ROME (Italy) - Having always dreamed of stepping out at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket, Francesca Pan is finally ready to wear her beloved Italian jersey at the flagship event.

It's an alluring prospect not only for the player herself, but also for Italian supporters and neutral fans, who all acknowledge that the guard is capable of making a serious splash. Pan has grown up in recent years watching past editions and is most excited to be able to share a platform with some of her favorite ballers.

"PLAYING IN THE WOMEN'S EUROBASKET HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING I HAD DREAMED ABOUT."

"There are so many different players to choose from, but I think I must select Alba Torrens of Spain, Marine Johannes of France and of course, my own teammate Cecilia Zandalasini as my favorites because they are all just such fun to watch," she smiled.

"They're all just super talented players who always seem to be able to put on a show."

We will soon find out if Pan is able to post a breakout tournament and write some headlines in the same way as those players she admires. For now though, she's squarely focused on keeping things simple - even if her role will be a leading one for her team after a strong showing in the Qualifiers.

She said: "Playing in this competition has always been something that I had dreamed about and having an impact on the court is my goal. 

"I will be working as hard as possible and my main aim is to help my team in any way possible and to always have positive energy to help us to go as far as possible. I will give everything I have to help my teammates whenever I step onto the court."

Like many teams heading to the event, Italy are targeting a top six finish - something that would leave open the possibility of a trip to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022. They have not featured at any event outside of Europe since way back at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Meanwhile even if it doesn't materialize this time, there is confidence that with a glut of talent in the youth ranks, Italy have solid reasons for optimism over the longer term.

"That is our goal and what we are working for - I really hope that one day we can be there with the best teams in the World.

"It's true that we have won a lot in these last years with the youth national teams. It has been great to watch and it gives us such hope for the future of the senior team.

"The Federation has been doing a great job in getting these young and talented players through. Hopefully we will see some really good results because of that in the near future."

It doesn't seem long ago that Pan herself was shining at youth events and arguably one of the reasons she's had to wait to play at the Women's EuroBasket is because she made the decision to go to the States to play at Georgia Tech. It was a big commitment, but one that she feels she has really benefitted from.

"Going to America wasn't an easy decision and I didn't even know if I wanted to go to the NCAA or play pro," mused Pan, who has just celebrated her 24th birthday.

"I talked about it with my family and they explained how it could be a unique opportunity and how I could go there and learn English, get my degree and experience basketball in the States. So, I decided that I would go and give it a try, and that is exactly what I did.

"I stayed for the whole time and never came back until I had finished my degree. It was an experience I would always do again. It was not easy and there were many challenges, like not having good English and leaving my family and friends. You also have to put a lot of effort into it - both on the court and also off it.

"It paid off for me,  since good things happened and I had accomplishments both in school and on the basketball court. The experience made me grow up as a person and as a player, so I am happy that I had the chance to do it."

Learning and soaking up experiences whether good, bad or indifferent is maybe an essential quality for any serious athlete who wants to mature and evolve. Although Pan has barely had time to catch her breath after a truly remarkable roller-coaster first pro-season with Reyer Venezia.

"EUROCUP WOMEN WAS ALSO A GREAT EXPERIENCE... PLAYING AGAINST DEWANNA BONNER, BEC ALLEN AND QUERALT CASAS [IN THE FINAL FOUR] WAS GOOD FOR ME."

First they suffered a gut-wrenching last-second defeat in the title game at the EuroCup Women Final Four. Then, they showed incredible mental resilience to see off derby rivals and EuroLeague Women side Famila Schio in a truly epic five-game Italian Championship series.

"The series against Schio was just amazing," said Pan with a smile.

"Schio are one of the best clubs in Europe and had appeared in 11 straight Italian Finals, also winning everything there is to win in Italy during this last decade. They had a great team and had a great season.

"Playing against them is always fun, but this last series was especially good to play in and also to watch. It was a long season that started last August and was ending in May. You could see that by the end of game five, both teams were exhausted and had left everything on the court.

"In that special moment, winning felt amazing, but even more so because we did it at home. We just had a great year and after all the work we put in, we deserved it. I am happy for my teammates, my family who always support me and actually also for the club, because they are always investing so much in the women's side. Bringing home a Championship trophy for them after 75 years was amazing.

"Meanwhile EuroCup Women was also a great experience," she continued.

"We played against some of the best teams and players in Europe. When you play in European club competitions, the standard is always so high and it helps you to improve as a player. Also playing against DeWanna Bonner in the Semi-Final and then Bec Allen and Queralt Casas in the Final was good for me. I just have to learn from them.

"We definitely had a tough loss and we probably still haven't truly gotten over it yet. It was a huge lesson for us, but we used that experience to help us win the Italian Championship," concluded Pan.

FIBA