Latvia won a convincing victory in the test match against Egypt with a score of 84:63 (24:18, 16:18, 24:8, 20:19). Rodions Kurucs and Rolands Shmits did not help the team in this game, but Banki pointed out that you should not be worried about them not playing.
“Rodion and Roland have small problems. We chose to protect them. I think they will play on Friday. It’s about small problems,” said Banki, optimistic about the participation of Schmidt and Kuruc in the next test match against Finland.
The coach believes that the main task in the game against Egypt was to “feel the water” or regain the rhythm, because a number of national team players have not played professional basketball for a long time.
The head coach of the national basketball team, Luka Banki, looks back on the test match against Egypt
In the second half of the game, Egypt started to play uncharacteristically sharp for a test match. Banks highlighted avoiding injury as one of the positive aspects of this game.
“The physical form of the players is still low, but the intensity of the contact is high. It is risky. The players played smartly, avoiding dangerous situations,” said the captain of the national team.
Banki started the second half of the match with a completely different starting five. The coach explained this decision with a balanced distribution of minutes between the players, not a tactical solution.
On June 25, it was officially confirmed that Kristaps Porziņgis will not be able to help the Latvian national team this summer, as he may not be able to play in the opening of the next National Basketball Association (NBA) season after a leg operation. Banki explained that the official announcement about Porzingis not playing was received by the national team camp on the same day as it was announced to the general public, however, the representatives of the national team have been aware since the moment of the injury that Porzingis going on the field with such an injury can be risky.
“Even before the official decision, we were aware that the situation was serious,” said Banki.
There is less than a week left until the start of the Olympic tournament. The Latvian national basketball team started the official training camp on June 17, which means that approximately half a month will be devoted to the preparation process, which is, of course, a short period of time. Banki, however, emphasized that even a half-year long preparation process was not enough for a tournament of this level.
“We will find the necessary solutions to field a competitive team. As you can see, the players have different physical conditions at the moment.
The quality of our basketball is not yet at the usual level, but we have another test match and some training ahead of us. Here is the question of the details that need to be polished. We have to be realistic – we won’t be perfect, but we want to show our best version on the pitch,” said the captain of the national team.
In the first phase of the Olympic qualification tournament, the Latvian national team must meet the national teams of Georgia and the Philippines. Banki does not hide that the homework in researching these teams has already been done, so his unit has a rough idea of what to expect from the specific selections.
“Georgia has an experienced and talented squad. Compared to, for example, Egypt, they have a completely different style. A European style of play with big players who look for situations with unequal coverage. It will be very difficult. Their rhythm and physical basketball will require us to be efficient at the highest level ,” Banki described the Georgian unit.
On the other hand, according to Banki, the Philippines is a team with a completely different basketball philosophy. According to him, in the match against the Philippines, the Latvian national team will have to fight against a team that plays fast. Also, the coach emphasized that the Philippine basketball players move well without the ball in attack, which helps them play unselfish basketball.
At the end, the coach emphasized that the aspects that the Latvian national team needs to improve are the accuracy of shots in both three-point and penalty shots. According to him, it will not be too difficult a task.
The next test match will be played by the Latvian basketball team on June 28, in Tampere against the Finnish national basketball team. The game is scheduled to start at 18.30 Latvian time.
The fight for the right to play in the tournament of the Paris Olympic Games will take place in “Arena Riga” from July 2 to 7.
The national team of Latvia will play in subgroup A with the national team of Georgia and the team of the Philippines. The two best teams of the subgroup will play one of the best teams of subgroup B (Brazil, Montenegro and Cameroon) in the semi-finals on Saturday. The winners of the semi-final matches will fight for the only ticket to Paris on Sunday, July 7.
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2024-06-27 07:12:27
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