TIRANA (FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B) - Frenki Lilaj will be playing his first FIBA U20 European Championship Division B for Albania this summer and he believes the country's basketball is on the rise and its time is coming soon.

It will be the fourth time that Lilaj is playing for Albania after one FIBA U16 European Championship, Division B and two appearances at the FIBA U18 European Championship, Division B.

"Playing a fourth time I am excited the same way I was my first time playing," said Lilaj, who will face Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Malta and Romania with the Albanian team in Group C in Oradea from July 14-23. "After all, playing for the national team is a great honor."

That is an honor more Albanians are receiving of late. The country did not participate in any men's youth national team competitions between 2005 and 2014. But the last two summers Albania have had teams at U16, U18 and U20 levels.

"I think participating in these tournaments every year is very important to the development of basketball in our country. And you can see the growth young players have had in these two years," Lilaj said. "The level of basketball in our country is steadily increasing and I am sure that Albania will soon have basketball as good as any other country."

Albania have finished 16th and 21st the last two summers at U20 level. The group in Oradea have the potential to better this mark.

"I think participating in these tournaments every year is very important to the development of basketball in our country. And you can see the growth young players have had in these two years," Lilaj said. "The level of basketball in our country is steadily increasing and I am sure that Albania will soon have basketball as good as any other country."Frenki LilajFrenki Lilaj

Nine of the players from last year's U20 team were born in 1997 or 1998, meaning they could be available for this summer's team in Romania. The group includes Celis Taflaj and Bruno ZyKa, who will both be playing their third FIBA U20 European Championship Division B.

"Our objective this year is the same as always: go out there and play our best like I know we can and come out with as many wins as we can," Lilaj said. 

Lilaj, who plays with Czech club Get Better Academy Prague, was actually born in Athens but is much closer to Albania.

"Even though I was born in Greece, I have lived most of my life in Albania, as has my family. So I love my country and playing for the national team," Lilaj said. "I have a chance to honor it and show my appreciation of everything this country has done for me."

The player Lilaj looks up to most is also Albanian, Ermal Kuqo.

"He is the most successful Albanian basketball player and being that I play the same position as him that's who I want to model my game after," Lilaj said of Kuqo, who played for the Turkish national team under the name Ermal Kurtoglu and participated in two FIBA EuroBaskets and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010 before switching to the Albanian national team after that. 

Lilaj is still at the beginning of his career and the next step is in Romania, where he hopes the team can push Albanian basketball a step forward.

"I think to be successful we have to go into every game prepared, play our hardest and not underestimate ourselves - even though other teams will," Lilaj said.

Perhaps the days of underestimating Albania in national team competitions are numbered.

FIBA