BELARUS - Another good surprise?

After snatching a surprising bronze medal in their first ever appearance at the EuroBasket Women, Belarus went once more against all odds and grabbed one of the last tickets for Beijing in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament…

For the longest time, Belarus was non-existent on the basketball map. Again and again and again, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, Belarus failed to qualify for the EuroBasket Women. When they finally made the breakthrough and clinched a place at EuroBasket 2007 in Italy, no one really knew what to expect from coach Anatoli Buyalski's team of unknowns. They defeated Croatia and Serbia in the first round behind big performances from Yelena Leuchanka and then, in the Quarter-Final Qualifying Round, Belarus began with defeats to traditional heavyweights Russia and France before drilling hosts Italy in Chieti to seal a place in the last eight. In the triumph that eliminated the Azzurre, Belarus showed a little bit of everything, from the power of Yelena Leuchanka to the sweet shooting of Anastasiya Verameenka to the fiery leadership and defensive intensity of point guard Natalia Marchanka. As they finished off the Italians, Belarus played with so much confidence that that those watching wondered if they were witnessing the emergence of a new powerhouse on the continent. Belarus' players provided the answer in the next game, a quarter-final win over EuroBasket 2005 winners the Czech Republic, to clinch a place in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Madrid. Belarus lost to Spain in the semi-finals, but Buyalski's players left Chieti on a high with bronze medals hanging from their necks after jumping out to a big lead against Latvia and then holding on for a 72-63 triumph.

If Anzhela Duboiskaya, who averaged 26.7 points and 9.7 rebounds during the qualifying round for the EuroBasket Women in 2001, had been the symbol of excellence of the country before, Leuchanka, Marchanka and Verameenka became the symbols of excellence for the new Belarus. The 1.96m center Leuchanka and the 1.92m Verameenka are formidable. They are the twin towers, though the former's game is built more on power while the latter's is based on a smooth shooting stroke and guile. At the EuroBasket, Leuchanka tore apart Italy (18 points, 10 rebounds), Serbia (14 pts, 11 rbs) and future champions Russia (18 pts). Verameenka had 15 points and nine rebounds against France, 12 and 11 against the Italians, nine and 11 against Spain and 15 points against Latvia. For the tournament, she shot 69% from the floor. Marchanka, who made the all-tournament team, buried an eye-popping 52.4% (11 of 21) from long range and 59% (13 of 22) inside the arc.

After their spectacular showing in Italy and the way the team was able to grind out two victories in Spain during the Olympic qualifying event in June 2008, nobody will take Belarus lightly. Going into the paint against Leuchanka and Verameenka will be a risky venture while protecting the rim against them won't be easy, either. Don't make the mistake in thinking this is just a three-star team, though. Add the defence of Svetlana Volnaya, the dynamic all-round play of Katsiaryna Snytsina and the three-point shooting of Tatyana Troina and Belarus are a force to be reckoned with. In Madrid, Belarus lost to Cuba and beat Chinese Taipei in the preliminary round to advance to a quarter-final against a young, rebuilding Brazil. Buyalski's squad beat Brazil 86-79 in overtime to secure their Olympic qualification.

Few in Europe would have expected this team to perform as well as it did against the European powerhouses last year in Italy. That tournament was no fluke, though. The Belarus players, particularly Leuchanka in the EuroLeague Women with UMMC Ekaterinburg, went on to have very successful club campaigns. There is also the bonus of center Marina Kress now being fully fit and ready to contribute after seeing limited action last year.


How did they qualify?
EuroBasket 2007
Bronze Medal (5 W - 4 L)

Preliminary Round
Sept-24th 2007 Spain b. Belarus 76-62
Sept-25th 2007 Belarus b.Croatia 92-66
Sept-26th 2007 Belarus b. Serbia 79-53

Qualifying Round
Sept-29th 2007 France b. Belarus 72-60
Oct-1st  2007 Russia b. Belarus 87-73
Oct-3rd 2007 Belarus b. Italy 66-51

Quarter-Final
Oct-4th 2007 Belarus b. Czech Republic 52-46

Semi-Final
Oct-6th 2007 Spain b. Belarus 70-54

Bronze Medal game
Oct-7th 2007 Belarus b. Latvia 72-63