Keisha Hampton chosen for World University Games, plays for gold with team USA

Students everywhere count down the days to summer as soon as the weather turns warm in the spring. Relaxation, friends, and family are all focal points for twenty-somethings in need of a break.

Keisha Hampton has had no such break.

After going through USA team trials in late May, Hampton was selected to participate on the 2011 USA Basketball Women's World University Games Team. In the last two weeks of August, Hampton and the 11 other selected participants will compete against stars from other countries who are enrolled in school and have eligibility remaining. This year the games will be taking place in Shenzhen, China.

"I'm just overwhelmed with joy because I was picked to play with this team," said Hampton through a USA team official while on tour in China.

Past participants on the USA team include Sylvia Fowles, Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson. Skylar Diggins, the rising Notre Dame star, is a current teammate of Hampton.

DePaul women's basketball coach Doug Bruno said that Hampton's selection to the USA team is impressive.

"These are the 12 best players in the country she is competing against and with everyday," Bruno said. "It is essentially an All-American team."

Last season for DePaul, Hampton was a unanimous 1st team All-Big East selection and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American as a junior.

Expectations entering the 2011-12 season are high for Hampton to lead the team to back-to-back tournament berths.

Bruno said, "I expect us to not miss a beat. [Hampton] is one of the best players in the country. [Taylor] Pikes, [Maureen] Mulchrane, and [Deanna] Ortiz are back and all helped us win big games last year."

Despite being a marquee women's basketball player, Hampton mentions no individual goals when talking about next season.

"My expectation is to make it back to the tournament and have another successful year and keep building the program," she said.

Until then, she will be enjoying the opportunity of a lifetime overseas.

Bruno said, "Traveling, learning, and living with other cultures is an education in itself. [Hampton] was in France last year with the DePaul team. These are educational experiences you can't get in the classroom."

Hampton is in Asia to play basketball, but many other aspects of her experience have been the highlight.

"The most exciting part of my travels is being here and listening to the different languages, meeting people from different countries, adjusting to different things, the food, and the places," Hampton said.

The USA team will be playing for gold on Aug. 21 at 8:30 a.m. CST. Through the first 3 games, Hampton averaged 6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game.

Basketball remains the constant for Hampton while in a foreign country with few familiarities.

"Everything is so different," she said. "But it's a good experience."