.

Additionally, her high school experience taught her valuable things. “Basketball taught me about life,” she said. In addition to her middle school experience, Leurs joined a travel AAU team. Through this, she was exposed to all the things basketball can offer. To her basketball was more than a sport, it was a way for her to be noticed. Leurs says “I’ve always wanted to feel seen because I’ve always felt unseen.”

During her sophomore year of high school, Leurs started getting college letters. Toward the end of her season, a college coach from Hartford scouted her. Leurs, who verbally committed to Hartford, visited the campus. “It was a big moment for me, everything I’ve worked hard for came through,” she said. From there, her college journey began. College coaches were drawn to Leurs because of her talent and height, which is 6 foot 3.

Her college experience made her self-reliant. “Everything you’re doing, you’re doing on your own,” she said. She faced the responsibility of homework, meal plans, and workouts. Her many priorities taught her how to prepare herself. However, the first year of her season was cut short because of an injury. During her freshmen year she tore her ACL.

Through all of this, her mom was her biggest inspiration. “My mom, she was a very important motivator,” she said. She persisted on playing basketball because she knew it would help provide for her mom and her. “Basketball would take some of the weight off her shoulders,” she said.

Her mom served as her reminder of why she’s doing this and why she couldn’t give up.. Her advice to young athletes who are struggling or have struggled with the same thing is to step out of the limelight: “Be proud of yourself because you deserve it,’’ she said.