Junior Maria Kostourkova, a veteran of the European Championships, had a chance to catch-up with sophomore Johanna Muzet at the 2017 FIBA U20 European Championships on the eve of her quarterfinal appearance to talk a little about her experience. Muzet, playing for her home country of France, has helped her team advance on in the tournament to face off against Italy on Thursday. France finished tied for first in its group before advancing on to the knockout stages of the international event.

What does your recent victory over the Netherlands mean for you and your team?
It means a lot for the team. It's an important victory that we have to keep in our minds. We had a bad start in the championship, but now we are playing more as a team and we are finding the solutions. This victory has brought us closer and it gave us confidence for the next games. I'm glad we won the game and I feel very confident. My teammates trust me when I'm on the court.
 
You are in the quarterfinals, how much further does your team goals go?
We look at each game one by one. We focus on beating the next team and do not think about any other games or the final. We have only four days left so we need to stay focused. Tomorrow is another opportunity to give us access to the final, and another opportunity to give our best.
 
How has your experience been in the European Championship?
It's a new experience, the first time I'm playing for my national team during a European Championship. It means a lot to me. I worked hard everyday to make it to the team and it's an incredible feeling to play in my national team colors.
 
How is this tournament helping you to improve as a player?
I get a lot more playing time and I fell very comfortable on the court to play against the most talented players from countries around Europe. This tournament challenges me because I have to give my best every day and every game.
 
How do you think this experience is going to influence your game when you come back to WSU?
My role here is different than what I am asked to do at WSU so I am growing as a player by utilizing different tools from my game. Thanks to this experience I will be more comfortable at executing different roles at a high level. I will also be more confident. If I'm doing something very good here I know I can do it at WSU too.