RIGA (Latvia) - Born in the first few weeks of a brand new millennium, Latvian ace Aleksa Gulbe has certainly not wasted any time since her arrival on this planet of ours.

She has already lived and played in three different countries and on two different continents and is now hoping she can shake off an injury to rack up her second global appearance at a flagship FIBA tournament.

Having previously starred at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup, it's now the U19 version in Bangkok that she is eager to be a part of. But first, it's time well spent to get a sense of her journey from the Latvian capital to Indiana – via Italy.

JUST A LATVIAN KID ON AN ITALIAN ADVENTURE

"Yes, at that time I was just a Latvian kid," laughs Gulbe, as she looks back on the time when she moved away from her home country to start a new chapter abroad.

"More precisely, I was 15 years old when I moved to Italy to study and play basketball [at Reyer Venezia]. It all started after the U16 Women's European Championship in 2015, when we qualified for the U17 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2016 in Zaragoza.

"When I came back from the tournament, coaches from Italy started contacting me and offering me to play for the youth systems and also practice with professional players.

 
"I experienced a wide range of emotions from being super happy to also being a little bit scared about going away from home at the age of 15. But the decision was made and I took the chance and moved to Italy.

“I thought that it would be tough to move away by myself, but the qualities that my parents have raised me with and being around very friendly Italians, helped me a lot to get through the period of change.

"Being in Italy really was quite a journey, but I enjoyed it. It made me more independent, the experience gave me a new language and friends that I will never forget," enthused the forward.

DREAMS PAUSED - IMPACT OF JEKABSONE AND STEINBERGA

Gulbe has certainly put herself on the center of the radar with her performances in a Latvia vest. So much so, she was recently called up into the senior squad for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2019.

Playing at the event would have been something seriously special since Latvia are co-hosts, but Gulbe wasn't quite back to full health and that has meant having to miss out.

She said: "I agree that it is a little bit disappointing, because I was really looking forward to this opportunity, to practice and play with the best players from Latvia.

"But this is just a minor setback for a major come back, because I believe that everyone has their own path in life and at this moment, I just have to make the best out of it. Plus, I am still young, and can take this opportunity in future years.

"In my opinion, being a co-host of the tournament is an amazing chance to win some games in front of our fans, also introduce basketball lovers with this beautiful country. Our girls are very excited and are ready to step on the court after this period of preparation," continued Gulbe.

"Yes, it will be a little bit tougher without some team leaders, but there are plenty of good players on the team that have been developing their skill set to become better and are determined to win some games.

"And, as we all know, Latvians don't back down so easily."

Pushing the pause button on a dream debut means that Gulbe must wait a bit longer to shine on the senior stage as she tries to emulate her role models and maybe one day become a role model of her own.

"When I was a kid, I looked up to Anete Jekabsone-Zogota, because she was a lights-out shooter who also knew when to attack the rim and give a perfect pass with perfect timing," she revealed.

"But at this moment, I look up to Anete Steinberga, who is more of a power forward and I love the way she plays because of how aggressive and determined she is on the court."

LATVIA LOOKING FUTURE PROOF

Even if the FIBA Women's EuroBasket co-hosts are being decimated by absences for this edition, the overriding emotion should still be one of hope and positivity for Latvian fans. Hit the fast-forward button a few years and they look to be nicely future-proofed.

Gulbe is part of an eye-catching conveyor belt of a new generation of Latvian players, including those who are just ahead of her such as Kitija Laksa and Digna Strautmane, while other talents such as Laura Meldere and Elizabete Bulane are just behind her.

"I haven't thought about it before, but now I've been asked, I can tell you that the national team in the next five to ten years can look pretty interesting if everyone stays motivated and progressing," smiled Gulbe.

"Some of our elders like the Strautmane sisters, Kitija and many others are all great players, while there are also more and more young ones coming along. I know that there are some pretty good players in these younger groups, that have been gaining their experiences with TTT Riga.

"Head coach Martins Zibarts has been giving them some playing time, which is a good sign knowing that there are also professional players on the team.

"Sometimes we all text to see how other players are doing, how have the games been. I would call it more like mental support. Myself, Digna and also Luize (Septe) facetime each other from time to time, just to keep in touch and to see how homesick we all are!"

FROM ZARAGOZA TO BANGKOK

If she makes it to Bangkok, it will not be a first global outing  for Gulbe, since she participated with the U17 team back in 2016.

"Yes, Zaragoza took place three years ago, and it was such an amazing experience to play against girls from all around the world and see the level in which different countries are playing basketball compared to ours," she stated.

"I loved the city, it had a beautiful city center and also the tournament was organized very professionally. I think if one goes to a tournament with the national team, only good memories can be made, from all the practices in the period of preparation till being on the world's basketball stage.

"One of the funny memories from the tournament was our super long hallway. To get from our living part of the hotel to the reception part, where we ate every meal, we had to wake up earlier because it took us around seven minutes to get there. It was like a mini hike every time we needed to get to our rooms, bus or the dining hall.

Now Bangkok is on the agenda and punching a ticket to the event was largely due to Gulbe, who was on fire and made the All-Star Five at the FIBA U18 European Women's Championship 2018 in Udine. She's now counting down the days until the big-tip off in Thailand.

"First of all, I can't wait for the tournament to start, compete on the World's stage again and also see the city. Secondly, I love the draw. Canada, Thailand and Mozambique are good teams and so are we, so I think the games will be interesting to watch," she explained.

"We will be getting ready for each game, I believe that the coaching staff will do their best to prepare scouting reports for every game and tell us about our opponents. Of course, a very important thing is the chemistry between teammates because for a team to be successful they need have the feel for each other, which I believe we have," insisted Gulbe.

BASKETBALL WITHOUT BORDERS GLOBAL CAMP

Another key stopping point on her journey was getting the thrill of being selected to play at the renowned Basketball Without Borders Global Camp – a joint NBA and FIBA event which has left an indelible impression on Gulbe.

"BWB was such a great experience," she mused.

"We practiced at the New Orleans Pelicans training facility, we had meetings with WNBA and NBA players, we had General Managers that talked about their experience and their path of becoming successful.

"Organizers were always right by your side to make sure that everything was okay. During exercises, if one player made a mistake, coaches understood that this was the players pushing themselves out of the comfort zone. So, they always kept saying motivational stuff to make us work even harder, because making mistakes is how we learn.

"I really enjoyed those few days, because the energy in the gym was always positive - as well as all of the friendships I made. And of course, we went to the All- Star game, which was truly a dream come true."

FAN FEVER IN INDIANA – AND PANCAKES

Gulbe has found herself Stateside again of late – having been recruited by Indiana University. With her freshman season now in the books, she took time to life the lid on life with the Hoosiers.

She said: "It has been a huge experience - playing and studying there. Indiana is a great place to get your degree as well as improve your basketball skills. The campus is beautiful, it is a great school, especially for the business school, and it's just a great place to grow as a person.

"Not to even mention that it is such an honor to play for Teri Moren and all of the coaching staff, who have just truly amazing personalities.

"Also, playing in the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, since that is what Indiana is known for. I remember playing against Michigan State in front of 6,000 fans, which was an indescribable feeling. Towards the end of the game, the crowd became louder and louder, and it just hyped us up even more.

 
"There are some differences in the basketball style that is played in America, including the physicality level and intensity," added Gulbe.

"I think it is just a thing I have to get used to and my first year was my time to understand every part of the life of a student-athlete. That went from studying in the university, practicing, traveling, eating properly and also understanding what coaches and teammates expected from me.

"This next year is going to be different, because I will already know many aspects of a life in the States."

 
With the first 12 months now under her belt in Bloomington, perhaps the biggest challenge for Gulbe will actually be to suppress her intense passion for pancakes.

"Now talking about pancakes - yes, I love them," smiled Gulbe.

"It is hard to say no and as athletes we have to watch our body to look and feel athletic, so it is a hard situation for me to choose something healthier," she confessed.

Although you get the sense that swapping this treat will be a challenge conquered by someone who has impressed us so much with her unquenchable basketball appetite and bite on the court.

FIBA