Mona Berlitz is making an impact — even from the sidelines

At the time of writing, Mona Berlitz is arguably one of the greatest forwards in UBC women’s basketball history. She’s been a Canada West all-star each year since her second season, making first-team in 2025. Her game — an equal balance of brute force and ambidextrous finesse — instantly stands out every time she takes the court. Unfortunately, War Memorial Gym has yet to see her step on the court this year.

Over 8,000 kilometers away from Vancouver, a summer team trip to her hometown of Schrobenhausen, Germany was supposed to be a homecoming. Instead, in a routine preseason game, Berlitz tore her ACL. Her team returned to Vancouver without her. Berlitz stayed behind.

The season went ahead, and Berlitz had no choice but to learn how to move on.

For a player of her calibre, the injury is only a small part of her story. Mona’s path from a small German town to the centre of the UBC Thunderbirds program reflects more than just on-court excellence — it shows how sport can shape life, and the resilience required to push through when that life takes an unexpected turn.

In the small town of Schrobenhausen, — population less than 20,000 — Berlitz first picked up a basketball at the age of five. By age 14, Berlitz was travelling nearly 90 minutes away to compete against older players, a routine that eventually earned her a spot on a senior women’s club roster before completing high school. Canada wasn’t on her radar yet.

Berlitz first visited Vancouver when she was 16, with her brother, who had an internship in the city. Initially, Vancouver enticed her because she was motivated to improve her English, but she quickly found herself drawn to the city for another reason. Basketball.

In Germany, Berlitz explained, the status quo for elite youth basketball players is different than in North America. Typically, high-level players do not go through the college/professional pipeline we have here. The sport’s infrastructure is based on a club system, rather than being connected to academia. In North America, players can do both — maintain a competitive level of play and simultaneously partake in higher education. For Berlitz, who was named an Academic All-Canadian last year, the North American model offered her an opportunity that the traditional European route could not.

Berlitz initially took a gap year after completing high school to play professionally, but eventually decided to get in touch with the UBC coaches. From there, her decision was made.

“I looked into different schools, but it was only UBC I applied to. I couldn’t think [of] another school that would fit [me] … and I loved Vancouver when I was here.”

While Berlitz already spoke the language, settling into a new life was not easy in practice. That changed quickly, however, when she met now-fifth-year forward Sofia Bergman, who had joined the team a year before Berlitz.

“Right off the bat I knew we would be lifelong friends,” said Bergman. “My parents call [Mona] their German daughter and her parents call me their Canadian daughter.”

Bergman — who also had a unique path with basketball, not taking up the sport until grade eight — plays a similar position to Berlitz on the floor. Despite playing similar roles, their skillsets differ, with Bergman playing as a more traditional post, and Berlitz using her quickness and versatility. But because of that, their games are complementary. It’s also clear that, in true sibling fashion, the two love to compete with each other.

“We battle, and we’re the same position so we’re constantly pushing each other to get better,” said Bergman. “But off the court, she’s my best friend.”

When Berlitz first visited Vancouver, she stood at five-foot eight, and due to her size, had been playing at the guard position. A late growth spurt at age 17, however, brought her to where she stands now — six feet tall. This growth spurt naturally brought her into the front court, but Berlitz was able to retain many of her guard skills, something that is evident when you watch her play.

“I played different positions growing up, [so] I learned the skills of all the different positions.”

When asked if she had a professional player comparison for those unfamiliar with her game, Satou Sabally was Mona’s first answer. Sabally is a six-foot-four WNBA forward from Germany, whose team, the Phoenix Mercury, just reached the WNBA finals this past season. Sabally also came from Germany to play college basketball in North America, and despite being listed as a power forward, she also possesses a unique set of skills usually associated with guards. As Mona puts it, the similarities between the two of them are uncanny:

“[She’s] a versatile forward who can shoot, and is also German and went to college [in North America], she also has this skillset that combines using your body but also your quickness.”

But perhaps what makes Berlitz stand out most is her relentlessness.

“When she's competing … she's the person that I would least like to guard, because she's just so fierce and so competitive,” said Bergman. “[She] brings her all to every drill, every competition. That’s the type of thing you want as a teammate, not [as] an opponent.”

By her third year at UBC, Berlitz was no longer adjusting. Anchoring both the offence and defence, last season her growth as a player culminated in her being at the centre of the Thunderbirds’ quest for a national championship, made even sweeter with the Final 8 being hosted at UBC. In front of a bustling home crowd at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Mona delivered an impressive 14 point, 10 rebound double-double in the ‘Birds first round win.

For a player who crossed an ocean to be here, it was a moment that validated everything — the commute to practices as a teenager, the decision to leave home, and the choice to take a different path than other elite German prospects.

With the UBC men's team going out in the first round, much of the attention was rightfully shifted to the women's side, something that does not occur nearly enough in the regular season.

“People came to support us during that whole tournament, which was really, really nice because in [the] regular season, a lot of the time, people [will maybe] come at halftime for us, and then watch the men's game,” said Berlitz. “It was nice that people came to see us, watch[ing] us play the full game and having a loud crowd.”

Off the back of their eventual fourth place finish at nationals, in the summer of 2025, the UBC women’s basketball team ventured across the Atlantic to visit Berlitz’s home town and play some preseason games against local club teams. The trip provided more than just early-season bonding and competition. For Berlitz and her team, the trip was meant to be a celebration.

“It was so special, to show the whole team where I'm from, my culture, my family [...] and where I first played basketball,” she said. “Because they didn’t know anything about the first 19 years of my life.”

The trip ended up being a turning point for Berlitz for all the wrong reasons. With her injury, Berlitz decided to remain in Germany for the first semester of the academic year.

Instead of being in War Memorial on opening night, Berlitz was rehabbing her injury and watching her teammates on video streams from a different time zone.

Now back in Vancouver, Berlitz has yet to make her return to the court. While initially overjoyed to return to her new, adopted city, she found it tough when she attended her first game.

“I knew it was going to be hard watching from the sidelines … [but] seeing people getting introduced in the starting lineup and not being part of it just hit me, which I didn’t expect.”

Still having not stepped on court this season, you can now spot Berlitz eagerly cheering her team on from the sidelines, and leaning into huddles. While she hasn’t been able to find playing time, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t made an impact.

“The more I see the games, the more I can appreciate and grow into my role of being on the bench and trying to bring positivity to the team and support from the sidelines.”

Bergman on the other hand, was not short on superlatives when describing Berlitz’s role as a leader this season.

“I just can't speak more highly of who she is as a person. She’s just so caring and confident and one of those players whose actions just speak louder than words,” she said.“[She] shows all the young girls coming in what it means to be part of a team. Leadership, of course, is scoring and doing all those things we need to win. But, it’s also like: what does someone do when people aren’t watching? I think Mona is a prime example of what it takes to be successful.”

Berlitz’s presence on the sideline has made a noticeable difference for this T-Birds team. Since returning in January, her team went undefeated throughout the rest of the regular season after dropping four games in her absence. While they recently endured a heartbreaker in the Canada West final, losing 63–57 after an impressive run through the playoffs — their season isn’t done yet. They’ll travel to nationals this weekend, aiming for their first national title since 2008. It’s clear that they have found their identity as a group with Berlitz back on the squad, regardless of her not being on court.

Berlitz is now four months post-op. War Memorial Gym has yet to see her suit up, and yet she remains present. From early morning practices to halftime pep talks, Berlitz is still one of the cornerstones of her team.

For someone who chose a different path than her peers — prioritizing growth as a person, not just a player — this season has served as another important period of growth and reflection. When Mona returns to action next year, it will serve as a reminder that the impact a player can have on a team is not measured just in the minutes they play, but also what they bring to their team when they cannot.