HRADEC KRALOVE (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017) – One of the form players in Europe last season, Courtney Vandersloot has given a major thumbs-up for her first experiences with Hungary at FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017.

After losing their opener against Spain, Vandersloot played a typically classy and understated role as Hungary dealt a knockout blow to Czech Republic as they picked up a 74-70 success in a great game and atmosphere in Hradec Kralove.

"This tournament is awesome and it's been some of the best basketball I have ever played in," beamed the playmaker afterwards.

"It was especially enjoyable because of the atmosphere, which was also helped by the support of the Hungary fans who came along.

"I feel lucky to be able to be a part of it, even if it has been an absolute whirlwind for me, bouncing around from one team to the next with Yakin Dogu Universitesi, to the WNBA and now here.

"It really is such good fun as having played a long time in Europe in club basketball, I have never played in an international competition like EuroBasket Women before."

Vandersloot showed her quality with a brilliant cameo of 10 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds during the win against the host nation. The guard's willingness to have a major influence and yet not try to dominate or take control of her new side has been to her maximum credit.

It has underlined her uber-smart IQ on the court and it was no coincidence that prior to her first win in a Hungarian vest, her backcourt teammate Zsofia Fegyverneky had already heralded her as incredibly unselfish.

"I wanted to come in and do whatever they needed me to do - not what I wanted to do, and that could be a different role each time I play," confirmed Vandersloot.

"I already love this team because they don't get fixated on trying to get the ball to one or two players, they really share things around and look for the opportunities wherever they come.

"Hungary already had a really good core and maybe some people might even say they didn't need me, so I came in with the mentality of showing I can help in different ways - including defensively."

Despite the typically understated words of Vandersloot, there surely can't have been anyone out there who thought she wasn't needed.

After all, she was a driving force in Yakin Dogu Universitesi and their landmark season which harvested first-ever EuroCup Women, Turkish Cup and Turkish Championship titles.

The EuroCup Women was a roller-coaster for both Yakin Dogu and Vandersloot in particular, as they eventually pipped Bellona Agu for the coveted silverware.

"It was a crazy night when we played that second-leg game and we showed how good of a team we were," recalled the 28-year-old.

"I was on the bench for a lot of the game after getting into foul trouble early and then I came back into things at the end.

"It was an incredible team win as so many people made big plays and for me, that is how you should win trophies - as a team."

If that was exhilarating, it was eclipsed by a remarkable Finals series in the TKBL which literally went down the very last second in Game Five against Fenerbahce as Yakin Dogu won another nail-biter in the most dramatic of circumstances.

"It was the perfect way to end the season," she enthused.

"We stuck together and really made big plays down the stretch. I think we were down by six points with a minute left in that decisive Game Five and it was an awesome game to play in.

"It is also nice that after is a bit of a reunion here at EuroBasket Women, because I keep running into team-mates from Yakin Dogu and that is nice.

"It would be even better if I got to go up against more of them later in the competition," she added.

Hungary will wrap up their Group A campaign with an important match-up against Ukraine on Monday and are gunning for a second-place finish.

FIBA