International basketball now on Larson’s resume

Summers have been packed with basketball for Kelsey Larson. She’s played the Lady Nets, an 18-and-under traveling basketball team, over the summers.
Larson, a senior at Iola High School, was afforded an opportunity she couldn’t pass up this past summer. Larson was selected to play on an 18-and-under USA Basketball team which competed at the 2011 United World Games in Austria in June.
“We practiced a week in Hartford before we left for the tournament,” Larson said. “Most of the girls on the team were from Kansas but we had two from Arkansas and one from Texas.”
It was a trip of firsts for Larson. She had never flown on an airplane and had never traveled out of the United States. She had to get a passport.
And she played basketball under international rules.
“Hey, I’ll never complain about a high school official again,” Larson laughed. “The international game has a lot more contact allowed and they play rough.”
The USA team came away with silver medals. It beat Bosnia 54-30 followed by a 68-56 win over Italy. The USA got past The Czech Republic 67-61.
They had to play The Czech Republic in the championship game. The USA team lost in the title contest.
“The Bosnia game was the roughest game ever. They had some big girls on that team,” Larson said.
Larson said she played both the No. 1 and No. 2 guard positions for the team. The three-point line is back farther than in high school play here, she noted.
“Plus it was tough playing in the lane because the international free-throw lane is a trapezoid. It was hard to box out.”
It wasn’t all about basketball.
Larson and her teammates were able to take in the sights of Munich, Germany, Salzburg, Austria, Venice, Italy along with traveling in the Alps. The tournament was held in Klagenfurt, Austria.
“It really opened your eyes to parts of the world and other cultures. Venice was cool — traveling by water,” Larson said.
“I really loved my teammates. We’ll be friends for a long time.
“The airplane trips were  all right. That’s a long flight from Atlanta.”
Basketball is her choice sport, Larson said. She said her skills improved “by just playing with other people and against the other countries.”