Belov was replaced by Stanislav Eremin as the new head coach in the new century. Russia debuted at their first Summer Olympic Games, in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. Russia lost two matches in the preliminary round and got to the quarterfinals from the bottom of the group, losing there to USA, 85–70. In the classification rounds, Russia lost to Canada, 86–83, in double overtime, finishing the Games in 8th place. At the EuroBasket 2001, the Russians took the overall 5th place. In the preliminary round, Russia won two out of three matches, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece but falling to Italy. Russia qualified to the quarterfinals as one of the top teams from their group, but lost to Spain, 62–55. Russia won both matches in the classification phase, defeating Latvia and France. At the 2002 World Cup in Indianapolis, Russia exhibited a lackluster outing during the competition and failed to medal, ending in 10th place.