SWE - Staying the course

STOCKHOLM (EuroBasket Women/FIBA World Championship for Women) - Fail to plan, plan to fail.

One group that has not been guilty of a lack of planning is Sweden's Basketball Federation.

If they have done anything right the past several years, it was to devise a long-term strategy for their women's basketball program in the expectation that the senior team would join the elite on the continent.

This summer, Sweden showed they are executing the plan.

Coach Lars Johansson, a former professional player, steered the senior side to a first-place finish in their Qualification Round group for the EuroBasket Women 2013 in France.

The Swedes beat world number six Spain twice in their qualifying campaign.

Looking back, it happened because of the plan.

"The plan started in 2005 when we made a decision to have all of our youth teams in the championships," Johansson said to FIBA.com.

"I think the '87 generation is the first to go through all the youth championships. Now they have gained experience from senior level.

"To get results, you have to be patient because it always takes a lot of time.

"It takes time to go through obstacles, to gain success."

It helped that in 2007 at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Slovakia, Sweden finished runners-up to the United States.

Everyone could see that the future was bright and Sweden began to build some momentum.

The youth tournaments have been vital.

Seven players in that 2007 silver-medal winning side - Frida Aili, Louice Halvarsson, Stefanie Yderström, Danielle Hamilton, Agnes Nordström, The Eldebrink sisters, guards Elin and Frida - played this summer for Sweden as they clinched a EuroBasket Women place.

Even younger players, like Farhiya Abdi, are in the national team set-up.

Abdi is among the country's brightest stars, one who is getting set for her second season with Czech Republic giants Brno.

When Sweden won the 2011 U20 European Championship Division B, Abdi and compatriot Cleopatra Forsman-Goga were named to the all-tournament team.

The Eldebrink twins

Two players that really stood out this summer were the Eldebrink sisters.

Frida Eldebrink led the Qualification Round in scoring at 20.9 points per game and was second overall in free-throw percentage at 90.6% (48 of 53).

"She's the first choice on possession," Johansson said.

"I think what changed this summer is her overall game got better, defensively, rebounding.

"Before this year, she would have forced shots but this summer, I don't remember her forcing any shots.

"She found a balance. She was waiting for her time, took high percentage shots.

"When you add her work ethic, and how she plays her defense, it's all good."

Johansson remembers one game in particular when Eldebrink led by example.

"I have an image in my mind where she is guarding the Portugal point guard and she was diving in front of our bench and we were already up by 10 points," he said.

Elin Eldebrink's contributions were many, too, though where she really stood out was her tenacity on the boards.

"Elin is our top defensive rebounder," Johansson said.

She had solid numbers, averaging 8.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals.

Abdi had a lot of attention on her going into the Qualification Round but did not have an impact.

She played just four minutes in one of the games against Spain.

Johansson has no doubt that she'll be influential with the team moving forward.

"She was a little worn down, and there were a lot of things for her to deal with when she got drafted by the WNBA," Johansson said.

Abdi was taken with the 13th overall pick in the draft by the Los Angeles Sparks this summer.

"It was a distraction," Johansson said.

"And at the first training camp, she injured her foot a little bit.

"And then, to top all of that, she had some family issues, and to get into the senior qualifications, it was too much.

"We tried her one game but felt it wasn't best for her, or us."

Abdi did bounce back, though.

"She came back for the under-20 team and did a good job," Johansson said.

At the U20 European Championship in Debrecen, Hungary, Abdi averaged a team-high 16.2 points per game as Sweden finished an impressive sixth in their first U20 Division A campaign since winning promotion.

Rio de Janeiro

Johansson firmly believes the best is yet to come from Sweden.

"We still have a young team," he said.

"I think it's why it's excellent we made the tournament this year, the age group will have a chance to get more experience.

"They are probably five years away from peaking. I think they have gained a lot of experience over the years."

For Sweden, the objective is to remain humble, hard-working and ambitious.

They will play against Spain, Russia and Italy in next year's EuroBasket Women and what they will want more than anything is to progress from the initial group stage.

Two victories over Spain this summer should serve as notice that they cannot be overlooked.

The Swedes are in such a buoyant mood that they are refusing to rule out taking part in the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women.

There is also a longer-term aim of making it to Brazil for the Olympics in four years.

"We are not focusing on it on a daily basis but we do have it as a goal," Johansson said.

"Down the line, for this generation, we are aiming for 2016.

"Since this is a young generation, we are still aiming for bigger tournaments.

"When it will come, I don't know.

"But It's important to get the experience."

FIBA