Team Profile: Will it be party time in Prague for the Czechs?

PRAGUE (Czech Republic) - FIBA EuroBasket 2022 will be extra special for the Czech Republic with Group D being staged in Prague.

As a host nation they will feel some additional pressure, especially with a question mark hanging over a late injury to captain Tomas Satoransky, yet the Czechs are aware this is a long-awaited chance for their fans to celebrate what this team has become.

The Czech Republic are an example of how continuity, dedication, patience and togetherness can turn around a national team's fortunes. This team has come a long way. When the old Division A and Division B competition was scrapped and Europe's showpiece event was expanded to 24 teams in 2011, the Czechs still didn't make it to the big show.

Two years later though, the Czechs took part at EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia and while they didn't advance from the Group Phase, signs of promise were there. They had Jan Vesely, Tomas Satoransky, Vojtech Hruban, David Jelinek and Ondrej Balvin.

A 62-60 opening game defeat to Slovenia in Celje ultimately cost them a place in the next phase. Wins over Poland and Georgia weren't enough to get a top three spot in Group C. The experience made them stronger, though, and when EuroBasket 2015 was staged, under new coach Ronen Ginzburg, the team came in seventh to claim a place in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament field.

Despite finishing 20th at FIBA EuroBasket 2017, the Czechs came back stronger the next time. They not only qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China, but came in sixth! That earned them a position in one of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQT) for Tokyo. The Czechs then won the Vancouver FIBA OQT to earn a spot at the Olympics.

Now, when you look at the Czech team, you see players that endured struggles but became stronger because of it. Now, the dynamic duo of Vesely (32) and Satoransky (30) is a veteran twosome. Other players like Hruban (32), Balvin (29) and Jelinek (31), have endured difficult times yet have come out stronger from the experience.

Many of the Czech players have logged big minutes in important games, especially Vesely and Satoransky. With their clubs, they have competed in the NBA and also in Europe.The international windows have allowed this team to build continuity.

Jaromir Bohacik is a standout forward, was the team's second leading scorer behind Satoransky at the World Cup in China, while Patrik Auda was the team's second leading scorer, again after Satoransky, at the FIBA OQT in Victoria.

Balvin, almost unrecognizable from the player who struggled in the first years of his career, averaged a double-double in points and rebounds at the FIBA OQT in Canada, and led all players at the event with eight blocks.

There is also the tantalizing prospect of a 22-year-old Vit Krejci, ahead of his second season in the NBA with Oklahoma City, providing a spark for the team.

If the Czechs have had some good times in recent years, even better could come at EuroBasket 2022.
 

 IN THE LAST 10 FIBA EVENTS

YEAR	EVENT	LOCATION	ACHIEVEMENT
2021	Olympics	Tokyo (JPN)	9th
2019	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Beijing (CHN)	6th
2017	FIBA EuroBasket	Istanbul (TUR)	20th
2016	Olympics	Rio de Janeiro (BRA)	Did not qualify
2015	FIBA EuroBasket	Lille (FRA)	7th
2014	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Madrid (ESP)	Did not qualify
2013	FIBA EuroBasket	Ljubljana (SLO)	13th
2012	Olympics	London (GBR)	Did not qualify
2011	FIBA EuroBasket	Kaunas (LTU)	Did not qualify
2010	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Istanbul (TUR)	Did not qualify

   

  (QUALIFIED AS CO-HOSTS) COMPETED IN THE FIBA EUROBASKET 2022 QUALIFIERS - 1st IN GROUP C (2W - 4L)

DATE	GAME	RESULT
21/02/2020	Czech Republic  v Denmark	75-71
24/02/2020	Lithuania v Czech Republic	97-89
27/11/2020	Czech Republic v Belgium	62-90
29/11/2020	Denmark v Czech Republic	91-90
20/02/2021	Czech Republic v Lithuania	74-94
22/02/2021	Belgium v Czech Republic	86-91

 

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