MINSK (EuroBasket Women/FIBA World Championship for Women) - There are no givens when it comes to international basketball.

The Belarus women know that only too well.

In 2007, the national squad coached by Anatoli Buyalski captured a bronze medal at the EuroBasket Women in Italy and less than one year later played at the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQTW).

Belarus, having already won the hearts of an entire nation by reaching the podium of a major sporting event, underlined their status as a team on the rise by clinching a spot at the OQTW for the Beijing Games and then reached the Quarter-Finals in China.

Perhaps their greatest achievement was a run to the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women Semi-Finals in the Czech Republic.

Buyalski's squad advanced to the Quarter-Finals and knocked off Russia, 70-53.

Next, taking on the host nation in one of the great fights in international women's basketball history, the Czechs prevailed in overtime, 81-77.

Belarus then suffered a let-down in their Bronze Medal clash with Spain, falling 77-68.

In 2011, at the EuroBasket Women in Poland, Belarus came up short of the Quarter-Finals and missed out on a second straight trip to the OQTW.

Instead, Belarus, without long-time point guard Natallia Marchanka (retired) and veteran center Yelena Leuchanka, who was playing in the WNBA, went into the EuroBasket Women 2013 Qualification Round under new coach Rimantas Grigas.

The Lithuanian tactician steered the team to first place finish in Group A ahead of Ukraine, Hungary, Israel and Portugal.

If France, Russia, Turkey, the Czechs and Croatians played at the Olympics, and if Spain, Montenegro and Lithuania are sides expected to challenge for places on the podium, no one should look past Belarus.

Without Leuchanka last summer, Belarus relied most heavily on the experience of Anastasiya Verameyenka and Tatyana Troina.

They were the team's undisputed leaders, with Verameyenka averaging 13.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks and Troina 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Troina is in a race against time to be fit, however, after getting hurt at the beginning of her campaign with Nantes-Reze in France.

Natallia Anufryienka, 27, has been the captain of Belarus and Marina Kress a valuable front-court presence coming off the bench.

If Katsiaryna Snytsina is healthy and in form, she'll be invaluable.

The EuroBasket 2007 bronze-medalist averaged almost 15 points a game in the EuroCup Women for Russians Chevakata this season.

If there are questions about the point guard position, maybe there should not be.

Grigas is likely to rely heavily on 24-year-old Aliaksandra Tarasava while Nadzeya Drozd, a 30-year-old veteran who was a reserve in the 2007 EuroBasket Women squad, could feature.

With Leuchanka expected back after being named in the 21-strong preliminary squad, Belarus will have every reason to believe they can reach the podium when they compete at the EuroBasket Women in France, a qualifying event for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women.

That said, even if Belarus are at full strength, they will not find it easy.

They will play in Group D with Croatia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania.

Preliminary squad: Katsiaryna Snytsina, Ala Murauskaya, Volha Istseliatsova, Viktoryia Pantsiukh, Maryia Filonchyk, Maryia Papova, Ksenija Voishal, Maryna Ivashchanka, Tatyana Troina, Marina Kress, Anastasia Verameyenka, Yelena Leuchanka, Tatsiana Melnikova, Aliaksandra Tarasava, Natallia Anufryienka, Zhanna Haradzetskaya, Nadzeya Yakovits, Nadzeya Drozd, Iryna Chubkavets, Tatsiana Likhtarovich and Nataliya Trafimava.

FIBA