Feldman: There’s a lot more hype

“We are ninth in the world ranking. We are driving with our goal, we know what we want to achieve, and do our job with confidence, not self-confidence,” the coach emphasized.

“We are athletes and anyone goes to the competition to win immediately. We are now going to win in order to reach our goal faster. Step by step, psychologically the guys are also in the mood,” he added.

In the first qualifying tournament, Latvian 3×3 basketball players will meet Asian champions Mongolia, Egypt and New Zealand in Group B, while Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland will compete in Group A. Only the best of the eight teams will get a ticket to the Paris Games.

“The Mongolian national team played in the Asia Cup with a slightly different composition, but now there are the usual players who are usually also in the stages of the World Tour. They are professional 3×3 players. New Zealand have basketball players with a lot of 3×3 games, each of them has played around 250 matches. Against each team there is own recipe. Egypt has not yet announced its squad, but it will be the third game and we will have already gotten to know them,” the coach described the upcoming opponents.

Compared to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Feldmanis explained that currently there is more interest in 3×3 basketball from many countries, but Latvian players have become much more experienced.

“There is much more hype. For example, Austria naturalized a player. Each team, the federation is getting more involved to create a 3×3 national team. For example, the Austrians only focus on 3×3 basketball because they understand that it is more difficult for them in classic basketball. They get more power and finances to prepare for 3×3 basketball,” explained the coach.

“We have become stronger because Nauri and Karl, Agni and Edgar now have a lot of experience. I really liked that they did not play together last season and each had a new role. They did not see each other for ten months and now there is an extra energy on the pitch, but Sigmar and Francis brings even more athleticism,” continued the coach.

If the Latvian national team fails to win in the first qualifying tournament, the next opportunity will be in the tournament that will take place from May 3 to 5 in the Japanese city of Utsunomiya, while the last chance to get an Olympic ticket will be from May 16 to 19 in the Hungarian city of Debrecen.