LAT - Latvia dreaming high, going step by step

JESENICE (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - It has been a long time since Latvia made a dent in European basketball history, as the Baltic country has only made the EuroBasket Quarter-Finals once in the last two decades.

After winning the inaugural European Championship in 1935 and placing second in 1939, Latvia hasn’t seen much success since. Their eighth-placed finish in 2001 was the national team’s best achievement.

The Baltic side got off to a flying start in EuroBasket 2013 by winning the first two games against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, before being handed their first loss by Lithuania in the third game.

Even despite the defeat, the team’s positive start could be reason for cautious optimism in the Latvian camp, something to which the team's captain Janis Blums can testify.

"We are in a good situation now. After three games, we have two wins and one loss, so it’s a good result for us," said the experienced 31-year-old guard.

"Making the quarter-finals after a long time is definitely one of our goals, but first we need to make the second round and we need one more victory to achieve this."

The player hopes that Latvia can be one of the six teams to fill the spots allocated to Europe for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. But Blums understands that there is still a long way to go for him and his teammates.

"It would be our biggest dream, but we need to think about the first goal of advancing from the group. But it has crossed our minds for sure."

Although Blums isn't having a great tournament himself - averaging only 6.3 points and 3.3 assists through three games - he thinks that the national team has finally come together as a unit and draws its strength from a deep roster.

"This team has been playing together for four years now and the players know each other very well - this is our biggest strength. We’ve got a lot of players who can play and lead the team in any given game," Blums explained.

Latvia have two more games remaining and will probably need at least one victory to book a spot in the Second Round. Blums was especially weary of the next opponent - Serbia.

"For me, Serbia is a top three team here in the EuroBasket. They play great basketball and have great new players alongside the best center in Europe - Nenad Krstic," the player said.

More than anything, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia (MKD) defeating the Serbs on Friday should give Latvia confidence that they are capable of putting up an upset against one of the most talented teams in the tournament as well.

FIBA