Rinkēvičs’ meeting with the Latvian men’s basketball team +60 See more
It has already been reported that on Wednesday the Latvian men’s national basketball team “Arena Rīga” beat Finland with a score of 95:57.
“We won with a big margin, but since Luka Banki is a perfectionist, we still have a lot to add. The opponents in our group will be even more physical and athletic, so we must prepare for a different style of basketball,” said Kurucs.
“The first quarter was the moment when you get used to the opponent, understand what kind of defense they play, and then you have to adapt to it, which we did well. We prepared that they will play with Lauri Markanen and there are usually a lot of combinations through him, so it was a little different style than we expected. The game is 40 minutes long, of which the first 20 minutes were difficult. The second half was definitely one of the best we have played this summer,” continued the basketball player.
After four test matches played, Kuruc stated that one of the main tasks of the team is still to find the right ways to get along and play with each other on the field.
“We are still trying to understand ourselves as a team, because the players are coming. Dávis only had his first game and he settled in well. Everyone should just try to play together,” he added.
The basketball player pointed out that one of the weapons of the Latvian national team is the three-point shot, which Latvian basketball players also know how to use quite well, but there are also several players in the national team who can score important points in the necessary moments.
“We are a team with many who can be scorers. If someone in the national team catches fire, then it must be used, and at the moment it can be anyone. One day it can be Šmits, another day – Dairis Bertāns, Žagar. Everyone in the national team focused on winning,” said Kurucs.
“This is also our basketball – we run, we move the ball, we try to use the long ones and play through them. So far it works, I hope it will go forward. This is the idea with which Banki came to the national team,” explained the basketball player.
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After the match with Finland, the Latvian national team has two more matches in Taiwan before the World Cup finals, meeting with Puerto Rico (August 20) and Lithuania (August 22). 14 players will go to Taiwan, including Kurucs, but the 12 players who will be announced for the World Cup will be selected by Banki shortly before the final tournament itself.
“I hope that I have sufficiently convinced the coaches to enter the team, because I try to give 100% in all games and training. I am an energy player who can give a lot in defense, but in attack I must try to make the right decisions, make no mistakes and throw my shots. I know that I’m a pitcher, that also gives me confidence,” he said.
The final tournament of the World Cup will be held in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10. The Latvian national team will play the subgroup matches against France, Canada and Lebanon in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
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