EAST LANSING >> Grace VanSlooten has won three gold medals with Team USA in her basketball career, but you’ve probably never seen them.

They’re tucked away on some hanger in her closet, only brought out for the rarest of occasions. She doesn’t really know why. It’s not about Kobe-esque stoicism or tough-love mental conditioning. It’s just how she operates — focused on what she can learn to do next time rather than basking in the glory.

“I’ve just never put them out,” VanSlooten said.

She’s much more interested in what she can learn from an experience than the hardware she can flex. So as she stood Monday inside the women’s auxiliary gym at Breslin Center — just a week after winning gold at the FIBA AmeriCup — it wasn’t really that surprising that when asked about her crowning achievement, that’s where she focused her thoughts.

“I think it gives me a little bit of confidence going into the season,” VanSlooten said, fresh off a summer practice session gearing up for her senior year. “I’m just going to continue to train hard. And you know, it was a really great experience. So hoping I can take some of the stuff I learned from there back here.”

VanSlooten enjoyed the experience, to be sure. Visiting Chile, where the tournament was held, was special. So was sharing meals and memories with players from so many North and South American countries. And anytime she can suit up for USA Basketball, she’ll “never take it for granted.” The experience also gave her a ton of basketball lessons.

Lessons like dealing with physicality, which was amped up when playing some professional players and the various styles of basketball played by different countries. In the championship game against Brazil, VanSlooten battled against Kamilla Cardoso — a two-time national champion with South Carolina and the starting center for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

“Our game plan was literally as soon as she steps inside the 3-point arc, you better find her,” VanSlooten said. “You gotta hit her quick or else she’s gonna get her position and there’s nothing you can do about that. So yeah, it was different, but a lot of fun.”

And one of the biggest lessons VanSlooten came away with was about role. That’s not really something discussed all that often with star players until they get to the next level. Certainly not for a player as commanding as VanSlooten. In her first season with the Spartans after transferring in from Oregon, the 6-foot-3 forward averaged 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, a little bit better than her sophomore averages but done in about nine fewer minutes.

VanSlooten finished as a top 10 finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award, earned by the nation’s top small forward. She also received All-Big Ten second-team honors. Just like her gold medals, VanSlooten doesn’t put those awards on display either. Like many others, those artifacts are tucked away in her locker.

VanSlooten was routinely one of the best players on the court last season. But so was just about everyone with Team USA, from tryouts to the championship. She wasn’t cast in the starring role, but she found a way to make her mark.

“Going there and having to play a different role helped me a lot,” VanSlooten said. “And just understanding you gotta do what the team needs on any different type of night. Just because your role might not be leading scorer or starting or anything, it doesn’t mean it’s any less of a role. So I’m hoping I can bring some of that mentality back as well.”

VanSlooten’s embrace of her role earned the Team USA coaching staff’s trust. In the gold medal game against Cardoso and Brazil, she played a tournament-high 25 minutes (second among all Americans) while picking up eight points, four rebounds and a couple of steals. The USA won, 92-84.

“I think my job was to just go out there, know the plays and run them correctly and rebound and just work hard,” VanSlooten said. “I think just keeping that steady really helped me get those big minutes in the last game.”

Now, medal claimed, VanSlooten returns for summer workouts with Michigan State. She’s the Spartans’ top returner from last year’s squad, which finished 22-10 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In a competitive Big Ten field, the Spartans tied for fifth with an 11-7 record. Strong marks in Robyn Fralick’s second year as coach, but also ones to be built upon.

VanSlooten should be a big part of however Michigan State follows up last year. She’s preparing to make more of an impact in her second year in East Lansing.

So far this offseason, VanSlooten is working on her outside game. Before reflecting on her Team USA experience, she was practicing her 3-point shot at the end of practice with speakers blasting her country playlist. She also hopes the lessons she learned from playing against such physicality in the AmeriCup can translate next season.

Given that she was already a force in the paint game in and game out, VanSlooten’s efforts to round out her skill set could make her one of the Big Ten’s best. It may also help Michigan State push further next season.

Maybe it’ll even end in some hardware. Just don’t expect VanSlooten to put it on display.