Rule Britannia

LONDON (Friday EuroVision) - BLIMEY! You are scratching your heads and wondering how a football-, cricket- and rugby-loving country like Great Britain has qualified for next year's EuroBasket in Poland.

They booked a place by beating the Czech Republic 67-63 on Wednesday to improve to 4-1 in Group D of Division A.

The win sealed top spot.

Serbia and Turkey also clinched their places in next year's final round with victories on Wednesday night.

How did Britain qualify for the EuroBasket?

Luol Deng.

When British Basketball spent a reported £250,000 to insure the Chicago Bulls star shortly before the start of the qualifying games so he could play, they added points, rebounds, steals, assists and dunks.

They also added mental toughness.

Flash back to the 102-92 overtime defeat to Israel in their opening qualifying game.

The Brits might have argued they'd been robbed when a foul was called on Nate Reinking less than a second from the end that allowed Israel's Meir Tapiro to make two free throws to force the extra period in Tel Aviv.

The Brits could have lost it in the head after that game. But they didn't.

Deng kept his cool, and so did everyone else.

"We loved playing in an atmosphere like there was tonight," Deng said after that loss.

"We've got a lot of confidence in our team and our players and coaching staff, so we will bounce back from this."

And they did.

Britain returned home to win three straight against the Czech Republic in London, Bosnia and Herzegovina in Birmingham and then Israel in Liverpool before travelling to Pardubice on Wednesday and beating the Czechs again to seal first place in Group D.

How did Britain qualify?

Reinking.

After committing the foul on Tapiro, Reinking did what every athlete should do. He forgot about it.

In Britain's very next game against the Czechs, Reinking scored a game-high 22 points. He signed off in style on Wednesday with another 20 in Pardubice.

How did Britain qualify?

Pops Mensah-Bonsu.

The DKV Joventut center has averaged 11 rebounds per game, second only to the 13.8 of Latvia's Golden State Warrior Andris Biedrins.

"Great Britain showed that they are not a one man team of Luol Deng," Czech coach Michal Jezdik said. "Deng is surrounded by a group of quality players."

Another of those players is 21-year-old Joel Freeland, a player who was drafted by Portland in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft.

This guy could go on to make it in the NBA one day.

Late in the first quarter on Wednesday, he caught a pass just outside the lane with his back to the basket.

With a deft move, Freeland spun to his right and went past the big man that was defending him and exploded for a two-handed dunk.

Britain didn't play their best game on Wednesday. They turned the ball over 24 times but still prevailed.

Why?

"I saw concentration and determination on the faces of my players all the way until the end of the game," British coach Chris Finch said.

When London was awarded the 2012 Olympics, the Brits were told by FIBA that they needed to show their competitiveness before being allowed to take up the spot normally reserved for host nations.

Britain have being doing that ever since, winning promotion from Division B and then clinching a spot in the EuroBasket.

Now let's see if this British team can go out and prove they are even more competitive next year in Poland.

Jeff Taylor