CZE - Lubor Blažek: "Coaching basketball players is tougher than driving a car…"

PRAGUE (FIBA World Championship for Women) - When we were arranging this interview with the coach of the women's Czech national basketball team LUBOR BLAŽEK, for a long time we were unable to find a free slot. No wonder, the 2010 World Championship for Women is fast approaching and the Czech national team coach is now swamped with work. In the end we somewhat symbolically took advantage of a trip to Brno, during which the Czech coach spoke with us from behind the wheel of his car …

Based on how you're handling yourself behind the wheel, it's obvious that driving is your daily bread…
"Exactly. I drive my car daily and I like to drive. I cannot imagine that all of a sudden I'd be without a car. It's a completely integral part of my profession and lifestyle."

Is it possible to say that you relax behind the wheel? Or do you use car trips to handle matters for which you do not have time in your busy schedule?
"Both are true. There are situations when I get to the car, start it and start clearing my head. Probably every driver knows what I'm talking about. On the other hand there are moments, especially when there is a lot on my plate, which, for example, is this period before the world championship, when I use the car as a sort of mobile office. I think about things that are awaiting me, I handle telephone calls for which I did not have time, of course using hands free, or I give interviews like now. The time behind the wheel can be used in various ways, although by this I do not want to say that I don't concentrate on my driving. Quite the opposite, actually."

When you are not driving a car, you are coaching the women's national basketball team. What is more difficult, in your opinion"? "Managing" 18 young women, or several dozen loaded horses under the hood…
"That's quite a good question, but when I think about it, I have to say that it is probably more difficult to manage the team. There are many more elements and factors there that impact the final outcome. And work with a team of young women is much more diverse and multifaceted than driving a car. There, after a certain time, you have automated some tasks, even though a mistake behind the wheel, in contrast to a mistake in the work of a coach, is fatal in almost all cases. So to summarize: coaching a team is more difficult, but driving a car is more dangerous…"

You are about to coach at a world championship in front of a home crowd. Do you agree that there is no greater challenge for a coach than this?
"I perceive it as a huge responsibility. I would like for our team to present itself with the best game possible; it's not about some personal ambitions of mine. It is mainly a responsibility towards the fans, players and everyone participating in the preparation of the large sporting event that the World Championship for Women is."

You began preparations with your players already in the middle of this May. How do you feel about the preparations so far?
"Despite the fact that my feelings are not that important, because only results on the court are decisive, I must say that I am internally satisfied so far. I feel the whole team's great desire to work hard, I feel the mutual cohesion and ambition to achieve something really big. That is always very positive for a coach."

The world championship starts already on September 23. Do you have some dream milestone, or the scalp of a particular opponent, for this tournament? And in what place should the Czech team finish for coach Blažek to be able to say "I am satisfied…" after the championship is over?
"I don't look at things this way at all. I have no dream milestone, if I ignore winning the title. But one must be a realist. Similarly, I have no dream scalp. I am only concerned about one thing: to do good work at the championship, so that after it is over we can say that we were able to sell what we had inside of us. And if I know that we fulfilled all of this, then I will be satisfied…"

FIBA/LOC