MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017) - The second power rankings are in, and there is a new Queen sitting on the throne.

RANK	NATION	MOVE
1		+1	Spain have been decisive with their naturalized spot and opted for the return of the veteran Sancho Lyttle. The 2013 FIBA EuroBasket Women MVP is a defensive powerhouse and they will now be an even tougher nut to crack.
2		-1	Ukraine stay on our power-rankings podium after Alina Iagupova won the LFB Championship during her first season playing in France at ESBVA-LM.
3		+1	The spine of the French Team is likely to include guard Olivia Epoupa, winger Valeriane Ayayi and center Valeriane Amant who also celebrated silverware in Villeneuve!
4		-1	Russia keep their top four spot courtesy of looking uber-relaxed and happy on their visit to the former Winter Olympics resort of Sochi. Their preparation seems to be firmly on-point!
5		+2	Montenegro have moved early to include Angelica Robinson as their naturalized player again and considering her previous working relationship with Coach Iniguez, it looks like a smart move.
6		-1	Slovenia are enjoying the anticipation and the build-up to their first-ever Final Round appearance and we are enjoying it too.
7		+3	From the smiling faces working hard in camp to Emma Meesseman shining brightly in the WNBA on the other side of The Pond, there is much for the Belgians to be content with.
8			We can’t justify any kind of move for Hungary, but no news is generally good news at this stage.
9			Eyebrows were raised when Andrea Capobianco named a massive 23-player squad for camp. In our eyes, that keeps us having to guess, but also reiterates the depth that Italy has to choose from - or at least in the backcourt and on the wings!
10		-4	Czech Republic will be without the power of Kamila Stepanova after the ESBVA-LM star was not named in the squad – although that is mitigated by the inclusion of Petra Kulichova and Kia Vaughn under the hoop.
11		+2	The reigning champions have named Sonja Petrovic in their squad which is an immeasurable boost, although the naturalized Danielle Page is out with her long-term injury and that dilutes the good news a little.
12		+4	The return of the legendary veteran Zuzana Zirkova brings an unexpected deluge of experience and class for Slovak Republic in what is likely to be a challenging campaign.
13		-1	The fans hoping to see highly-rated former youth star Hulya Coklar potentially make a senior tournament debut have been left disappointed after an injury ruled her out. Turkey are also yet to welcome many big players involved in the domestic Play-Offs.
14		+1	Belarus have announced their heavyweights in a wider squad list which is potentially good news, but the cheer will be muted until their biggest names have been confirmed as in camp and practicing with the team.
15		-1	Ieva Kulite has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury which has meant a call-up for Aija Brumermane so this may have disrupted their plans.
16		-5	It was a big blow for Greece to reveal they will be without the feisty, energetic and influential Zoi Dimitrakou – as well as the experience of Olga Chatzinkolau who was deadly in the Qualifiers.

*The power rankings are entirely subjective and is in no way a true, accurate ranking systems. All comments are purely those of the author.

FIBA