Yagodkina hopes Kazakhstan will play as a cohesive unit at Women's Asia Cup

ASTANA (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Tamara Yagodkina knows that Kazakhstan will need to play exceptional team basketball for them to go far in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 in Bengaluru, India.

At just 27 years old, Yagodkina is about to enter her physical prime, but she is already considered among the seasoned veterans for Kazakhstan, who are hoping to break out of Division B and return to Division A. In the 2015 edition of the tournament, Yagodkina was the Kazakhs' best player, averaging 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.6 three-pointers as the team won 3 of their 5 games but still fell short of playing for a place at the top level.

This time around, the 1.82m forward is hoping her team can show much better cohesion and teamwork as they try to be counted among the continent's elite again. They are grouped with Lebanon, Singapore and newcomer Fiji in Division B's Group B, and Yagodkina sees a challenging road ahead.

She recently shared her thoughts with FIBA.com

How do you feel about how Kazakhstan played in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship for Women? What could the team have done better?
The FIBA Asia Championship 2015 gathered together the most worthy teams. Every game was tense, both physically and morally. We all wanted to win, and each team had a chance to do that. Our team didn’t have enough focus during the crucial run-off game. When beginning the game, we were confident it was ours, and perhaps that’s what put us at ease. We are a tight-knit team, and we have learned very important lessons from the Championship and other latest games, and now correcting our mistakes.

You were the team's leading scorer 2 years ago. Do you think you can duplicate that again this year?
We all like to score, but probably the main feeling and aspiration that I have is that I must bring the maximum benefit for my team in other ways. The upcoming games will not be an exception for sure.

Who do you think will be Kazakhstan's toughest opponents in Division B?
The Lebanese team will be tough, especially as we already met them, and we know they are really worthy competitors.

What does the team need to do to be able to beat the other teams and get promoted to Division A?
To win, the team must be fully focused for the whole 40 minutes. We have to give it our all, and polish our defense. We must strive to win all matchups and play as a cohesive unit.

FIBA