NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - Great Britain's senior women have arguably been punching above their weight for some years and will soon start to compete for an impressive fourth straight EuroBasket Women Final Round appearance.

It is accurate to say that this calendar year has been an abject year in terms of performances, or at least results.

The Senior Women couldn't dig out a win at EuroBasket Women 2015 - crucially failing to win their supposed 'dead rubber' against Croatia which has left them one pot lower in the seedings for EuroBasket Women 2017 qualification.

The Great Britain U20 Women only mustered a solitary victory - and that was in Division B.

There is some mitigation and not least, that both teams did not have the use of their best players. But, much like for the men, that is a situation which needs to change immediately. It is the most important priority currently waiting to be addressed.

With Johannah Leedham hopefully coming back into the team and bringing her EuroLeague Women experience, Great Britain can be competitive - albeit like some other countries, losing the ability to secure NCAA talent. That will hurt Great Britain as they won't have the likes of leading light Temi Fagbenle for their qualifiers.

Temi Fagbenle (GBR)

But amidst a sea of change both on and off the court - the time for griping about problems is definitely now over. It has to be - only the solutions matter.

Previously immersed in funding wrangles and a narrative which has desperately struggled to shed a negatively framed cloak from its back, the seeds of recovery have been planted and the first few green shoots of recovery are poking tentatively through the ground.

As winter in the UK knocks on the door, the hard frost of tough qualifying games against Montenegro and Italy next month might mean those tender recovery shoots are choked off early. But, that potential setback needs to be viewed as sometimes having to take one step back in order to move two steps forward in the future.

At least action is the order of the day and is happening.

A new Chairman has been appointed for the British Basketball Federation (BBF) which will assume control after next year's Olympics. Nick Humby has the English Football Association (FA) and Manchester United on his resume - amongst other things. The Board have also laid out a suite of strategic priorities to show the direction of travel.

A new Senior Women's Head Coach has been installed in the shape of Spanish veteran Jose Maria 'Chema' Buceta. There also seems to be a new strengthened impetus of not only focusing on the here and now, but also looking further down the street with more vigour at emerging talent.

Although the irony is that for all the action underway to get GB out of a slump, it could easily be slowed down before it is in full swing. Failure to qualify for EuroBasket Women 2017 will be a major setback and with 16 teams rather than 20 at the tournament, it is a mountain to climb.

Whether they do or they don't scale this summit, there are some fine young players out there and that is something comforting to soothe any fall.

These are players who will benefit from Great Britain competing at youth tournaments from 2017 at U16 and U18 level - rather than only U20. This will be a massively important instrument in future success.

Many of these young guns also stepped out at the opening weekend of the second WBBL (Women's British Basketball League) season. Coach Buceta was an interested onlooker and left impressed.

I suppose he would say that, wouldn't he?

But then I also had my head turned by some of the young talent on show. While I could rightly be labelled biased - I also think I am one of the harshest critics in many ways when it comes to 'my own'.

The WBBL certainly needs to be another important lever to ensure the better development of rising UK stars.

Honestly? I actually had mixed feelings when I drove home from this event. My heart was genuinely racing with excitement about some of the young stars I had witnessed and how that links into the development pathway which will finally be made whole by GB competing at U16 and U18 level.

But that harsh and ugly truth wouldn't subside - the pressure is really on the senior players to produce not exactly a miracle, but another fighting performance to make yet another Final Round. Additionally, the new BBF Board has to embrace and succeed with their similarly challenging tasks to undertake off the floor.

Everyone associated with GB needs to step up and while failing to make EuroBasket Women 2017 would mean a knee resting on the canvas in the wake of a significant body blow, it shouldn’t and simply can’t be a knockout punch.

Even listening to the possibility of Great Britain ushering in yet another new dawn will inevitably provoke most of you into an excessive yawn - and I wouldn't blame you either.

But there are genuinely interesting times ahead and if an exciting crop of young players can be shaped in the right way, then what lies on the distant horizon could be special - even if there are some stormy seas lying in wait in between the desired destination.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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