The trans-Atlantic conversation was a bit one-sided since she couldn’t hear me all the time, although I could hear her.

Several questions went unanswered and she had to guess at what questions would be asked. But she’s an old pro at handling that sort of thing now so, all in all, it went well.

Besides, it was a lot of fun, sitting here in the NEWS office, and picturing professional basketball player and former University of Maine captain Liz Coffin shouting at me from a telephone booth somewhere on Santa Cruz in the Spanish province of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

That’s where Coffin is working these days after having been recruited to play for Cepsa. Her former coach from Madrid made the initial call in August to see if Coffin was interested.

She basically had two weeks, back in August, to make up her mind.

“My old coach called and wanted to know if I was playing. He said this team was looking for a player who could get along with the team well and had a good attitude, and would I go over there a month and give it a try?” she said through sporadic interruptions.

Coffin was working at a local hotel and not in playing shape. She said she would need a month to get back in shape and she would give it a try, especially to see how her feet felt.

“Basically I’d just been riding a bike and playing some pickup ball, but nothing seriously,” she said.

Additionally, certain financial considerations had to be met this time. She decided to go once the salary and fringe benefits were to her liking.

“I did get the financial package I wanted,” she said.

The package includes a monthly salary of $2,500, an apartment, bus pass, $60 for each away game won, $30 for each home win, a $500 bonus after the first round of the schedule, and a paid plane ticket home for Christmas.

“It’s not as much as some others make, but I am able to send money home to put in savings this time,” Coffin said.

Coffin knew that she would not return to Europe “and play for pennies” like she did in Madrid. “You’re out of your element in a different culture,” she said of her first expereince. “You take a certain amount of harassment from the press and the coach, for example. They really get on the Americans and foreigners. Just for the overall stress of the job, it had to be worth my while to return.”

Coffin said, however, compared to others, she’s still on the lower end of the pay scale because she lacks an international reputation.

But this time around, Coffin gets to play a power forward since Cepsa has 6-foot-3, 30-year-old Anita Belanger of Holland as its center. A four-year member of the Dutch national team, Belanger played professionally in Germany and Italy, which is considered the world’s best league. The two had met in competition before, so Belanger’s presence, coupled with that of another player Coffin knew, has made this adjustment much easier.

Just four of the 14 players, including Belanger and Coffin, are experienced. “The rest of the team is comparable to women fresh out of high school, so there’s a lot of pressure on us to produce,” Coffin said. “They expect the foreign players to provide the scoring punch.”

Despite the poor connection, it was obvious from the tone of her voice and the tenor of the conversation that Liz Coffin is a much-matured, more self-assured young woman than 18 months ago when she first went abroad.

“I’m doing much better with my Spanish,” she said. “I’m more open-minded and not as scared. I’m not feeling out of my element. I’m older and more acceptable to other ways. I’m able to learn faster, and I’m not as shy about practicing my Spanish.”

Coffin’s team is 2-3 and in the middle of its division. Her feet, which caused her much pain during her college years, now “feel fine.”

The 16-team league has two divisions with eight teams playing each other for four months. After Christmas, the top four from both divisions compete in quest of the league championship. “Obviously, the goal is to be in the top four for the second half of the season,” Coffin said.

Currently enjoying the subtropical weather in one of the regions top tourist spots, Coffin admitted she’s looking forward to December.

“We play our last game Dec. 22, and Dec. 23, I should be on the plane coming home,” she said.

Will she continue to pursue a professional basketball career once this season ends? Coffin heard that question.

“I’ve got a lot to think about and work on in the next eight months,” she said. “But what I plan to do is make the best of the time I have here right now. In April, I may check out my options again.”