Poland coach Taylor: ''These in-season national team games are great for fans''

WARSAW (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Poland boss Mike Taylor has coached his national team in both World Cup Qualifiers windows and had first-hand confirmation that fans want to watch international basketball.

In November, Poland beat Hungary at home and fell to Lithuania on the road. In February, the Poles rolled to a 90-62 triumph over Kosovo before losing at Hungary, 64-57, three days later.

Taylor spoke to FIBA.basketball.

How do you see the fans reacting to the new system of competition?
We've had great crowds, whether it's in Poland, Lithuania or Hungary. The energy from the crowds in all the games has been good. It's been a big home court advantage for everyone, so these in-season games are great for fans to come out and see the national team players.

Mateusz Ponitka shone for Poland

What is your take on the fans? Are they pulling for the national team no matter who plays for it?
It's more than just a team. It's the country. You're playing for your flag, your country, so there's extra pride involved and the fans feel that. They really have high expectations and want to see wins.

“WE'VE HAD GREAT CROWDS, WHETHER IT'S IN POLAND, LITHUANIA OR HUNGARY. THE ENERGY FROM THE CROWDS IN ALL THE GAMES HAS BEEN GOOD. IT'S BEEN A BIG HOME COURT ADVANTAGE FOR EVERYONE, SO THESE IN-SEASON GAMES ARE GREAT FOR FANS TO COME OUT AND SEE THE NATIONAL TEAM PLAYERS.” TaylorTaylor

What about the flux in rosters all national teams have had and will always have?
You control the things that you can control and don't worry about things you can't. I'm very positive and the mindset is: make the best of what you've got. Nothing's perfect. You can always point to problems. But we want to maximize our possibilities, our potential and be the best team we can be. You have to hit the ground running and be efficient to get the team ready to go and what we've seen is not only from our team but for other teams, it's a constantly changing roster and constantly changing lineups. These are things you have to adjust to, you have to manage. 

And how is Poland faring with the Qualifiers system?
We're adjusting. We did the second national team window better than the first window with how we prepared, executed. We are looking for a little bit better results. But we're going to keep working and pushing forward.

What about young players having to grow up quickly?
I think what you see with our team is we have the same names, much of the same core. The difference is much of the players are going from role players to players with responsibility. There is no time to waste. You saw Karol Gruszecki play really well for us this window, Michal Sokolowski in November, Przemyslaw Karnowski has been given a starring center role, Tomasz Gielo started at the power forward spot in both February games. So these players that have been role players in the past have been growing into players with responsibilities in our rotation. We're happy to see it and to keep pushing with them.

Gielo started at power forward in both February games

Any other players assuming more leadership than in the past?
Anytime you have players with responsibilities, they have a bigger voice and a little bit more self confidence so that's a natural factor. We've missed our captain, Adam Waczynski, the past two windows but the experience of Lukasz Koszarek has been something to rely on. He's done a great job. And then Mateusz Ponitka's leadership has been outstanding, especially these past two games. The young guys can rely on these established players and and can try and gain a foothold with how they impact the team.

How did you change your approach after the first window?
When we started, even though the window begins on the Monday, for international players it's a travel day for them. So we felt it better to bring everyone in together. We even used Monday as a travel day for Poland-based players to have a more united team. The second thing is, we reduced the workload, tried to be more efficient with what we did.

"IT'S A COMPETITOR'S GAME. YOU CAN'T GET DOWN BY THE LAST PLAY OR THE LAST RESULT, YOU HAVE TO FOCUS ON THE NEXT CHALLENGE. THINGS CHANGE QUICKLY. WHEN THINGS DON'T LOOK GOOD, YOU HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING AND TURN IT TO WHERE IT DOES LOOK GOOD" TaylorTaylor

How challenging is this for you?
I rely on my experience in the G League where the rosters changed all the time. You were constantly re-teaching the system and had very little time to prepare. So I've relied a lot on my experience of having worked for the Maine Red Claws. You definitely have to adapt the things you're doing and trim the fat from practice or some of the drill work. You just have to be focused to put your system in and get the guys ready. I think we've done a good job but we're looking for that big result. We have that next chance at home to Lithuania.

What about seeing an 0-2 team like Iceland win twice in February?
It's a competitor's game. You can't get down by the last play or the last result, you have to focus on the next challenge. Things change quickly. When things don't look good, you have to keep fighting and turn it to where it does look good.

FIBA