A bright future for Latvian basketball, says country's new NBAer Pasecniks

NEW YORK (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) – Latvian basketball is just about the hottest thing on the market right now. With two players from the Baltic nation of just 2 million already in the NBA, another one is on his way in Anzejs Pasecniks.

Selected with the 25th pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Draft on Thursday, the 21-year-old big man from Riga is following the footsteps of his countrymen Kristaps Porzingis and Davis Bertans, and making a name for Latvia as a basketball wonderland.

Eager to suit up for his country at the FIBA EuroBasket 2017, the 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) rising star spoke to FIBA.basketball about his journey to the NBA, the rise of Latvian basketball and his desire to put on the carmine red jersey of the national team once again this summer.

How do you feel about being one of the future flag bearers of Latvia in the NBA?
I will be a proud Latvian and I will do my best to make my people feel proud back home. I know that the whole country is supporting my fellow teammates in the NBA, such as Kristaps Porzingis and Davis Bertans, but also all Latvian talents who are working hard to make it happen, and I love this national support. Now a lot more people know about our great country!

Latvian basketball has grown a lot in the last couple of years, mainly because of the emergence of some young talents such as Kristaps Porzingis and Davis Bertans. How do you feel about Latvia’s recent growth in competitiveness?
It’s exciting to see that a lot of talents are coming up and playing in very competitive leagues. Maybe it will be this summer or later in the future, but we want to achieve some great results on the international level for a small country like ours. Wanting to be a part and witnessing this growth and development first hand is very important for me. I am looking forward both to the present and the future of Latvian basketball.

"The first summer with the guys [at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament] was amazing and hopefully I am going to be able to play this summer too."Anzejs PasecniksAnzejs Pasecniks

Latvia are going to be part of Group D in Istanbul for FIBA EuroBasket 2017 alongside the hosts, Turkey, as well as Belgium, Great Britain, Russia and Serbia. What are your thoughts about the group?
It’s a really tough group. I don’t know a lot about every team individually, but it’s a competitive group. The team will have to play as one, fight as a group to achieve something interesting at the FIBA EuroBasket. Latvia are always a united team, with everyone fighting for their teammate. We are young, but we have all the ingredients to be a very good team.

Is taking part at the FIBA EuroBasket a goal for you this summer?
Of course. It has always been a dream of mine to play for the senior national team. The first time I played was last summer at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia for the Rio Olympics and I loved it. It is totally different to play with men, comparing to the U18 and U20 teams. The first summer with the guys was amazing and hopefully I will be able to play this summer too.

What kind of advice did Kristaps Porzingis give you during that NBA Draft process?
He didn’t give me that much advice, but he told me to give my best and enjoy the process. He went through the same process before and he knows what I am going through by going to the NBA. I am going to keep the same state of mind I have had the last couple of years, which is fighting hard and making my dream happen.

How excited were you going through the NBA Draft process?
I was excited about the entire season. I have been waiting for this for a long time. Of course, I was concentrated on every single game, but I was also thinking about what would happen at the end of the season. The last couple of weeks before the Draft were hard and long, as I had workouts and had to show people what I am able to do, but it was a great experience for me, so I feel good about this entire process.

Not that many people knew about you until a couple of months ago. How do you see your progress and the way people have viewed you in the last couple of months?
People knew about me after the FIBA European Championships with the Latvia’s youth teams, but I didn’t play that well until recently, so people kind of forgot about me. Then, last season, I came back to my best level and people started to talk about me again. I am happy with the way I have worked hard in the last two seasons and I feel great about my game now.

Gran Canaria have helped me a lot in the process and being there was a great environment to work and improve on my game. They have a great academy and they work very well with young prospects. Look at Edy Taveres for example – he went there and learned a lot about the game, then he got drafted and now he plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. My body and my game have improved so much since I started playing for Gran Canaria and I am thankful for what they have done to me.

How much did it help you to move to Spain?
It helped me a lot to grow as a man and as a basketball player. You learn a lot when you are out of your comfort zone. The environment, the team, the staff, the life in Gran Canaria is very good, and you have all the tools to improve and be a great player. Leaving Latvia, my family, my friends and my life in my hometown was not that easy. I kind of started my life again by moving to Gran Canaria, but I made the best decision for my career and myself. 

Working on your game in the second best league in the world is also a pretty good environment to improve.
I remember when I first got to Gran Canaria, we went to play a preseason tournament and I saw the schedule included Real Madrid, Barcelona and I was like 'wow, that is so great'. That was the first time I played against those legendary teams and it was great. Then, I got used to it, but playing the Spanish league is very good and so competitive. My first year in Spain was kind of an adjustment, but the second year I had more playing time and it was good. Whatever the number of minutes I spent on the court, I always did my best to be an impactful player.

About your transition to NBA basketball, how do you think it would go?
I think it will go well. I might need some months to get adjusted to the pace and the game in the NBA, but I know I will achieve that. I am guy who gets adapted easily to different situations. I have only played European basketball so far, but I am going to give my best to get adjusted as soon as possible to the NBA game and pace.

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