You are returning exactly one year later, has the national team changed a lot?
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I would say that I found the team in exactly the same state as last year, when we finished the Olympics. After all, the foundation has been together for several years, only someone was missing every time, me at the World Cup in China, Vojta Hruban in Tokyo, but this time we are all here at last. That is, in full force and in a positive mood.
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Will years of teamwork be an advantage for the Czech team?
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Certainly. Training isn’t about getting to know what your teammates can do and what they’re good at, you just have to touch each other. After two training sessions, I quickly realized that things were working for us. Mainly, Saty and I hear each other all the time, we verified that right away. I wasn’t even worried that we’d forget anything. That is also why we signed a contract in the same engagement.
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Are you looking forward to raising Barcelona together?
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Maybe we’re repaying each other’s debt a little, to finally try together in the same club. After eight years at Fenerbahce, I was looking for something that would give me energy again. After such a long time in one place, it is good to take on new challenges. I took the first step, then Saty joined and the fact that he was returning to the club of his heart also played a role in him.
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Jan Veselý is one of the pillars of the national teamPhoto: Slavomir Kubes, CTK
Are you ready for the emotional Lithuanian coach Jasikevičius?
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I like this style of coaching, so it will suit me. But we have to prepare for the fact that the system is given by the coach and we cannot invent our own things as two Czechs. But we will try to show everything within the given framework to help the team win and collect trophies.
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Even before you put on the shirt of the Catalan club, the representative highlight of the season awaits you. Do you feel that September’s European Championship in Prague is accompanied by great expectations?
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We are all looking forward to it, although the championship at home will be a new experience for everyone. We haven’t played such a tournament for forty-one years. Basketball is very popular under the impression of the latest results. I like to play in front of full halls, so hopefully it will come true for us in the O2 arena, the audience, including a number of my friends, will cheer loudly and we will be able to rely on the best possible environment.
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Will there be a very specific group match against the Serbs at the European Championship, if you have relatives there from your wife’s side?
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I have strong ties to the Serbs, but the national team is something else. Years ago there was talk that I could get their passport to be a home player at Partizan. But I would have to give up my Czech passport, which was out of the question for me. Now I will play for real in front of my fans and I would like to win every game.
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Can you fulfill even a secret medal dream?
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So I don’t even have any dreams towards the championship. I want us to play well and give it our all, like we did at the Olympic qualifiers in Victoria when everyone said we had no chance and we still went to Tokyo.
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So will you try to surprise at the championship?
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We have to withstand a certain pressure, you can’t burn out mentally. That is why it is important to prepare very well, the matches against Bulgarians and Croatians at the end of the week at the tournament in Pardubice will be the first test of how we are doing. But we will probably test more rotations, there is still a lot of time left before the European Championship to fine-tune.
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