A new player appeared in the Czech basketball team, which is preparing for the European Championship in September. James Karnik is a 24-year-old player who is 206 centimeters tall and has Czech citizenship. No one has heard of the Canadian with Czech roots until now, and he is a bit of a surprise for everyone. “We have been looking for players with Czech roots for a long time, especially if they have the parameters of a basketball player,” says Michal Šob, manager of the national basketball team, in an interview with Radiožurnál.
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Print
Copy the url address
Abbreviated address
Close
James Karnik in a Boston College Eagles jersey | Source: Profimedia
How did you hear about Karnik?
We have been looking for players with Czech roots for a long time, especially if they have the parameters of a basketball player. And as part of this search, we got a tip from a sports journalist, and then everything went very quickly. We immediately contacted the players and agreed on cooperation within a few days.
I was nervous, admitted the basketball player of the year Veselý after the poll was announced, and he is looking forward to the championship
Read the article
When did you decide to invite him to the preparation of the Czech national team?
Based on a lot of information. He signed a contract with the Canadian Summer League with a team that is led by Mike Taylor, who is a former national team assistant. So we had that information straight and we had enough data source to invite the player and see him live.
Will he be able to fully integrate into the team before the European Championship?
In the summer, the preparation is relatively long and there is enough space to devote to these activities and to test the players not only in training, but perhaps also in some preparatory match.
It is necessary to replace the American Blake Schilb, who was a very valid player. What is different about a player who did not grow up on Czech boards?
So we don’t really distinguish it. It needs to be said that Karnik’s Czech footprint is very strong and goes deep into his family roots. He has had a Czech passport since he was five years old. It was more about when we would find out about him, because he himself was too shy to speak.
What does it bring?
Definitely some improvement in quality or possibly supplementing the rotation of players. It is especially crucial for these under-the-basket players, because if we look to the future, players like Patrik Auda or Jan Veselý are already some age after all. It can be assumed that within a few years they will stop representing precisely because of their age, which is why this option was offered.
There are now five pivots on the roster, Karnik is the sixth. How many will end up sitting directly on the bench in European Championship matches?
That’s probably more of a question for the coach. But we don’t expect Karnik to play at EuroBasket now. It is more of an investment for the future, but it can be expected that, for example, in the next qualifying window for the World Cup in November, he could appear in the Czech jersey and in an official match.
Spectators who like basketball are sure to say that they would like to see him in action now. So when will they have that chance?
On Friday we play a preparatory tournament in Pardubice against Bulgaria from 17.30 and on Sunday at the same place at the same time against Croatia, which are unofficial preparatory matches. And there, of course, there is space. It is questionable whether coach Ginzburg will include him in the shortlist, but it is one of the possibilities to see during the game itself. Because then the preparation train starts really fast.
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Print
Copy the url address
Abbreviated address
Close
