BRNO (Czechia) - The red-hot favorite to land TISSOT MVP honors in Brno, Ivanna Wilson Manyacka has her sights set far higher than collecting her second FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup winners' medal.
Having already stood on top of the podium at the 2024 edition in Mexico, she could be about to join a select club of USA ballers who have completed a golden double in the same FIBA youth competition.
Right from the first jump-ball, Wilson Manyacka has delivered. Not only in terms of her production, but also her leadership in what has been a trickier than expected campaign for the defending champions.
Making the USA team when I was just 14 years-old was a big surprise to me.... my ambition is to be the greatest player in the world.
Her sky-high level of talent is complemented by an uber-focus on the task in hand - one that is likely to fuel an extension of the USA's incredible legacy.
"On the court I am a very serious person and I don't laugh or smile," she revealed.
"I hate losing and I love to win. I am a hard worker and dedicated. I want to achieve a lot of things. I feel like I am also a great teammate because I lead by example."
"I do whatever it takes to win. I am completely different on the court - we are not friends. I can act like I don't know you. I am a whole different person."
Not only an U17 champion already, she also has a FIBA U16 Women's AmeriCup title and MVP accolade on her resume. Success and opportunity have arrived in the hands of Wilson Manyacka at an early age.
Nobody in my family played basketball but I looked up to Kyrie Irving and Candace Parker
It's something that she has embraced, having taken the initiative to invest herself in the sport - rather than following in anyone's footsteps.
She revealed: "I feel like when I was growing up I was trying new things but I really wasn't putting in the effort. It was just something that my parents wanted me to do."
"But when I decided that I had handpicked this [basketball] for myself, I was like okay, I am going to focus and work hard to achieve things in the sport. "Nobody in my family played basketball but I looked up to Kyrie Irving and Candace Parker."
She continued: "Making the USA team when I was just 14 years-old was a big surprise to me - I would never had thought that.
"That's when I knew I had the potential to be great. My ambition is to be the greatest player in the world."
Whether Wilson Manyacka will realize this ultimate dream one day remains to be seen, but the way she is progressing, you would be foolish to rule it out.
The immediate priority is to inspire USA to another FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup title when they appear in their seventh Final in eight editions of the famous competition.
FIBA