BRA/USA - Erika carries the Dream

ATLANTA (WNBA/FIBA World Championship for Women) - The Olympics didn't go as Brazil center Erika de Souza had planned, with the national team coming up short of the Quarter-Finals.

It was the second time in a row at an Olympics that that happened for the Brazilians, and remembering the national side didn't advance to the last eight of the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women in the Czech Republic, it's obvious the South American giants are not the international force they once were.

Alarm bells started ringing for Brazil less than two weeks before the London Olympics when Iziane Castro was dropped for a violation of team rules.

She had also been axed from the Brazil squad for disciplinary reasons during the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women (OQTW) in Madrid.

At least for leading player Erika, a player who should figure prominently for the national team at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey, there is the distraction of her club side.

Erika is on the books of the Atlanta Dream (14-13), who are third in the Eastern Conference and feeling confident about their chances of playing in the post-season after knocking off first-place Connecticut, 77-70, in their last game.

The victory was the first for new coach Fred Williams.

Erika, who was a real handful for all of Brazil's opponents at the London Games, is proving to be quite a weapon for Atlanta this season, too.

She had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Dream against Connecticut.

Wins are priceless for the Dream as they try to reach the post-season.

"My expectation for the coming games is positive,"Erika said.

"I'm in a great moment and I want to continue to help Atlanta to get another conference final and to the competition (WNBA Finals), too."

It's been a difficult stretch for Atlanta, who decided recently to part with head coach and general manager Marynell Meadors.

She had served as an assistant coach for the USA women's team at the Olympics.

Her replacement, Williams, was an assistant coach for the Dream for four years.

He is also now the Dream's new general manager.

“As a team, we are unified in our drive to build on what we’ve achieved in our first five years,” Williams said.

“We want to acknowledge the strong contribution that Marynell Meadors made to this organization.

"Our franchise will continue to build on the tradition of speed, scoring and tough defense that has resulted in back-to-back Eastern Conference championships.”

FIBA