When Yuliya Dureika headed to the FIBA World Championship Women last year she was already a popular figure with her teammates and fans. However her popularity then went from high to completely through the roof when she exploded for 15 points in the shock win against Russia to cement her place in Belarus basketball folklore. It was also rich reward for the hard work of what has at times been a little bit of a stop-start career due to some frustrating injuries. One of those injuries made her miss most of the 2007-08 season, but after returning home to play her basketball she has shone brightly in recent years and really benefitted from working alongside Coach Buyalski at Horizont. A tireless worker and always a three-point threat, she offers a valuable outside presence and is happy to grab a few vital rebounds too.