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Kitty Laksa is already packing her bags to go to the WNBA

Before the start of the new season, “TTT Rīga” announced that Latvian national team player Kitty Laksa will play in its ranks this season as well. The basketball player played at the home club until the beginning of February, but already then it was known that the team would not be able to reach the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Euroleague “play-off” tournament, so it was decided to end the season elsewhere.

On February 8, Kayseri Bellona, ​​Turkey’s strongest league team, announced Laks’ accession.

“In Riga, the season was coming to an end, especially in the Euroleague and other international competitions, but I wanted more practice and experience in a stronger championship,” Laks explains the decision to go to Turkey. “There was an offer from Turkey, and the agent also worked on this in the past, so I decided to go to Turkey.”

The basketball player did not hide that there were opportunities to play in other countries ‘championships, but the offer of the Turkish club best met Laks’ criteria.

“There were three other championships in other countries that I could go to, but there were several factors that didn’t match,” says Laksa, whose most important thing was to play in a strong championship. “I went to a team where Latvian players had not played before, but I had been following the local championship for a long time.”

“I went there to gain the experience I definitely gained,” adds the basketball player, who was able to exceed the limit of 20 points in one game in the Turkish championship several times.

Due to the consequences of the pandemic, as well as the impact on sports results, last season was very varied for Laks.

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“Like others, last season was like a mountain for me. It can be attributed both sportingly and emotionally. There was no shortage of adventures and experiences in both Latvia and Turkey,” says Laksa, who together with the Latvian national team failed to reach the European Championship earlier this year. final tournament.

“My main word this season was ‘experience.’ I learned a lot new. There were a lot of things to take from this season, so I tried to focus on the positive,” says Laksa.

Laks was nominated for the Seattle Storm by No. 11 in the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) draft last year. The contract stipulates that he will join his team this spring.

The basketball player played his last game in the Turkish championship on March 23, but then devoted a short time to rest. She will soon be on her way to North America, but before that the schedule is filled with training. The Seattle team training camp is scheduled for April 25.

“I had taken it free not to think about basketball and related activities, but I couldn’t completely disconnect,” Lax says with a laugh. “Right now I’m training and keeping myself in shape, but I’m trying not to train to feel good physically and emotionally before I go to Seattle.”

“I have to arrive in Seattle a week before the start of the training camp. I started to get up slowly and pack my bags, but the primary thing now is to get a visa, which is not so easy in these circumstances,” says Laksa about going to the United States. “I hope to be able to get everything done this week so I can go soon.”

The WNBA has not yet announced when the new season will begin, but a player draw is scheduled for April 15. Until then, there may be more clarity about the plan for the upcoming season.

In February, the Latvian women’s basketball team was left without a ticket to the final tournament of the 2021 European Championship, and after the qualification cycle, the contract with the head coach Mārtiņš Gulbis ended.

The Latvian men’s basketball team has already managed to find a new co-driver. It is known that it will be an Italian specialist Luka Banki, but due to the ladies’ national unit, Gundars Vētra is mentioned as the most realistic candidate.

The basketball players of the national team have previously pointed out that the management of the Latvian Basketball Union (LBS) has asked for the opinion of the players themselves before hiring a coach, but the ladies’ national team may have a different procedure.

“I know as much about the head coach candidates as I write on the portals. No one has talked to me about this yet,” reveals Laksa. “No matter which coach leads the team, I want to work together and help the national team. I will also be interested to see LBS’s next step in terms of the head coach.”

In August last year, Laksa signed a new contract with the “TTT Rīga” team, which this season played in the “Douglas” Baltic Basketball League, FIBA ​​Euroleague and European Women’s Basketball League (EWBL).

The basketball player spent an average of 30.3 minutes in the six Euroleague fields this season, during which he scored an average of 12.8 points and won 2.5 rebounds, as well as once. In the EWBL tournament, she scored an average of 15.4 points in five matches, won 2.8 balls under the baskets and scored 1.2 times.

Meanwhile, in four Baltic League matches, she managed to stand out with an average of 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

In the Turkish championship, the basketball player took the field in eight games, in which he played on average 26 minutes and 31 seconds, during which he scored an average of 12.88 points and won 3.5 rebounds.

The Bellona team finished the regular championship in tenth place and did not enter the playoffs.

Laksa “TTT Rīga” debuted on October 13, 2012, in the Latvian-Estonian league home game. In three seasons, the forwarder started in five of the 78 games, scored 728 points, won 183 rebounds and made 54 assists. Under the leadership of coach Aigars Nerips, he became a two-time Latvian champion and a two-time Latvian-Estonian league winner.

On December 7, 2019, she returned to the square in the “TTT Rīga” shirt, marking 23 points and three assists in a home game against the University of Tartu. The striker scored 8.0 points in an average of 20.6 minutes and won 2.6 balls under the baskets in seven Euroleague games. In the Latvian-Estonian-Lithuanian league, she averaged 18.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in seven games.

Student of Riga French Lyceum 2015-2019. studied at the University of South Florida in Tampa, USA, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Laksa reached the final of the American Athletic Conference League for three years in a row and helped the Bulls qualify three times for the NCAA Championship.

During the career of Laksa students, 86 out of 99 games started in the USF Bulls starting five. She scored 1764 points, won 312 balls and made 97 assists. In the 2018 season, Laksa reached two NCAA First Division records – throwing 11 three-point shots in one game in a row and taking free throws with 96.5% accuracy (111/115).

He made his debut in the Latvian national team on May 11, 2013 in Alytus. A month later, she became the youngest player on the pitch at the 2013 European Championship. She has represented the team in three European finals (2013, 2015, 2017) and the World Cup (2018).

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