Just as they did 4 years ago in EuroBasket 2001, the Croatian national team finished the European Championship in 7th place after beating Russia 92-74 classification game for 7th-8th place on Sunday.

The Russian side finished 8th for the second time in a row.

What a difference a day makes.

One night after shooting just 33% from the field in a loss to France, Lithuania looked like a new team by shooting 62% for the game en route to an 89-78 win over Russia. The victory automatically qualifies Lithuania for FIBA World Championship 2006 in Japan - their first appearance in the competition since 1998.

Despite their 89-78 loss to Lithuania at the 2005 EuroBasket, Russian coach Sergey Babkov and point guard JR Holden see a promising future for Russian basketball.

"Look at Andrei Kirilenko, Sergey Monya, Victor Khryapa. These guys are all really young. And they have a great future," said Holden, an American naturalised Russian who was playing in his first international tournament for the Russian national team.

The talent has always been there for Russia. But since 1998, the national team has failed to step foot on a podium in an international competition. This could change in 2005 as Russia, led by NBA superstar Andrei Kirilenko and a group of promising youngsters, will be a very dangerous challenger. Sergei Babkov is now at the helm and will try to provide his team with the competitive spirit that made him a great player in the 90’s.