Great Britain are entering virgin territory after their spectacular rise to prominence from Division B under the watchful eye of the wily Chris Finch. Once touted as dark horses with their expected NBA talent, the crushing double whammy of losing the talismanic Luol Deng to injury and Ben Gordon failing to commit means a fundamental shift in expectation. From confidence of emerging from the toughest group, they will now be left merely treading water and hoping to stay competitive in their three group games.

Head Coach Chris Finch

To say that Great Britain have come a long way in a short space of time is definitely a contender for understatement of the year and possibly of all time. Less than three years ago, British basketball was perennially in turmoil, lacking in direction and heading nowhere fast.

Major international tournaments were a pipe dream with Great Britain pitched into Division B and with a mammoth journey ahead of them. With the off court issues needing to be addressed it was also time for the team to embark on what everyone thought would be a marathon and not a sprint.

A mission to build a programme to be proud of and one that somehow brought the London 2012 Olympics from the distant horizon into a more acceptable and believable focus.

Having been a successful player and coach with Sheffield Sharks, Finch knew exactly what an unhealthy state British Basketball was in. He had lived and breathed it and knew what an almighty challenge lay ahead, both on and off the court.

However even Finch himself could never have predicted that having set off on a marathon journey, they would subsequently sprint the entire distance, gaining promotion from the wilderness of Division B to immediate qualification for a EuroBasket tournament.

Flinder Boyd

What was most impressive about qualification wasn't just the topping of the Group but the fact that they had to pretty much do without the likes of experienced and influential Euroleague duo Robert Archibald and Andrew Betts.

They also suffered a heartbreaking overtime defeat in Israel in their opening game but with an impressive unity and with everyone (and no more so than NBA superstar Deng) buying 100 percent into what Finch was trying to achieve, they completed mission impossible.

Proving that truth is often stranger than fiction, Great Britain have not only booked their place at the first attempt but to their immense credit, have got their house in order off the court too and are preparing to embark on a new journey.

Drawn in the so-called ‘Group of Death', the biggest killer is simply the loss of Deng. With their star man healthy, they could definitely compete, maybe sneak past the group stages and then - well, who knows? Without him it will obviously be tough and three games in three days will certainly expose the influence of their star man and their lack of depth.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu

While their opponents will provide a real step up in class, Great Britain have also upgraded since qualification. They should have had NBA star Ben Gordon on board although that hasn't happened but they do have big guy duo Robert Archibald and Andy Betts back after impressive campaigns in Spain and Greece respectively.

With Pops Mensah-Bonsu impressing during his short stint in the NBA, Joel Freeland having a breakthrough year in the ACB and reliable captain Andrew Sullivan always solid, the mid and frontcourt is stacked and could arguably mix it with the best.

In the backcourt Reinking is a veteran who can turn a game with his shooting but in truth, Great Britain are frustratingly one Luol Deng and one Ben Gordon away from being real contenders for the latter stages.

With Finch and these committed players, anything is possible. They can now only really dream of squeezing their way out of the group with the game with Serbia probably their best chance for the win they will need. It looks however as if ‘Lady Luck' has denied them their moment and they will have to fight to just stay competitive.

Whatever happens, it is no exaggeration to describe the emergence of this national team as a basketball fairytale and who really knows at this stage what the next riveting chapter both now and beyond will reveal.