GEO – Georgia celebrates entry to EuroBasket party
TBILISI (EuroBasket 2011) - Imagine what the most famous of all the wedding receptions in the country of Georgia must have been like on September 5, after Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia tied the knot to his long-time partner. Pachulia had had his phone switched on during the ceremony when it rang and he heard the words, “Zaza, you’re ...
TBILISI (EuroBasket 2011) - Imagine what the most famous of all the wedding receptions in the country of Georgia must have been like on September 5, after Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia tied the knot to his long-time partner.
Pachulia had had his phone switched on during the ceremony when it rang and he heard the words, “Zaza, you’re going to play in next year’s EuroBasket.”
"After telling him for a third time that it was true, all I could hear on the phone were amazing sounds in the background," said the secretary general of the Georgian Basketball Federation, Merab Ratishvili.
It was indeed true.
Pachulia and his fellow national team stars, who were at the wedding, would play at the EuroBasket.
The Georgians had finally won promotion from Division B on September 9, 2009, and they came within a whisker of qualifying for EuroBasket 2011 this year after winning five times in eight games.
But they finished second behind Belgium in Division A, Group C.
During the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, though, the decision was made to expand next year’s EuroBasket in Lithuania to 24 teams.
It meant that for the first time, Georgia would play in the Europe’s top national team competition.
The announcement was so important for Georgia, and it made Pachulia so happy, that he and his wife did something else.
"The next morning," Ratishvili said, "Zaza and his wife went to the airport and flew to Istanbul to personally thank (FIBA Europe Secretary General) Nar Zanolin.
"They also thanked (FIBA Europe President) Olafur Rafnsson."
Georgia will now have a year to buzz about the opportunity to showcase their team at the EuroBasket.
"We're very happy," Ratishvili said.
"It's the first time in the history of Georgia that any team will play at a European Championship. You can understand what this means, what happiness that has brought to the players, the fans and everyone in Georgia.
"We're not going just to show up. We realize very well we cannot win the European Championship, but we go to win some games and to do our best.
"A lot depends on the system of the competition and once FIBA Europe announces that, we'll make our aims.
"We're definitely not going just to show up."
FIBA