Sitting inside a second-floor Mountain View High School classroom two days before the start of winter break, Sveva Bernasconi’s wide smile represents so much when she speaks about her first four months living and attending school in the United States.
A bonus is playing basketball for the Thunder.
“It’s all going by so fast,” she said.
Bernasconi is from Cantu, Italy. Basketball has taken the 5-foot-11 senior all over the world, which now includes Vancouver as the Thunder’s leading scorer.
Back in July, she played on the Italian U17 women’s national team that qualified for the 2024 FIBA World Cup in Mexico.
Weeks later, she was on a plane to the United States to begin a year-long as an exchange student.
Donning a game-day Thunder basketball jacket, Bernasconi smiles while relishing every opportunity to not only expand her game in the United States, but also expand life experiences 5,500 miles from home.
“That’s always been one thing I had to do in my life,” Bernasconi said of being an exchange student. “It’s such an amazing experience; it changes you forever. It’s not only for school and a sports thing — it’s a life thing. It’s something you carry with you forever.”
Italian schools don’t have education-based sports. Growing up, Bernasconi dabbled in everything from basketball to swimming. Until two years ago, she did ski racing.
“I used to do five sports at a time,” she said.
Before her middle school years, Bernasconi played on basketball teams with boys. That challenging environment pushed Bernasconi to improve her skill set and to compete in high levels of basketball.
She debuted on the Italian U15 women’s national team in 2022, and in 2024, made the U17 team that faced New Zealand, Mali, Argentina, France, Finland and host Mexico at July’s World Cup.
In the team’s final game against Finland on July 21, Bernasconi had nine points on 4-of-4 shooting and two steals. The United States topped Canada for the World Cup.
In August, the 17-year-old arrived in Vancouver.
Bernasconi’s host family includes two teenage girls, and one attends Mountain View.
After arriving in August, Bernasconi dove right into the American high school experience. She tried out for volleyball, made the varsity team and contributed in big ways as an outside hitter.
She’s made an instant impact in basketball, too. Adapting to American high school basketball with friends and classmates as teammates has been a welcoming change.
“They’re perfect; I love my teammates,” Bernasconi said. “They make me feel comfortable playing. It’s like the joyfulness of playing and being happy while playing. They push me always and they’re always supporting me.”
First-year Thunder coach Chuck Knight raves Bernasconi’s motivation, drive, coachability and basketball IQ noting how she “really brings the whole package to the team.”
Her international experience also is highlighted in her versatility. Knight said Bernasconi easily can play positions 1 through 5 on both ends of the floor.
At a recent game against Skyview on Dec. 16, Bernasconi scored on consecutive Mountain View possessions: a corner 3-pointer with two defenders on her, and a strong finish off a low-post move with the defense collapsing. Later, she led the fast break off a steal.
“You can tell she’s had a lot of great coaching already,” Knight said. “It’s a tribute to her that she incorporates that coaching into her game. … The game of basketball, anywhere she plays, I think, I think she’s going to be very successful at it.”
Students in Italy attend high school for five years, so Bernasconi will return home for her final year of high school and graduate in 2026. But she hopes this isn’t her last year in the United States. She wants to attend college here and also play basketball.
Another step in a basketball-filled journey around the world.
“That’s the big dream,” she said.