Megan Walker was rattled by the honking horns and the excited shouts, even in a language she didn't understand.
Her first instinct was that she and her teammates were blocking traffic during their seven-minute walk from a restaurant in Astana, Kazakhstan, to the nearby basketball venue, where they would soon be competing.
But Walker and her teammates -- decked out in their USA gear -- weren't jamming anyone up.
The people of Kazakhstan just wanted to say hello.
"We were like celebrities over there," said Walker, an undeclared 6-foot-1 wing at Monacan (Richmond, Virginia) and the No. 1 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2017 class. "People stopped us at the mall -- everywhere. We took thousands of photos."
Walker said the overseas greeting felt surreal. But then again, Walker, who has narrowed her possible college destinations to Connecticut, Notre Dame, Texas and Virginia, has experienced a lot of memorable moments this spring and summer.
Wonder how the prospect who has coaches clamoring and fans praying has spent the past few months? Here's a look at her global highlights, as well as a nod to the decision about her future home that she'll make in the coming weeks.
Feb. 5: North Chesterfield, Virginia
In a half-court ceremony before a game against reigning state champion Cosby (Midlothian, Virginia), Walker was given a basketball as a memento for scoring 1,000 career points.
She then seemingly tried to get her next thousand all in one night, settling for a school-record 50 points. Monacan won that game 87-73 as Walker made 18 of 27 shots, including going 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. She converted 11 of 15 foul shots and added seven rebounds and five steals.
"I just had a feeling early on that this was going to be a good game," Walker said after breaking former Virginia Cavalier Tiffany Bower's mark of 46 points. "I scored right off the opening tip."
And then some.
March 8: North Chesterfield, Virginia
Walker, who averaged 21.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.9 assists as a junior, was named Virginia's Gatorade Player of the Year.
She also was named a second-team All-American by MaxPreps, the only non-senior on the first or second teams.
In addition, she repeated as Virginia's Class 4A Player of the Year.
March 9: Richmond, Virginia
Walker, in her third season at Monacan, led her school to its second straight state title. Monacan had never won a championship before Walker arrived on campus.
In the 2016 final at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Walker had 17 points and 14 rebounds in a 93-56 win over William Fleming. Her team set the state record for most points in a final, beating the previous mark by seven points.
Monacan coach Larry Starr, whose team finished 29-1, said Walker was just as impressive mentally as she was physically during her junior year.
"She came back with a new level of maturity," Starr said. "We made her captain, and the team followed her like the pied piper."
May 1: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Along with teammates Jaelyn Brown (Cal), Sidney Cooks (undeclared) and Amber Ramirez (TCU), Walker won the USA Basketball 3x3 U18 national tournament in Colorado Springs, leading her team to a 7-0 record. Walker was named the tournament's MVP and also won a gold medal in the skills competition.
In 3x3 ball, free throws and field goals are worth one point while shots beyond the arc are worth two. Games are up to 21 points or 10 minutes, whichever comes first. Also, the games are played outdoors, subject to the elements.
"There's more space on the floor," she said. "You get to show how you can score the ball."
May 30: Colorado Springs, Colorado
After three days of trials back in Colorado, Walker was selected for USA's U18 team, this time in standard five-on-five, indoor basketball. Of the 12 players selected for the team, seven represented the 2016 recruiting class and five, including Walker, were from the 2017 class.
June 1-5: Astana, Kazakhstan
Walker had to bolt from Colorado to get to Kazakhstan for the 3x3 world championships.
Out of 20 teams entered, the U.S. went 5-2 and finished second, losing 21-12 in the final to France. Walker made the three-player world championships all-tournament team, finishing tied for second in scoring.
"I guess you could say [the silver medal is] satisfying, but it just makes us want to come back next year and work hard to get that gold," Walker said. "And now we have experience under our belts so we'll be even better."
In a 19-15 semifinal win over the Czech Republic, Walker had 14 points, including the final six to win the game. She finished with 44 points in seven games.
"Megan is special," said Jill Schneider, who directed the American team and coaches high school ball at Monterey (Lubbock, Texas).
"She's very mature for her age. She's so good already, yet she is very responsive and open to growth, on the court and off. She's going to be a great one."
June 24-July 1: Sao Paulo, Brazil
After a brief stay back on American soil, Walker traveled to South America with her Boo Williams AAU team.
Walker said Brazil was her favorite country among the three she visited this year, even though the three years of high school Spanish she has taken couldn't completely help her communicate with the Portuguese speakers she met.
July 2: Colorado Springs, Colorado
If you need a tour of the United States Olympic Training Center, Walker is your girl. Walker went directly from Brazil back to Colorado for the USA U18 training camp to prepare with her five-on-five teammates.
July 13-17: Valdivia, Chile
Back to South America! As captain of the U.S. team, Walker helped the U.S. win an eighth straight gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
Walker started on a loaded USA team that included some of the top incoming college freshmen in the nation, including 2016 No. 1 prospect Lauren Cox, who is headed to Baylor, and Walker's TCU-bound 3x3 teammate, Ramirez. Walker averaged 9.6 points and 2.8 rebounds and started all five games. She played the most minutes of anyone on Team USA, averaging 20.6 minutes per game.
"You don't see a lot of players of her caliber who are that selfless," Harvard-bound Jeannie Boehm said of her teammate. "She's the type of player who changes an entire game."
Evina Westbrook, a 6-0 guard for South Salem (Oregon) and the No. 2 prospect in the 2017 class, said Walker became her close friend during their time together in Colorado and Chile.
"What surprised me was how much we're alike," said Westbrook, who has also yet to make a decision on where she'll play college ball. "From the moment we stepped on the court in practice, we pushed each other.
"I couldn't just do what I wanted when she guarded me because she was going to come at me 100 percent every time. To me, that meant everything."
July 27-30: North Augusta, South Carolina
After returning from Chile, Walker played in one more major event to culminate her summer. Her Boo Williams team went 5-2 and made the semifinals at the Nike Nationals.
Four countries, three continents, one summer. Some 30,000 miles. Whew.
Next?
A deep breath. Perhaps. But not for long -- there's that whole choosing-a-college thing still on her to-do list.
Walker said she will take the one-hour car trip to the Virginia campus sometime late this month. She'll then visit the University of Texas from Sept. 2-5, leaving the Longhorns campus one day before she starts her senior year at Monacan.
After that, Walker will tour Connecticut on Sept. 15-18 and Notre Dame on Sept. 23-25 before making what promises to be an incredibly difficult choice.
Walker, though, said she can't wait.
"I'm looking forward to it," she said. "I'm ready to start the next chapter."
