Virginia Commonwealth University forward Franck Ndongo is trying to become an Olympian, but the odds got longer yesterday.

Ndongo, a reserve forward at VCU, is playing on the Cameroon national team. Cameroon started play yesterday in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, Greece, and lost 93-79 to Croatia.

The 6-7 rising junior had eight points (3-of-11 shooting) and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. Ndongo, from Yaounde, Cameroon, averaged 1.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 7.7 minutes for the Rams this past season.

The top three teams in the 12-team tournament will qualify for the Olympics, to be held Aug. 9-24 in Beijing.

Nine teams -- the United States, Angola, Argentina, Australia, China, Iran, Lithuania, Russia and Spain -- have qualified. Trying to earn the last three spots are Cameroon, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Slovenia. Germany's roster includes NBA star Dirk Nowitzki.

The teams are divided into four groups, with two teams in each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Cameroon is grouped with Croatia and Puerto Rico.