Johannah Leedham is ready to graduate into a top WNBA star, with the help of her sister.
Leedham, 22, from Ellesmere Port, is in the final month of a four-year course in sports and recreation management at Franklin Pierce University in the United States.
And the 5ft 10in guard has a huge reputation in America after an outstanding spell with her college side.
This season she inspired the Ravens to the NCAA Division II title with an average of 26.9 points per game, plus 4.2 steals per outing.
And Leedham has now been selected by the Connecticut Sun as the 27th overall pick in the third round of the 2010 WNBA Draft.
Leedham will turn professional as soon as she graduates in a few weeks before heading to play in Europe until the 2011 WNBA season starts next April.
But despite her upbringing in the US sporting system, she owes the most to her 23-yearold sister Jennifer.
Leedham explained: "My family is not that big but I have two sisters who both play basketball.
"My older sister came to the same college as me.
"She graduated last year and they offered her a job as a basketball coach here.
"So she is my coach this year and we played together for three years here.
"We went from being teammates to her being my coach but she is a really good coach.
"Hopefully she will get the head-coach job one day.
"Everyone is always amazed how much we don't argue as she is not a lot older than me."
Leedham misses her family but her move to America as a teenager has enabled her basketball to blossom after being a promising netballer in the UK.
Dad Kim was in the 1,000-strong home crowd to witness Leedham receive a presentation at her final game for Franklin Pierce University.
And the ace is still buzzing after a superb personal season as their side only lost twice all season, including a 79-64 reverse to Fort Lewis in the last four of the nationals.
Leedham added: "When we won the East final to go through to the elite eight we won in overtime - everyone was jumping around and just crying.
"We we r e actually down by two and I had free throws.
"I made them both to tie us and we ended up winning in overtime.
"We somehow pulled it out."
Leedham's talents also saw her named British Basketball's 2009 Player of the Year after her displays at the World University Games when Great Britain came sixth.
And she is the only WNBA player in the latest Great Britain squad selected by coach Tom Maher for this summer's qualifiers for the Eurobasket Championship in Poland in 2011.
The squad will play a series of friendlies before six qualifiers in August at home and away against Slovakia, Germany and Ukraine.
And it promises to be a crucial yardstick for the Great Britain women's side as they prepare for the Olympics in London.
Leedham said: "It is all about preparing for 2012.
"I think that is what everybody wants to aim for, to say they have competed in the Olympics - we all want that so badly."
By 2012 Leedham could be a fully-fledged WNBA ace - and that is what Great Britain will certainly need if they are to do well on home soil.