Inna Kochubei is wearing a very big smile on her face these days and that's quite a contrast to January when the Ukraine captain was just coming back from a broken ankle.

Desperate to help Volodymyr Bryukhovetskiy's team earn a spot at the EuroBasket Women, Kochubei wasn't able to hit full stride in the Additional Qualifying Round games against Bulgaria and Germany.

Thankfully for Kochubei, her teammates did well  enough to book a spot in the Final Round that's to be played in Latvia next month.

"We are in an excellent mood and very excited to be here and to see each other after a long break," the point guard said.

"We missed each other a lot and the atmosphere within the team is great. I hope it stays like that. After all, we have a goal and we've had to go through a lot to get to where we are, so we all understand how important the team spirit is for us to continue to be successful. We are here (Yuzhny) in a fantastic facility and we've got everything we need for practices."

Kochubei, 27, will play a vital role for Ukraine when they go up against the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Spain in Preliminary Round Group A at the EuroBasket.

Those games will be played in Liepaja.

Kochubei expects to be at her best when the tournament tips off.

"During the second part of the season, I managed to get back into my usual shape after the injury I sustained last year. I feel great and I am sure everything will be great. I've got no limitations, I take part in all the activities and even the assistant coach mentioned I am finally in shape.

"Our national championship ended almost a month ago but we continued to practice because coach Marina Tkachenko did not dismiss us as she had to prepare the younger girls for the national student league finals. So we worked in a usual mode up until coming here, to Yuzhny."