WARSAW (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) – Across the Atlantic via the Greek port city of Kavala, Chicago-born Andy Mazurczak’s route to the Polish national team is far from the usual one.

Having been named to the 24-player candidate list for FIBA EuroBasket 2017, the 23-year-old point guard is expected to be invited to the training camp, where he will have a chance to win over head coach Mike Taylor for a spot on the roster.

"One of my dreams was to play for the Polish national team."Andy MazurczakAndy Mazurczak

With old-timers A.J. Slaughter and Lukasz Koszarek having virtually locked in their spots by default, Poland is already well-equipped with distributors as it stands, but there will likely be another place reserved for a playmaker.

That is the vacancy Mazurczak will fight for against also national team hopefuls in the up-and-coming Daniel Szymkiewicz and veteran Robert Skibniewski, also featured on the expanded squad.

"I'm a pass-first point guard that can score. Some people say I'm a combo, but I'm best as a point guard. I like to get my teammates involved and comfortable. And if a team needs me to score, I can do that too," said the mystery man from Chicago, describing his game to Przeglad Sportowy.

"I'm not super athletic, but I play smart, so I know how to use angles to my advantage. I use my skills rather than my physical ability."

Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside last year, the playmaker selected Greek A2 Basket League side Kavala as his first professional stop and had a successful season, averaging 12.9 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Mazurczak already got a test run with the Polish national team program last year when he participated in an exhibition tournament in China with the reserve squad. However, his performance was cut short by an injury.

"After my college season, I signed with an agent and told him that one of my dreams is to play for the Polish national team. He contacted coach Taylor, who asked for highlights and games. He liked my game and decided to invite me," recalled the player of last summer, walking through how he got on the radar.

"It was a little hard to adapt. No one knew who I was or how I got there, so people were surprised since I had never played professionally and didn't live in Poland. But the camp was great. I learned a lot because it was my first time playing professionally and it prepared me for the upcoming season. The experience was awesome, but unfortunately, I got hurt, so I couldn't play all the games."

The bro @DreMaz15 is National Team Training Camp ready. Euro Push Action. #DigDeepBasketball #poland pic.twitter.com/TDYdbNaSFf

— Steph (@stephonmartinez) June 25, 2017

In spite of being born across the pond, much of Mazurczak’s family is still rooted in back in Europe and Polish heritage is something the player takes pride in.

"My parents moved to Chicago in 1992 and I was born in 1993. All my family lives in Poland – my dad’s side is from Bydgoszcz and my mom is from Gliwice. I've had a passport since I was born and my parents did a great job of making sure I had one when I was younger. At home, we only speak Polish," he explained.

It remains to be seen, whether Mazurczak can beat his competition for a spot on coach Taylor's roster already for FIBA EuroBasket 2017, but one thing is certain – Poland will have an interesting point guard option going forward.

Poland will start their FIBA EuroBasket 2017 campaign in Helsinki, forming Group A with France, Finland, Greece, Iceland and Slovenia.

FIBA