KATOWICE (Poland) - Slovenia entered the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Quarter-Finals with superstars Luka Doncic, and Goran Dragic leading a team that had high hopes of defending the European crown they had conquered five years prior.
Poland was up next, but the media were already preparing their analysis of Slovenia's potential opponents in the Semi-Finals. Nobody saw a Slovenian loss coming.
Well, nobody except Mateusz Ponitka. The Polish star erupted for 26 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists to lead his team to a well-earned 90-87 triumph and record only the third triple-double in FIBA EuroBasket history in the process.
As Ponitka followed into the footsteps of Toni Kukoc in 1995 and Romania's Andrei Mandache in 2017, Poland ended their 50-year wait to reach into the Semi-Finals of FIBA EuroBasket.
None of this would have happened without Slovenia's nemesis.
"Without Ponitka, we wouldn't have achieved anything that we have done in the last years. He's the leader everybody wants," Aleksander Balcerowski told FIBA.
"In the last years, I can’t remember anything like this. The moment, the kind of stage it was, the pressure, everything.
To pull up and play a game like this, I think it was one of the best, if not the best, performances of anybody playing for the Polish national team
Igor Milicic has been in charge of the Polish national team since 2021, but he has a close bond with the country after playing and coaching here over many years.
"I think that's definitely the best performance of a Polish player," Milicic said.
"Also, that game in Poland is known as the best team game in the last 50 years. We are proud of it."
Interestingly, the protagonist of that great Polish feat doesn't in fact think about it that often. He certainly doesn't make a connection with Thursday's clash.
"Many people ask me about this; wherever I go, they always remember and come back to this game," Ponitka said.
Personally, I don't think about it. But as the game approaches, I remind myself of it, of the whole situation that we were in, the amazing atmosphere. Back then, it was crazy.
"We keep our emotions from 2022 in Berlin, where they belong right now. [Thursday's game] is going to be a totally different game, the teams and surroundings are different. Many players made progress, and many players got older.
"We try to approach it with this mentality. We try to start the tournament strong, and that's our goal," he added.
What will definitely be different will be the experience of playing in a packed Spodek Arena in Katowice, in front of the enthusiastic Polish fans singing the national anthem. Ponitka was in the crowd back at FIBA EuroBasket 2009, cheering on Poland from the stands.
"When you're a kid, your dream is to play at home, with your fans, in a situation where you can all team up against opponents on the basketball court. It's the biggest stage, one of the biggest in the world," he said.
"It hits you that you are representing the whole country, who unite to see us competing."
Coach Milicic is confident the Polish hero wearing #9 will offer the local crowd a lot to cheer on.
"He has an extreme winning character with a work ethic that is top of the line. He's a role model for young kids to experience how the stars are rising," the coach said.
"This is not pure talent. This is a lot of work that he puts into that, and then a big reward comes after that hard work."
Hard work needs inspiration. Ponitka recalls being inspired by Milos Teodosic's long-distance dagger at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010 and Pau Gasol's legendary scoring stretch at FIBA EuroBasket 2015.
He was a starry-eyed 22-year-old when Pau dropped 30 points on 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, but he is now a star player in his own right.
"I like to be challenged," he said.
"I don't like it when everything is nice, smooth, and easy. It doesn't give me this adrenaline. This is a great challenge for me, and I always love the opportunity.
Nothing will be easy on Thursday in the replay of the 2022 Quarter-Final. Luckily for Poland, they will be able to count on their hero again. This time, at home.
FIBA