Biggest EuroBasket Success
Even if the country goes on to win more titles in the future, the team’s first-ever gold medal against the Russians in the last EuroBasket in Turkey will always be a unique memory. But there is more to this golden success than meets the eye. Women’s basketball in Europe, previously the domain of the Soviets, has largely been dominated by larger countries though the Czech team has proven an exception to that rule.  In post-Warsaw pact history, the Czechs and the Lithuanians are the only “small” countries to have made it to the absolute top in Europe.

		Hana Machova will lead the Czech Republic in defense of their title.

Biggest EuroBasket Disaster
In 1995, on home soil in Brno, the team had secret hopes for a top-four finish. They went through to the quarterfinals where they were to face their foes and neighbours, Slovakia. But it all went wrong in that game, and the Slovaks won 85-75 and a subsequent 78-76 defeat to Moldova meant that the Czechs could only manage a poor seventh place.  Strangely, another big disappointment ended with a silver medal when the Czech’s lost the 2003 final in dramatic fashion to Russia. They got their revenge two years later but many feel that there should be two gold medals instead of one in the team trophy case.

Best individual Performance / Best Player of All Time
The Czech forward Eva Nemcova is arguably one of Europe’s best female players ever, though she previously suffered injuries which basically ruled her out of the sport, never mind National Team duty. But she defied the odds, returned to the game, accepted an invitation to EuroBasket and the rest is history. Wearing the national team jersey for the very last time, she buried the three-pointer that won the final game against Russia with eight seconds on the clock. A dream come true for Nemcova, team and country and the perfect “revenge” following their heart-breaking loss two years earlier.

Scouting Report
The future of Czech women’s basketball is all about two Katerinas.  Katerina Elhotova, the 17-year-old guard of USK Praha, is almost certain to make the senior team this year. She should be the leader of the next generation, assisted by another 17-year-old guard, Katerina Bartonova of Hradec Kralove who almost single-handedly led the Czechs to a silver medal and was voted MVP at the Termosteps U16 European Championship Women last year. For the present, the Czech Republic will rely on their dynamic duo of Hana Machova and Eva Viteckova.

Prediction
The good news is that the defending champions are a team consisting of almost the exact same players that won the title two years ago.  The bad news is…. that the defending champions are a team consisting of almost the exact same players that won the title two years ago.  The question is will they have a tough job finding the same motivation while the rest of Europe will be eager to beat them. History is also against them – no team has repeated as European champions since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. On the other hand there is some good news, too. The collective experience, a proven leader (Machova) and what is widely accepted as the “champions’ heart” can carry any team a long way. Especially since they were placed in what Bobrovsky and players admitted is the “the easier part of the draw.”  Not to mention the fact that the last four times a Czech or Czechoslovakian team has played in a EuroBasket taking place in the south of Europe, they have come back with some kind of medal.  Put all these facts together and it is obvious that the Czechs are destined for a place in the semi-finals, if nothing else.

Likely Squad
Katerina Krizova (out after a knee operation) was in excellent form and she will surely be missed by Bobrovsky who has said the he needs new faces in the team. However, he does not have too many options in a small country like the Czech Republic. The dynamic Michaela Pavlickova and Zuzana Klimesova quit the team for personal reasons and this time there is no Nemcova, too. The talented Elhotova is expected to be the only real new face in the team and can bring a breath of fresh air and a lot of help at point guard. But one has to remember that the team failed to produce offensively and under the basket at last year’s FIBA World Championship for Women.

Last 10 FIBA events
Year Event Place Achievement
2006 World Championship Sao Paolo 7th
2005 EuroBasket Ankara Gold Medal
2004 Olympics Athens 5th
2003 EuroBasket Patras Silver Medal
2002 World Championship Nanjing Did not qualify
2001 EuroBasket Le Mans 9th
2000 Olympics Sydney Did not qualify
1999 EuroBasket Katowice 5th
1998 World Championship Berlin Did not qualify
1997 EuroBasket Budapest 9th

How did they qualify?
EuroBasket 2005
Gold Medal (8 W – 0 L)
Results
1st Round
Date Game Result
Sept-2nd 2005 Czech Republic b. France 65-45
Sept-3rd 2005 Czech Republic b. Poland 64-47
Sept-4th 2005 Czech Republic b. Greece 61-54
Sept-6th 2005 Czech Republic b. Germany 76-50
Sept-7th 2005 Czech Republic b. Latvia 76-45
Quarter-finals
Sept-9th 2005 Czech Republic b. Turkey 86-60
Semi-finals
Sept-10th 2005 Czech Republic b. Spain 76-66
Final
Sept-11th 2005 Czech Republic b. Russia 72-70