Milovanovic aims to bring home best possible results from Rio 2016

KRAGUJEVAC (Rio 2016 Olympics) - After stunning Europe by beating continental giants France in the Final of EuroBasket Women 2015, Serbia forward Jelena Milovanovic believes her national team is good enough to make an impact at the Rio Olympics.

Although the 1.91m power forward refuses to set precise goals, she told FIBA.com that Serbia is looking to accomplish "nice results" in Rio.

We are going there to play, and try to do as much as we can, to come back home with the best possible result. Being at the Olympics is a huge success for our country, we never want to set a goal and then not make it. So we are going there to give our best, play every game as if it was a final. Hopefully, we come back home with nice results. - Milovanovic

The Rio Games marks the culmination of Serbia's astonishing progress achieved in a relatively short period of time. Just seven years ago, they were struggling at EuroBasket Women, returning home with a repetitive sense of disappointment.

But, in a turn of events, everyone started to take notice, and Milovanovic saw it all coming.

First, the Serbs claimed a fourth-place finish at EuroBasket Women 2013. Then, they almost upset hosts Turkey at the Quarter-Final stage of the 2014 FIBA Women's World Championships in front of a sellout Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul.

It appeared to be only a matter of time before the Serbs achieved a high measure of success.

The title won at EuroBasket Women 2015, Milovanovic says, was the result of a well-prepared process.

"Starting from the whole federation changing, from the president to each one of the members. Then [head] coach [Marina Maljkovic] knew how to organise the players she had, [she knew] how to control us in every possible way, and at the end when everyone just believed in us from the first day we started as a new group."

Now, it's time for the Olympics, where Serbia have been drawn in Group B alongside reigning Olympic and World champions USA, 2015 FIBA America Women's Championships winners Canada and AfroBasket Women champions Senegal. Two further teams will join the Group from the 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT).

Milovanovic remains cautious.

"All teams in the Olympics are there for a reason," the 27-year-old said. "All teams are great and it will be really tough.

"I was always dreaming about Olympics. I never thought we would make it [to the Olympics], but I guess I was wrong," admitted the Kragujevac native.

But what kind of team is Serbia?

"[I] Don't want to say that we are a family - everyone has some issues - we are just the team that gives everything for each other on the court, and I think that makes us this strong," explained Milovanovic, who on Tuesday signed with Spanish champions Perfumarias Avenida for the 2016-17 season, prompting a return to EuroLeague Women action.

Serbia will hold a training camp in June in preparation for the Olympics.

FIBA