OOSTENDE (EuroBasket 2015) - One of the emerging players in the Belgium national team is Pierre-Antoine Gillet.

He's one for the fans to keep an eye on.

A power forward who hails from Liege, Gillet has been moving from strength to strength the past couple of seasons at Telenet Oostende, where he plays for coach Dario Gjergja.

Gillet had a significant role for the Lions last summer as they finished top of their 2nd Qualification Round group to reach EuroBasket 2015, averaging 8.0 points and 5.3 rebounds.

He's keeping his fingers crossed that national team coach Eddy Casteels will have him in the side that plays in the Final Round this year.

Belgium will play its Group Phase games in Riga.

"Two years ago, they did an amazing job and for sure, I want to be a part of that," he said to FIBA.com. "I want us to do even better as a team."

Belgium did raise eyebrows with their play at EuroBasket 2013, especially with an upset of Latvia.

"The players that were there two years ago told me it was a great experience and that anything can happen," Gillet said.

"If they had won just one more game, they could have gone past the second round."

Gillet has played for Belgium's youth teams.

He remembers what it was like making the transition to the senior team in 2012, during the EuroBasket 2013 qualifying campaign.

"The goals are different and the pressure too, and the intensity," he said.

"You play against top level players and teams. Every detail counts.

"As soon as you step onto the court, you need to be really focused until the end. It’s another level."

Casteels didn't include Gillet in the final squad for Slovenia in 2013, something that did not surprise Gillet but did leave him disappointed.

He had had a difficult season at Liege and was also still young.

Not making the team after helping it qualify stung.

"I tried to take it positively and say, okay, it's not this year but in two years, I want to be a part of it," he said.

"I said maybe I wasn't ready but I said for sure I'll be ready next time."

That year was a turning point.

People questioned his move to Oostende for the 2013-14 season.

They began to doubt that his career would take off.

"But I had played for Gjergja before at Liege and knew it would be a good move," Gillet said.

And it was.

He [Gjergja] has made me work - Gillet

“He also gave me confidence by putting me in the starting five. It made me a better player."

Gjergja invited Gillet to join him for a week of intense training last summer in Zadar, before the national team preparations.

"He killed me," the 23-year-old recalled. "But it really helped me and made me better prepared, too, for the national team."

Gillet says he is a better player now than he was in 2013.

"Yes, definitely," he said.

Playing in the Eurocup the last two years has helped with his development.

"In the Eurocup, you have to play for 40 minutes," he said. "It's tough. You have to play hard. in front of you, you have opponents that want to play as hard as you do."

Gillet accepts that he has a long way to go to be the player that he wants to be.

He's got a good jump shot, but admits he needs to work on his ball-handling and back-to-the-basket game.

There does appear to be a very good chance that he’ll make the cut this year and be in Riga when Belgium play in the Group Phase of the EuroBasket.

FIBA