It is an honor for me, especially at the moment, to coach the Ukrainian national team. Although, before the European Championship, one of your colleagues said that being the coach of the Ukrainian basketball team is the most chore. Somewhere I agree, but this is what I can do for Ukrainian basketball “, says Bagatsky, underlining that this is a new European reality, a new situation.
Let’s look a little back in history. February 24. Ukraine’s basketball team will play away against Spain. Despite the Russian invasion, the team went out and played. The Ukrainians were trained and still coached by Ainars Bagatskis. In September, Ukraine fought admirably in the finals of this year’s “EuroBasket” tournament, starting it with three wins. But three defeats followed. Ukraine finished the tournament in 11th place in the 24-team competition, losing to surprising Poland in a fierce battle in the round of 16. Currently, Bagatskis continues to lead the Ukrainian national team, who will also play the home game against Iceland at the “Riga” Arena in November.
An extremely eventful year in basketball, even for Ainar himself. At the moment, the hottest news from Ukraine is that the Ukrainian basketball championship has started. “It started now in bubble format.
Continuously, for three days in a row, the teams play in those places where it is 100% sure that there will be no alarm, there will be no need to run to the air-raid shelter.
The federation has decided, life goes on, “Bagatski says about this championship. Western Ukraine and Kiev are currently the relatively safest places. Bagatski has not taken over any club this season, even if for three he was also the coach of “Kyiv Basket” for years, and he would agree to continue as long as he was a competitive team in Europe.
The club “Prometey” currently plays in the Latvian-Estonian league and Riga has been chosen as the venue for the ULEB European Cup. “When the war started, I was in Riga. Then the Ukrainian Basketball Federation asked if they could talk to the management of the Latvian-Estonian league. At first it was about the participation of five Ukrainian clubs. The management of the Latvian-Estonian league. She was very accommodating. We started and set their mechanism in motion. It happened that in the end there was only one club left: the relatively wealthiest club, which currently has six national team players and six foreigners with such great ambitions. here. I don’t know if the Latvian-Estonian league is the best for the club and its ideas, because we see what is happening. I think every defeat in the Latvian-Estonian league is a tragedy for them, then there is something wrong in the team, “says Bagatskis.
Asked if Latvia wins if “Prometey” plays here, Bagatskis replies: “Sure. Maybe what I’m saying will sound silly from the outside. If the team plays with teams from Latvia and Estonia and exceeds 50 points, I hope maybe. it will capture our pride. I have lived in Latvia for six months so far, I know the costs for clubs and players well. Maintaining a competitive team in the city is not that expensive.
Perhaps the example of “Prometey” that they, as it sometimes seems from the outside, humiliate us, will make us stand up.
Also, when the war began, many young Ukrainian basketball players found places to train and study in Latvia. This, I believe, is also an advantage for Latvian basketball. It is competition, healthy competition. It is an incentive. We don’t have to try to become better like him or as a team, but I myself want to become better as a club, as a player, as a manager. It is only an advantage that there is competition. Also, we can help Ukrainian basketball. “
The Ukrainian national team led by Bagatsky finished 11th in the EuroBasket finals among 24 teams. According to the coach, everything was not as easy and simple as it seemed. “The Ukrainian national team may not have come together at the right time, and some players are chronically lacking in playing practice, high level playing experience,” admits Bagatsky.
In the European Championship, the Ukrainian national team lost to Poland. “No, it didn’t surprise me. The paradox was that we invested the Poles in the test tournament in Turkey. Not in the best formation, but we simply stunned them. Then the Poles beat the Turks in one tournament, then something else. . I said it wasn’t that the Poles were bad, but actually we played very well, with quality, everything worked for us. I don’t want to say in any way that we didn’t like the Poles. For the Poles the whole team is experienced , everyone knows their place on the pitch. You give it to him, he will take. We stopped their leaders, but it wasn’t enough to win, “admits the coach.
Great basketball will be here again. The Ukrainian national team will have to play in Riga on 14 November, before there is an away match against the Netherlands, Latvia against Greece. “How do you see the core of the Latvian national team right now? How did our men start the season in the clubs?” asked “Sports studio”.
“I’m pretty superstitious though. I never say “Whoop!” before reaching a hundred percent result. Now Latvia has reached 99%.
I don’t know what has to happen to Latvia in order not to play in the World Cup.
I don’t know what should happen. The situation in the group, of course, there are really five candidates for those three places, but our advantages are that we will have a 100% advantage over the Turks, we have an advantage over the Serbs in head-to-head matches, over the Belgians. I don’t know what has to happen for Latvia not to play. We have done a colossal job, I would like to say that Latvia is in the World Cup, but I will not say it, “said Bagatskis.
