Heidi McNeill, a 2005 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, recently signed a contract to play for Wels in the Austrian women’s professional basketball league.

McNeill left Friday for Europe and her new team’s training camp to prepare for their Oct. 3 season opener. The Austrian league regular season runs through March 31; the playoffs extend until May.

Hermina McNeill, Heidi’s mother, said, “This has been a childhood dream for Heidi.”

Among the perks McNeill will receive while competing in Austria are a furnished apartment, cell phone, internet service, four “warm” meals a week, a bus pass for all of Europe, and a free trip home for Christmas.

McNeill averaged over 20 points a game and was a four-year starter and All-Wesco player while playing for the Wildcats.

She then received a scholarship to play for the University of Washington where she earned four varsity letters. McNeill also excelled academically and was on the Dean’s List at the University of Washington.