Great Britain’s women will need to make sure they are fully prepared if they are going to realise their dream of playing at the Rio Olympics, according to head coach Peter Buckle.
The squad gained automatic qualification as host nation for London 2012, but they will enjoy no such luxuries this time around for Rio 2016, instead having to impress at tournaments before then.
Overall victory at next June’s FIBA Eurobasket would hand them an automatic ticket on the plane to Rio although their first target will be to safely navigate past Pool C with Serbia, Croatia, Latvia, and Russia standing in their way.
Although Britain might not be favourites for the tournament, they can take solace from the fact that they have already beaten Serbia – the group’s top seed – at Final Round.
And Buckle, who takes the helm for his first major tournament, is keen to ensure his side leaves nothing to chance when they head to Romania and Hungary for the tournament next summer.
"Pool C which is what we were given at the draw, and it is going to be very tough as it contains some very good teams," he said.
"We will need to prepare well to achieve our goals, but we are looking forward to competing at the tournament."
© Sportsbeat 2014