While she may have played her last professional basketball game overseas, Austin grad Lisa Bue can always say she helped bring home a championship.

Bue capped two years of playing overseas this past winter when she led Finland’s Lappeenranta Catz to a Division 1 championship.

Bue was chosen MVP in that tournament.

“It was probably one of the most amazing experiences in my basketball career,” said Bue, who played in the state basketball tournament for Austin High and went on to play college ball at North Dakota State. “You can’t really compare it to something in the states, because everything’s so different. To be a part of something that was such a big deal to this team is truly something I’ll never forget.”

The season was a bit slow in Finland for Bue’s taste as her squad played just 30 games in the first five months. But the pace picked up in the playoffs as the Catz played 10 games in 21 days.

“It was so busy and so crazy,” Bue said. “I take pride in my endurance as a player, where I can play forty minutes a game and play day after day. It worked out well for the type of player I am.”

Bue, a 5-10 guard who played in Bosnia and Romania for four months each before playing in Finland last season, would play overseas again if a good contract and good location presents itself.

But right now the economy is struggling in Europe and women’s basketball has been hit real hard. Bue has considered substitute teaching or getting a job, but she still hasn’t ruled out basketball.

“I haven’t decided if I’m going to play next year,” she said. “It’s a career and I’ll do what’s best for me personally. If a good situation comes along, I’ll go for it.”

The Finland town that Bue played in was a community about 70,000 and she said people always recognized her as a player in the streets and wished her good luck.

Game nights got bigger as the playoffs rolled around for Bue, as all the other teams in town were knocked off and the Catz were the last ones playing.

“It’s not like an NCAA tournament game, but the gym was packed and the atmosphere was great,” said Bue, who was the only American on her squad.

Personally, Bue has grown a lot in her two years overseas. She left as a 22-year old who was a little sheltered and she returned finding herself very independent.

“I’m the youngest child and people have always watched out for me and taken care of me. You get over there and you’re on your own and you grow up pretty fast,” Bue said. “I wouldn’t change it for anything. Not only for the basketball experience, which has been so much fun and it really is a universal game, but for my personal growth as well.”

Bue also learned one important lesson about the difference from living in America and overseas — while the U.S. may be in a recession, things aren’t that bad.

“Don’t take your life over here for granted, we have it pretty good here,” she said. “To be able to go and see some of the things I’ve done have been life changing and unforgettable.”

Bue played four years at NDSU, where she finished her college career as the school’s with 1,245 points and she was the 2008 Summit League Player of the Year.

Bue is Austin High School’s all-time leading scorer with 1,592 points.