KIEV (FIBA U20 European Championship 2017) - Illya Tyrtyshnyk's father was an Olympic athlete at the 1996 Atlanta Games. But by the time his father asked if he wanted to follow in his footsteps, Tyrtyshnyk had already made the long jump into basketball. Now he is looking to accomplish something big with Ukraine at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2017.

Tyrtyshnyk will be playing for Ukraine for the third time - both previous tournaments at the U18 level and with very different results. In 2015, the 6ft 3in (1.90m) guard could not keep Ukraine from dropping to Division B at the FIBA U18 European Championship. But he returned last summer to help his country win promotion right back up to Division A. 

"The first one was where I got more experience and ready for the second one to get the team promoted back to Division A," said Tyrtyshnyk, who averaged 14.6 points, 3.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals.This summer Tyrtyshnyk moves to U20 level in Crete from July 15-23 and the Kiev native has high hopes after Ukraine made the Quarter-Finals in 2016.

"Our goals are high," said Tyrtyshnyk, who will take on Israel, Latvia and Lithuania in Group C. "The chemistry inside the team is great. If we keep working like this we can reach anything."

Tyrtyshnyk is very much looking forward to playing for the first time with Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who returns after playing at the FIBA U20 European Championship last summer and already competed at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 with Ukraine's senior national team. "Mykhailiuk is a great player who helps everyone on the team get better," Tyrtyshnyk said. "I will try to learn something from him and just enjoy the time we have on and off the court."

Basketball is definitely Tyrtyshnyk's true love. He did some acrobatics and swimming and played a bit of football, but all that was just to stay fit, he said.

"When basketball started, there was no more time for other sports," Tyrtyshnyk said.

His father Vyacheslav Tyrtshnik participated in the 1996 Olympics in the high jump. But he also really enjoyed basketball and was the one who put Tyrtyshnyk into the sport. 

"Later he asked if I wanted to follow in his footsteps in high jumping, but I was already all into basketball."

Tyrtyshnyk's mother Olga Zaretskaya is also very athletic, dancing professionally in the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine in Kiev.

"Our goals are high," said Tyrtyshnyk, who will take on Israel, Latvia and Lithuania in Group C. "The chemistry inside the team is great. If we keep working like this we can reach anything."Illya TyrtyshnykIllya Tyrtyshnyk

Tyrtyshnyk's younger brother Antony is trying to make the Ukraine team for the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017, while Tyrtyshnyk himself loves putting on the Ukraine jersey any time he can.

"I'm always excited to play for the national team. It's a pride thing for me to represent my country," he said.

Even if it's not in the high jump.

FIBA