Bohatskis: Invitation to the national team – income tax for every basketball player.

The team is currently facing a challenging tournament situation; even with two victories, they cannot guarantee a spot at the EuroBasket. However, not everything is lost. The team will pursue their goal of qualifying for the European Championship with the return of their former head coach, Latvian specialist Ainars Bagatskis.

On December 29, 2024, the Basketball Federation of Ukraine announced the return of Ainars Bagatskis as the head coach of the Ukrainian national team. He returned to the helm of the national team less than two years after his departure.

In March 2023, he left the team right after the conclusion of the World Championship 2023 qualifiers. At that time, the team failed to qualify for the global championship. Bagatskis had previously served as the head coach of the men's national team for three and a half years, during which he successfully led the team to EuroBasket 2021 by winning their qualifying group.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Championship took place in 2022. In that tournament, Bagatskis managed to lead the Ukrainian team to the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the Round of 16. Ultimately, the Ukrainian team finished in 12th place at the tournament.

Champion spoke with the new-old head coach of the Ukrainian national team about his motivation for returning, how the team has changed, their opponents, and their chances of making it to the EuroBasket finals.

– Ainars, you returned to the Ukrainian national team in less than two years. What are your feelings?

– Very good. Perhaps I haven't experienced such a shock in my life for a long time. I was missing that kind of thrill. And now, having returned, I am experiencing these emotions fully. I must say again, the feelings are very good.

I didn't take much time to think when I was offered to return to the national team. I can’t say that I felt far from the team all this time. You could say I’ve returned home.

– You have probably been following the team in the current EuroBasket qualifying tournament. How much has the team changed?

– Nothing has really changed. As I mentioned, I really like the atmosphere, the spirit of the national team. I have always said that for players, and, in a sense, for coaches from every country, if you are invited to the national team, you should never refuse.

It is, in a way, a kind of income tax that you must pay to your country for making you a basketball player. After all, your first steps in basketball, in any case, are taken in your own country with your coaches. Then, it’s up to fate to decide.

And I still believe that players often showcase their best, highest-quality basketball when they are together in the national team. Because only in the national team do you truly feel the team chemistry, the atmosphere, and the understanding among teammates. Without that, basketball cannot function properly.

That’s why the national team is always a perfect ten.

– The team is currently in a critical situation, but things can still change...

– Of course, the whole team understands the importance of these games. We know why we are here, and we know what we want to achieve. First and foremost, we need to do what is within our control. Then... I spoke with the coach of the Israeli national team, and he promised me they would do everything to win their matches. So that we have equal conditions with our opponents. Besides, this is professional sports; they want to win the group, they want to qualify for EuroBasket from the top position.

But again, first and foremost, we must do what depends on us. Then we will wait for the results of the parallel matches.

– Are you satisfied with the preparation? Are there any problems?

– There are problems, of course. I won’t say that everything is very good and smooth, at least because, during the first four days of training, four players were absent, so we couldn't conduct full-fledged practices. Some were sick, and some had minor injuries... Just now, everyone has gathered and is fully ready to work.

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But there is also something that genuinely pleases me – the players' attitude towards work, their desire. There is enormous aggression, a wild desire to win, if you will.

– How satisfied are you with the roster you have assembled for these last two games?

– I assembled this roster based on the team play I want to see in the February matches. A few days ago, it became known that Artem Kovalov, who was on this list, would not be able to help due to needing surgery on his meniscus.

Overall, when it comes to the players, there are leaders whose status is unquestionable. There are experienced players, and there are players who need to understand their roles and what will be required of them in offense. There are young players who will get a chance, at least in the training process. Then we will form the lineup directly for the matches.

– Share your thoughts on the tactics for the upcoming matches?

– Raimonds Feldmanis has already made video cuts of the matches against Slovenia and Portugal; we analyzed these games. In my opinion, we should play with a more mobile lineup and focus more on aggressive defense, starting with one-on-one defense.

Right now, I see that Tkachenkо and Krutous will have significant roles. I sincerely hope that some players will understand, while others will remember how I see basketball. Most of the players from this roster have worked with me; they know what to expect. We will try to prepare some small surprises, but making significant changes in such a short time is very challenging.

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In the upcoming matches, a player like Kovalov could have helped at the power forward position and somewhat altered the game’s dynamics. He has had a lot of playing time in Estonia, where he plays with the ball a lot, and I wanted to utilize that in the national team. But that will have to wait until next time.

– There are some changes in the national team compared to the previous game window. Comment on the substitution in the backcourt, where experienced Denis Lukashov returned to the team instead of Illya Sidorov.

– Sidorov has been having good matches with the Rīgas VEF team. But I decided to bring Lukashov back to the national team because he is an experienced player who knows his role well and can help during the minutes he is given. Plus, he is having a good season, shooting nearly 50% from three-point range at his club. It seems to me that the team was somewhat lacking such players.

– The team will have a debutant – Mykhailo Bublyk. What are his and the other young players' chances of making their debut for the national team?

– Bublyk is the absolute leader of Kryvbas, taking on responsibility. He is not afraid to take charge of the game and seizes his opportunities. We decided to take a look at him; he will have the chance to work with the best players in the country against experienced national team members who have been playing basketball for many years. We will see how he performs alongside these basketball players.

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Everyone will have a chance to get playing time, as all players on the list are candidates for the final 12-man roster. And I would really like to see the young players competing hard in practice, while the experienced players feel that pressure. If there is synergy between the young wanting to prove themselves and the experienced wanting to defend their spots, we will prepare well.

As for the second match, 12 players will travel to Portugal.

Responsible editor – Stanislav Lysak