08.17.2004:Russian Women's Basketball Tall Tall and Taller

from nbcolympics.com :

Jean Pierre Clatot/Getty Images 6-foot-8 Maria Stepanova is just one reason the Russian team will have a size advantage against many squads.

They've still got that kind of size, and they've got big players who can really play in Yelena Baranova (6-5), Maria Stepanova (6-8) and Irina Osipova (6-5). But it's not just their size, it's their physical nature and the fact that they are so versatile.

Look at Baranova, who has been their captain for many years. Of all the Russian players that came to the U.S. to play, none of them flourished like Baranova, and part of the reason was because nobody knew how to play her when she got here. She has been inconsistent at times, but when she's playing well she can dominate, and she still has the ability to show you what she was like at 26. She can put the ball on the floor as well as anyone, and she's 6-5.