Deijah ‘Boom’ leads German pro team

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: November 29, 2020

Deijah Blanks

By Nick Pellegrino

GRUENBERG, Hesse, Germany – You may call her a fräuleinwith a feel for the basket.

Former Mount Miguel High standout Deijah “Boom” Blanks tallied a solid 36 points in her professional basketball breakout performance, leading Bender Baskets Grunberg to a victory in the German Pro Women’s Basketball League (Germany-2.Bundesliga).

Blanks during a game last month.

Blanks, a 5-foot-8 guard with the Matadors then grew to become a 5-10 forward during her college ball at UC Irvine and St. Edward’s (Texas). Today, Blanks is now an under-sized center for Gruenberg, yet her speed makes it too difficult for opponents to handle her effectively.

According to the EuroBasket.com game report, “American forward Deijah Blanks orchestrated the victory by scoring 36 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds” in the 77-75 victory over Rotenburg. It was the ballclub’s first triumph in three starts in defeating a club many projected as a contender to challenge for the league title.

Always considered a sharpshooter, Blanks drained 12-for-20 shots from the floor and 12-for-13 at the foul line.

“Deijah just signed with them in July, then took off for Germany in August,” said Mount Miguel coach Robbie Sandoval, who has captured 20 consecutive league titles entering the 2020-21 season. “The season is only five or six months long there, so we can’t wait for her to come home and tell us all about playing in Europe.”

Locally, Blanks was a rare two-time, first-tea honoree on the All-East County team and the 2013-14 Player of the Year. Her senior year punctuated with a second-team berth to the California All-State Division 3 team. In 2013-14, the Matadors (27-6) advanced to the CIF Southern California regional final, defeating Yorba Linda and Selma before falling to Santa Barbara.

Gruenberg is located just north of Frankfurt in central Germany.