ZARAGOZA (Spain) - It's almost a decade since Dorka Juhasz first stepped out in EuroCup Women as an inspiring 16-year-old with big dreams and she now finds herself in an exclusive club of EuroLeague Women MVPs.
Handed the Most Valuable Player honor at the EuroLeague Women awards ceremony in Zaragoza, the Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring center has been reflecting on her journey.
From a young hopeful, to a newly crowned box-office name of European women's hoops.
"Looking back to when I was in Pecs, sometimes we forget. We get so caught up in the world of playing so many games and moving on to the next one. But when I take a break and look at my journey from Hungary to college, through injuries, it has been a long road," said Juhasz.
"Playing in EuroLeague Women was always one of my goals. When I was 16 and playing in EuroCup Women, that was what I wanted to accomplish. If I could ask my younger self back then what I wanted to achieve, being here would be one of my wildest dreams. "
She continued: "I’m proud of the journey and the growth, including the uncomfortable or unconventional decisions like leaving my country [for College]. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and I hope I keep growing in the years ahead.
"This year has been truly remarkable."
If I could ask my younger self back then what I wanted to achieve, being here would be one of my wildest dreams
The MVP accolade is a rich and deserved reward for her efforts. Not only for her productivity this season, but also making the most of a big opportunity that came along for her to be the centerpiece of Galatasaray's return to the elite competition.
"I am shocked and I am super grateful. It’s something you don't expect; you just come to play every single day. I was happy to just be in the conversation with two other amazing players," stated Juhasz.
"It shows a lot about our team. They put me in a position to step up as a leader. Since everyone was fairly new when this team was formed, there was space for me to take on that leadership role."
"I’m happy I could take that step, because they believed in me and put me in positions to be successful. This is th icing on the cake."
Part of that growth and success has also been founded on the willingness of the Hungarian to embrace the almost unique experience of being encapsulated inside the relentless pressure of playing for one of sport's great names.
"Living in the Istanbul bubble has been very intense, but fun," mused Juhasz.
"It’s always unexpected what can happen when you come from a small town. I went from Schio to the crazy fandom of Istanbul. There is so much support and so many passionate fans for the different teams across the city.
"The team, the staff, and the fans have made sure we feel accepted and welcome. It has exceeded all my expectations, and I really enjoy the Turkish culture as well."
Having been handed the ultimate individual accolade, Juhasz is now on the verge of lifting the ultimate EuroLeague Women prize - the title itself.
However, sweating on her fitness and availability after getting injured in Friday's Semi-Final success against Casademont Zaragoza, she might not get to play against bitter rivals Fenerbahce in what promises to be a blockbuster all-Turkish Final.
"It's been awesome - starting from the qualifiers and it has definitely been a long journey. We didn't necessarily expect it, we were just hoping to have a good season," she stressed.
"But as we started to play games, our confidence grew. I realized we had a really good team that we could build on this to go far.
"I'm very happy with how we've performed and that it has led us here. It’s been a fun, exciting journey so far, and I really hope we can finish strong." FIBA