TBILISI (FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B) - Goga Bitadze has set a high goal for the FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B as the talented center prospect wants to lead Georgia back to the Division A.

Georgia were in Division A at the U20 level in 2013 but finished last and were relegated to Division B. The eastern European country has failed to get back up to the top flight, but Bitadze feels this group in Oradea is talented enough to get the job done.

"This is probably strongest national team we've ever had, so we're going to see," said Bitadze, who will be playing two years younger than the rest of the competition, as he was born in 1999. "Our minimum goal is to be a top-three finish, but the main goal still stays and that is to take first place."

The 6ft 11in (2.11m) center Bitadze is playing for Georgia for a third time - finishing fifth at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2015, Division B and taking 10th place at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016, Division B. In Romania, Georgia will also have top players like Luka Bulashvili, Levan Babilodze and Willy Isiani among others as they take on Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta and Romania in Group C. 

"I think we have the best roster in the tournament," Bitadze said. "Our team played lot of tournaments this year together so they know each other well and that's our biggest strength."Bitadze, who plays for Serbian club Mega Bemax Belgrade, is just the latest in a growing list of high-level talents coming out of Georgia, which is anything but big with around 4 million people.

"We have a guy who was drafted with the number five pick in the NBA Draft (Nikoloz Tskitishvili to Denver in 2002) and a guy who plays for the Golden State Warriors and is a starter (Zaza Pachulia). We also have guys who are on leading teams in Europe's top competitions. And we made four straight FIBA EuroBaskets and played well in those," Bitadze said. "So I think that's a lot for such a small country."

Bitadze started playing the game at age 6 but didn't have any players influence him early on because he didn't watch the game. Only later did he watch it more and one of Bitadze's favorite players is Tornike Shengelia, not really a surprise giving that Shengelia is a big athletic power forward who makes spectacular plays.
One could argue it is a bit surprising that Bitadze ended up playing basketball given that the city in which he was born - Sagarejo, located about 60 kilometers east of the Georgian capital Tbilisi - isn't well known for its basketball.

"One of the best things about Sagarejo is that it's such a beautiful region. There are a lot of mountains, and a lot of good sportsmen have grown up in this region. There are such warm and hospitable people and the food is good too," said Bitadze.

The most well known athletes from Sagarejo are Levan Tediashvili, a two-time Olympic freestyle gold medalist and four-time world champion; and the 1952 freestyle wrestling Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist Arsen Mekokishvili.

Still, Bitadze landed in basketball and has developed into a high-level center prospect. This summer he is hoping he can lead Georgia back to the top flight.

FIBA