2024-03-26 15:55:27
Latvia is currently the “hottest” basketball team in the world – since the Italian specialist took the helm, it has won 23 of the 26 official games played, losing only against three medalists of last year’s World Cup – for one shot against Serbia and Germany, as well as against star-studded Canada, this maintaining the chances of a positive outcome in the duel until the final quarter.
Immediately after the fifth place in the final tournament of the World Cup, Banki signed a contract with one of the strongest units of his homeland, “Virtus” of Bologna. Now Banki remembers in an interview that instead of the intended rest, he had to immediately start a new job. “After returning from welcoming the national team in Riga, I landed in Italy, where I barely had enough time to change my bag, clothes, grab some of my belongings and had to move to Bologna. I returned home on Friday, signed a contract with the club on Saturday and had my first training session on Monday,” says the coach, emphasizing that such an opportunity should not be missed. “I couldn’t say no at that point, no matter how much my body and my mind were already moving in a completely different direction. I just couldn’t refuse this offer.”
Banki emphasizes that he is helped to balance the heavy workload by high-quality assistants who are top-level professionals. With them you can share the load, stress, responsibility and what you have to sacrifice from your life because of this work. In parallel with his work in the “Virtus” ranks, the coach continues to think a lot about the Latvian national team. “It’s challenging, but that’s also one of the reasons I really wanted to take it on. Such a regime forces you to squeeze the best out of yourself. I have to come into a different modality, where the style of running a basketball team changes, the way of communicating information changes. I like to challenge myself like this, because I am sure that I will be a better coach after this whole process.”
In February, the Latvian national team won the first two games after the World Cup final tournament – they beat Spain 79:75 and beat Slovakia 64:52 in the crowded Arena Riga. The next official games will be held in Riga at the beginning of July as part of the qualification tournament for the Paris Olympic Games.
“We are no longer a team that no one expected to beat Spain or France in the World Cup. We will be counted on and prepared against us in a completely different way, so this is the moment when we have to prove that we are not just a comet, but we have ambitions to stay at this level. This new division does not have such a direct definition, but it is clear that we, as a whole national basketball structure, need to achieve stability. It will require dedication, discipline and self-discipline. I’m not just talking about the team – players and coaches. I am talking about the entire basketball community, the federation, its management. We have to prove that we belong here,” says the Italian, expressing that we must continue to work, but staying in the current position will probably be even more difficult than achieving it. “However, I like to be in this situation, because everyone will have the opportunity to prove that we really belong at this level.”
“This and next summer can be called a dream. We have to dream. We need to strengthen our roots so that we can take off. We are preparing for a scenario that no one predicted for us before. We will try to get to the Olympic Games, which is a kind of highest goal for those involved in sports. Whether it’s an individual athlete, a team or a coach, when we talk about the Olympics, it’s the highest pinnacle possible. And then, a year later, we will play in the European Championship in Riga! It is one of the best things that can happen in an athlete’s career – to hold a competition of this scale at home. Why not dream? There is an opportunity to fulfill your dreams! My job now is to strengthen the roots to harden this plant against stress and trials. May this plant stretch so high that it reaches the sky. To give Latvian basketball a chance to reach the sky!” emphasizes Banki.
Read the full interview in the magazine Sports Newspaper in the March issue, which is only available this week at the best newsstands.
2024-03-26 15:55:27