VILLENEUVE (France) - One of the most exciting young talents in Europe, 20-year-old Carla Leite is already used to having the spotlight thrust upon her and having to live up to the hype.
Tipped to rise all the way to the top, the free-scoring guard is delivering in a big way as she looks to take Villeneuve d'Ascq LM to the EuroCup Women title.
They take a three-point advantage into the second leg of the Finals on Wednesday night after Leite lit it up in the first meeting with BAXI Ferrol by dropping a 25-piece in a thrilling 78-75 success.
After plenty of other majestic displays in the competition, as well as some eye-catching first footsteps in EuroLeague Women earlier in the campaign, the buzz around the guard is growing ever louder.
But rather than feeling the weight of expectation, Leite is just soaking it all up right now.
"I love basketball, I live for it" she declared.
"I just want to become the best player I can be, by working as hard as possible! I don't necessarily put pressure on myself, I really enjoy playing."
It helps having a veteran baller alongside her in the backcourt like Shavonte Zellous. The Croatian national team standout won EuroLeague Women more than a decade ago and at 38-years-old, has been passing on her wealth of know-how to her younger teammate.
"Z is like my big sister," smiled Leite.
"She's had an incredible career, I respect her and I draw a lot of inspiration from her. She has a lot of experience and brings us her leadership.
"I am very happy to have her on my team!"
No doubt happy because it's been such a roller-coaster ride.
Dumped out of EuroLeague Women after a 1-5 First Round record, also having to deal with revered head coach Rachid Meziane departing mid-season and an underwhelming domestic effort in the French league. It has been challenging.
Yet here they are, having shown remarkable resilience - just one step away from adding to the EuroCup Women title the club previously won exactly a decade ago.
"We are not having an easy season," agreed Leite.
"We were directly eliminated from EuroLeague Women. In the French league, we are going to the Playdown, so obviously there have been a lot of disappointments.
"We have had a lot of injuries during the season and we have changed coaches too, so it's not easy to manage that. But today, that's also our strength as we fight to win EuroCup Women."
Standing in their way are Spanish newcomers Ferrol who are no pushovers and have shown their capacity to surprise right across their gruelling season, which started off in the Qualifiers.
Leite has huge respect for her opponents and is expecting a battle - even if Villeneuve will benefit from home advantage.
She said: "The atmosphere in Ferrol last week was incredible. I have rarely seen anything like it. They had a great crowd behind them and I really enjoyed playing there.
"They are a very good team. We are only three points ahead and it promises to be an intense match, with two teams that will fight until the end. "It's my first Final as a professional and I'm grateful. Now I can't wait to play and win this return match, she concluded.
The second leg of the Finals takes place in Villeneueve d'Ascq, France at 20:30 CET.
FIBA