Take for instance the 2007 FIBA World League Tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, where the Detroit Shock’s Katie Feenstra and Katie Smith are both representing USA Basketball. There is a 10-hour time difference between Detroit and Ekaterinburg.

“It took me a couple of days to adjust to the time and stuff,” said Feenstra, making her first appearance with the U.S. national team. “I wasn’t sleeping the best.”

Smith, who has won 12 medals in international play the past 12 years, had less of an issue with it. “I didn’t have that much of a problem sleeping at night,” she said. “I woke up a little early, but honestly, I’m not one … the time difference isn’t necessarily a huge thing (for me).”

It would be easy (not to mention unfair) to contrast Feenstra, 24, and Smith, 33, the U.S. women’s all-time leading scorer. Beyond their first name and WNBA affiliation, they have little in common. But it’s those differences that have enriched this overseas experience for both of them.

“It’s fun to have her here, it’s fun to see her in this setting,” Smith said of Feenstra, who was added to the U.S. roster just two weeks ago. “She just kind of comes and says, ‘Hey, what can I do?’ and ‘I’ll go out here and play hard and give you whatever minutes I can.’”

That approach, Smith said, has made Feenstra an easy addition to a USA Basketball squad replete with former Olympic gold medalists and other international stars. It was not unlike how she ingratiated herself to new Shock teammates before the 2007 season, right after they had won the ’06 WNBA title.

“She’s an easy fit in terms in the sense that personality-wise, she’s coming to do her job and contribute in whatever way they can,” Smith said. “She’s easygoing on and off the court. She’s someone who skill-wise, she goes in there and her presence is felt. We rely a lot on her.”

Feenstra had her best game of the tournament Wednesday, missing a double-double by one rebound. She scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting (after shooting a combined 3-for-9 in the first two contests). Her cumulative statistics entering the FIBA tournament semifinals resemble her WNBA production - 15.0 minutes, 6.7 points and 7.3 rebounds - although she says the style of game is different. Compared to the WNBA, Feenstra says international competition “[m]ay be not as physical but it’s a good pace and there’s a lot of post players that can shoot outside and also drive. They’re not just limited to the paint or block.”

The nuances of international play are among the little things Feenstra has tried to soak up like a sponge since arriving at the USA Basketball minicamp. “I came here just wanting to play and get a feel for everything and play at this level with all the other players,” she said. “Overall, I’ve had fun. It’s been a great opportunity, a great experience for me.”

Smith said the true benefits of it all will be realized when the 6-foot-8 Feenstra, who split time as a reserve and starter for Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer in 2007, returns to her professional teams overseas and in Detroit with a better understanding of what it takes to be an elite ballplayer.

“I think it just gives you the confidence and then also the familiarity with playing against those types of players like in practice,” she said. “The experience of playing with them helps you understand the talent level and the skill level of either where you need to be or things you need to work on.”

For Feenstra, who at times did not show as much assertiveness as the Shock coaching staff would have liked, has already found a role model on the U.S. team with the kind of drive she’s looking for. It happened at the first session of minicamp. She looked for the most familiar face in the gym.

“We all had a really hard time having practice when we were so jetlagged,” Feenstra said. “But seeing (Smith) really helped me figure out, ‘This is the kind of player I want to be,’ and I looked to her for that, her intensity level.”

“Obviously she’s a veteran and she’s been here a lot,” Feenstra said of Smith, who is averaging 12.7 points per game in Russia, second highest on the team. “She’s got a couple gold medals under her belt so I look at her as how you get through different situations.”

Who knows, maybe after Russia they won’t be so different after all.