If you’ve ever experienced that bliss of being on an absolute roll, when almost nothing can go wrong, then you’ll know how overjoyed Megan Gustafson must be feeling at the moment.
Over the last few weeks, the Spanish international has won the British Basketball League Trophy (including MVP honours), signed for the defending WNBA Champions the Las Vegas Aces, and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games with her national team after making her debut two weeks ago.
We caught up with the 27-year-old to reflect on her epic start to 2024:
“It’s been quite the whirlwind the past couple of weeks,” the London Lions centre said.
“Coming from the Trophy Final then going to Spain for a few days, before heading to Hungary for the Olympic Qualifiers and not really knowing our fate until the last day… it has been non-stop and pretty crazy.
“I’m proud that we were able to keep believing in each other. Everyone on the team was super welcoming to me. I can speak a little bit of Spanish, but it’s not my first language, so it was a challenge to step into that setup and let my game speak for me.
“I had a great welcome though and everyone was very accommodating with the language, whether it was translating or quickly pulling me aside to help me out if I had questions, and that helped me bond with the team quicker in a way, I think.
“It still hasn’t hit me, to be honest, that I’m going to the Olympics because now I’m back in London and we’re going full force into EuroCup playoffs; I’m just thankful and extremely grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given.”
La familia España
As international debuts go, there are few grander stages than the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but that was the reality for Gustafson as she was thrust into the Spanish roster for action in Sopron, Hungary, with the team looking to qualify for their fifth Olympic Games out of the last six.
The Wisconsin native ranked third amongst all players in Sopron in terms of scoring, pouring in over 14 points per contest, and took to her new team with remarkable ease after declaring for Spain as a naturalised player last Autumn.
“It’s something that I’ve thought about for the past couple of years [becoming a naturalised player] and there is definitely a lot to consider, but it does have its advantages for me and any clubs I play for.
“When I got the opportunity and Spain were interested, I was really excited because not only is getting a passport great for my own career, but being able to be a part of a team that’s so successful and regular competitors in the Olympics was an incredibly exciting prospect for me.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Spain and what their vision was for me. They know I’m a scorer and that’s what I bring to a team, so they put me in positions where I can help them out, whether it’s inside or from the perimeter. I’ve had enough experience by now of how to fit into new teams in different countries very quickly, so thankfully I was able to do that in this case for Spain as well and contribute to a successful tournament for us.”
History made, but more to come?
Off to join the defending WNBA Champions in Las Vegas in the summer, before embarking on an Olympic campaign in Lille and Paris with Spain, there could be more history to be made by Gustafson and her London Lions teammates before the 2023/24 Women’s British Basketball League season concludes.
With Head Coach Stella Kaltsidou’s Lions competing in the quarter-finals of EuroCup Women over the next two weeks, London have already made plenty of history on their way to this stage of the competition.
Now the highest remaining seed in the competition, Gustafson and co. do battle against Melikgazi Kayseri in a two-legged tie for a place in the semi-finals. The first leg takes place at 3:30pm GMT on the road in Turkey this Thursday (Feb 22) before the return game at London’s Copper Box next Wednesday (Feb 28) at 7:00pm, with tickets available now via the Lions.
A former leading scorer of the EuroLeague Women, Gustafson knows all about success at the elite European level, and she discussed how highly she regards the calibre of this Lions roster and the potential they have for success on the continent over the coming months.
“This London group is the best overseas roster I’ve been a part of. We have a roster full of great people and talented players who enjoy being around each other and have fun pushing each other to be better. We’ve been challenged this year, but there are bigger challenges to come and I’m excited to see what we’re made of.
“Being in London has been great. I love the city itself and have always dreamt of visiting here with my dog Pancake, who is a Corgi, so she’s living her best life as well and I love that for her. It’s definitely a fun life here with the Lions and we want to finish the season positively.
“We’ve got a big challenge this next two weeks against Kayseri, who are a very experienced team with a lot of size and versatility, so we’re going to have to be at our best throughout the roster and hopefully make some more history for the team.
“Having the second leg at home is huge for us, but we’ve had a great record on the road and I feel like we’ve played better in these European road games than we have at home, where we’ve definitely fed off having a fighter’s mentality in those situations. We’re so together as a group as well and feed off each other’s energy, so hopefully that can continue to be a positive for us as we have a big challenge ahead of us.”