Hanusova living the dream, others will follow
PRAGUE (EuroLeague Women/FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017) - As ZVVZ USK Prague prepare for a third consecutive EuroLeague Women Final Four and Czech Republic get ready to host FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017, it's boom-time for Alena Hanusova.
Crowned a EuroLeague Women champion two years ago in a fairytale on home soil, the forward is hoping her club career will continue to soar and that she can also help sketch another positive story for Czech women’s basketball at the Final Round in June.
FIBA.com checked in with Hanusova to find out how she is feeling ahead of another huge few months in her still burgeoning career.
After you [ZVVZ USK Prague] lost a fourth straight game in EuroLeague Women when you were defeated in Orenburg in the first game of the Quarter-Finals, the 2017 Final Four must have seemed a long way away?
That first game in Orenburg was definitely a wake-up call for us. It also gave rise to the motto that our coach [Natalia Hejkova] often likes to remind us of, which is ‘never give up!’ It made us learn from our mistakes from that first match during practices, which led to our win during game two in Prague. We chose completely different tactics in our defense, because we definitely wanted to go back to Russia one more time and even the idea of losing was not allowed in the team.
After winning these two games, we feel we've finally started to 'play our game', which we had practically played throughout the entire season. Our game is basically based on defense and whatever we are going to do in a game, we cannot be reckless. Each of us has to look for a free team-mate and not just go for an attack solely by ourselves. And last, but not least, the entire team fought as one.
What have you learned from your first two trips to the Final Four and what are you expecting from the 2017 edition?
It is a great success for the club that we can be one of the teams in the Final Four for the third time in a row. We cannot possibly describe how much effort we have had to put into each game to be where we are right now and we humbly think that we deserve it - although we know that some parts [of the season] did not end up like we wanted them to. But, we stood up and did not give up. Every game that we have played was a lecture to us all. Not just to us girls, but also to our coach, who can implement new tactics and set up a new strategy for any upcoming games. The first Final Four [when we won the title] was something special for us, because it was played in Prague, in our home town and that meant a lot. We basically had nothing to lose, therefore each game we have played was important for us just to show the home audience that we are worth it. Last year's Final Four with two lost games, was a valuable lesson from which we have taken a lot. I think we have really learned from our mistakes and the results can be seen right now.
It's a big year for Czech Basketball because of the hosting of the FIBA EuroBasket Women Final Round. How much are you looking forward to it?
I'm thrilled that this year's FIBA EuroBasket Women Final Round will be played in Czech Republic and I will have the honor to play in the colors of my national team. I am quite glad that we've gotten these nations in our group, because we might have a good chance of possible advancement. On the other hand, we all know that every game is going to be significant and matches are going to differ from one another. Games that we are going to play against the rest of the teams we have in our group are not going to be easy, but we still do not want to give up. We see it as a challenge to fight for wins.
What do you think will be important in your Group against Hungary, Spain and Ukraine?
Pretty much all the teams in our group are strong, although the most difficult match in the group is going to be the last one against Spain, who were the silver medal team at the Olympics.
What are your memories (good and bad) from on and off the court at previous editions of FIBA EuroBasket Women Final Round?
I have great memories from when we were off the court at every single EuroBasket Women Final Round tournament, because of the friendly atmosphere among my team-mates, the coaching staff and doctors. We have had a lot fun not only during the off-hours, but during the practices as well. I look forward to every summer when we meet and can be with these great people again. On the court, it is obvious that when you win, you enjoy the time even more. Although, if I could speak for the entire team, we also sometimes had good feelings from some lost games too. The winning game against Belarus just came to my mind last time [when we won 73-70] in a game that gave us another chance for our advancement. On the other hand, those bad or not so joyful memories from the court I have, are those when we narrowly lost a game against Greece 74-71 and we could not go further in the last edition of the tournament.
What motivates you to play the game and why should young Czech girls pick up a basketball or come along and see games this summer?
It is the passion that I have preserved for many years, as well as the hard work and lots of experience I've gained throughout the time that I have played. I love this game! It was and still is an inseparable part of my life. I chose basketball because of my personality, because you are a cog in a big machine that has to work well. Because you can meet many new people, you can learn new stuff from them and you also can teach them new stuff. I have met my best friend because of basketball. Why should future Czech girls pick up a ball? That is easy - because you meet awesome people, you travel around the world, see things you have never thought you could ever see. They should come along and not only watch us play [as the Czech Republic national team] but also experience the atmosphere at FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 more generally. Everybody dreams, so let’s make them dream too!
You can follow Alena on Instagram
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