Lithuania in the winter is cold.  How cold?  Try -16 in Kaunas on Monday afternoon.

Even for those that are used to it, a cold snap can make you feel like pulling the covers over your head and spending the day in bed, but that's not how things work in Lithuania, especially when it comes to basketball.

Bulgaria have yet to find a replacement for Pini Gershon as coach but the person who does eventually take the reins will know it's going to be a big ask to reach EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania.

At the recent draw in Munich, Bulgaria were drawn against Poland, Belgium, Portugal and Georgia in Group C.

The EuroBasket 2011 qualification cycle for F.Y.R. of Macedonia starts on the country's biggest national holiday, the day the first modern Balkan Republic was formed, the day of the Ilinden revolution - August 2, 1903.

And the initial battle for the Macedonians will be against familiar foes Ukraine, the country that stopped them on the road to EuroBasket 2001 in Turkey.

Ainars Bagatskis is expected to soon be confirmed as the new coach of Latvia.

Currently at the helm of EuroChallenge outfit Enisey Krasnoyarsk in Russia, the 42-year-old Bagatskis was a long-time player for the Latvians and played at four EuroBaskets - the last in 2003 in Sweden when he logged more than 26 minutes per contest and averaged 14.3 points.

If the movers and shakers in Montenegrin basketball know anything heading into their qualifying campaign for EuroBasket 2011 this summer, it's this.

They will not beat opponents by an average margin of 22.6 points per game as they did in EuroBasket Division B.

Israel haven't missed a EuroBasket since 1993 and despite Saturday's draw which has throw them into an extremely hard qualifying group for EuroBasket 2011, the aim of making it back to the top continental competition remains.

Israel will play in Group A with Italy, Latvia, Finland and fresh out of Division B, emerging powerhouse Montenegro.

Simone Pianigiani will have a baptism of fire as coach of Italy.

On Saturday in Munich, the Italians were drawn in a very difficult qualifying group for EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania.