Polish basketball players do not have as many meetings as, for example, volleyball players. This does not mean that an idyll awaits them. Wards of Igor Milicic will fight for access to the Olympic Games in Paris. The path is long and tortuous, as promotion requires winning a qualifying tournament, which in turn must be entered through a pre-qualifier in Gliwice, which takes place in mid-August.
Last year, Polish basketball players provided fans with a lot to be proud of, although the first months of the 2022 season of the national team were not optimistic. The team, rejuvenated by Igor Milicic, did not qualify for the next stage of the World Cup qualification, which also meant that there was no chance of a repeat of 2019, when Byalo-Chervoni entered the top eight at the World Basketball Championship.
Consequences of bad form
The second half of the 2022 season was much better. Polish fans waited for EuroBasket in a mixed mood, but Milicic’s players surprised everyone. First they left the group, then they fired the Ukrainians, and in the quarterfinals they played one of the best matches of the 21st century. They beat the gold favorites, the Slovenes with NBA star Luka Doncic in the roster. Although France were stronger in the semi-finals and Germany in the bronze medal match, fourth place in the Old Continent is the biggest success of Polish basketball in decades.
After a great season, the fans have increased their appetite for new successes. However, the national team will have to pay for the poor performance in the 2021/2022 season. Failure to qualify for the 2023 World Cup had additional consequences. First of all, the Poles were supposed to take part in the pre-qualifications for EuroBasket 2025. A few months later, it turned out that they no longer had to worry about tickets for the next European Championship, as FIBA accepted Poland as one of the co-hosts of the tournament taking place in two years. This means that although Byalo-Chervoni will play in the main qualifiers of the tournament, they will still be automatically promoted.
The second negative effect is related to the qualification for the Olympics. Thanks to participation in the 2019 World Cup, Poland was guaranteed a place in the qualifying tournament in Kaunas. Held in 2021 (due to the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics), the competition ended in defeat in the semifinals. This time, basketball players will fight for the opportunity to participate in this tournament.
Difficult road to Paris
The Olympic Games are an event that Polish basketball players have not attended for 43 years. The last performance is connected with the tournament in Moscow, which ended in seventh place. The best result is the fourth place achieved before the Second World War (in Berlin, 1936). It is interesting that female basketball players are much less waiting for their performance at the Olympics, since the women’s basketball team took part in the tournament in Sydney.
Qualifying for the tournament in Paris seems like a long journey. The first stop for the Poles is the most comfortable, because the pre-qualifiers will be held in Gliwice. At the local Arena, White and Red have already had the opportunity to play, which is an additional advantage. Three teams will arrive in Wisla for the group stage - Portugal, Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Of the three, only the first did not perform at last year’s EuroBasket. However, both the Hungarians and the Bosnians could not consider this tournament a success. The Magyar team finished in penultimate place, while the Bosnians finished 16th out of 24 teams. However, they should not be underestimated. The latter can be especially dangerous, because in recent years we have seen players with NBA experience - Jusuf Nurkic, Luca Garza and Dzanan Musa (the current MVP of the Spanish league). However, it is not known if they will appear in Gliwice. We don’t know the official lineups yet.
However, winning the group stage does not mean qualifying for the qualifying tournament. Getting a ticket is much more difficult. The two teams from the Polish group will join the top two teams who will play their group stage at the same time in Tallinn. It will be someone from the group: Estonia, Israel, Czech Republic, North Macedonia. The top four will fight for the victory, which will give a chance for another fight for the Olympics - this time the final one, as a result of which a pass to the Paris tournament will be secured.
Calm before the most important tournament
Poland has already played several friendly matches ahead of the August tournament. In Belgrade, she held sparring matches with Serbia and North Macedonia. The first ended in defeat 66:81. Interestingly, the opponents shared only the result and statistics of the Poles. With Macedonia, the basketball players of Milicic did much better. The fourth team of EuroBasket 2022 beat the fourth team of EuroBasket 2011 with a score of 84:52.
In turn, in the last two matches, Poland lost twice to the Turks in Istanbul - respectively 84:87 and 73:98. Despite the defeats, Igor Milicic remains optimistic. In an interview with the official website of the national team, he praised the team for their good physical preparation. A Croatian with Polish citizenship is counting on the support of fans in Gliwice.
“Firstly, we are very well prepared physically. We also do not have serious health problems, which is the most important thing. The two matches in Turkey were different from each other - both in lineups and in the tasks that we wanted to complete. In the second game we had a shorter rotation - we wanted to give our starting players some rest. In general, I like the direction in which the team is moving. We will definitely show a lot of energy on the field. However, we will also need more support from the stands in Gliwice, Milicic said in an interview with koskadra.pl.
Poland without Jeremy Sochan
As in the case of foreign teams, the official composition of the Poles was not known before the start of the tournament. So far, the main base is a wide list of players posted before the start of the training camp, and the lineup in which the “white-reds” played in Turkey. None of them bore the name of Jeremy Sochan, the only Polish kid in the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs winger has once again decided to focus on preparing for the club season.
Gliwice will also miss Andrzej Mazurczak, Energa Basket Liga MVP (from the new Orlen Basket Liga season). Milicic did not hide his disappointment, saying that the team is the biggest reward for an athlete. The group of absentees can also include Alexander Dzeva, Dominik Oleiniczak and A.J. Slaughter. An American with a Polish passport has been a force in the Polish district for many years. Although he received a call, he decided to focus on his club career. Jeffrey Grosell is currently the only naturalized player on the team. The central one had a weak season in the Warsaw Legia, and it is not known if the breeder will use his services.
Milicic can count on the duo of leaders - Mateusz Ponitka and Michal Sokolowski. Under the basket they will be supported by Alexander Baltserovsky, who develops from season to season, and in recent months even played in the NBA Summer League in the colors of the Boston Celtics.
Fight for dreams
Milicic himself admitted in an interview with Wprost that his team faces a very difficult task. While getting out of the group doesn’t seem like a big deal, winning the entire tournament is quite a challenge. Moreover, even a triumph does not guarantee performance at the Olympics. Last year, the Poles showed that with the support of the fans they are able to beat the best. They can also count on the support of sponsors - Orlen, Bank Pekao, Krajowa Grupa Spożywcza and Suzuki.
Schedule of meetings of the Polish national team
Poland - HungaryAugust 13, at 13:30
Poland - Bosnia and HerzegovinaAugust 14 at 8:30 pm
Poland - PortugalAugust 16, 18:00. 18:00
Semi-finalsAugust 18
The finalAugust 20
Source: Wprost
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have been an author at Daily News Hack for the past 1 year. I mostly cover sports news, but I also have a keen interest in current affairs and politics. In my spare time, I enjoy playing tennis and spending time with my family.
