WARSAW (Poland) - Poland breathed new life into their Olympics hopes as they went through the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 Poland-Estonia, finishing the deal with a victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Polish have been waiting since 1980 to appear in the Olympics, and Igor Milicic's team would love to celebrate in Spain.
The Roster
The heart and soul of the team is Mateusz Ponitka, who played to another level in helping Poland reach the Semi-Finals of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022. The wing does it all for the team: playmaking, scoring, grabbing big rebounds at both ends and playing tough defense on the perimeter.
However, this Polish team is anything but just Ponitka. Michal Sokolowski showed in the OPQT just how impressive a scorer he can be, including lighting it up from the outside. Center Aleksander Balcerowski can hurt opponents inside but can also make them pay if they leave him unguarded from long range.
The OQT is also expected feature the return of Jeremy Sochan. The 21-year-old power forward missed the end of the NBA season with a left ankle injury but he was included in the preliminary roster. The games in Valencia would be his first action for Poland since making his senior national team debut in February 2021 at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers. Should he be healthy, Sochan's presence would be a major benefit.
Also back is AJ Slaughter as the 36-year-old point guard is ready to go again after not playing in the OPQT. The team also includes Michal Michalak, Aleksander Dziewa and Igor Milicic.
The Question
Poland had been trending upwards with an appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 - ending a 44-year drought - and comfortably booking a spot at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022. But in the build-up to the continental showcase, Poland were bounced from the First Round of the FIBA World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers. The team rebounded from the disappointment and finished fourth at the FIBA EuroBasket and then won their group in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers and won the OPQT at home.
Poland will be looking to show the World Cup qualifying failure was just a temporarily blip and the question is can the trend continue upwards.
The Hope
Poland showed at EuroBasket 2022 that they can come back from big losses - dropping games by 30 points to Finland and 27 to Serbia - and get a massive win by beating Slovenia and Luka Doncic 90-87 in the Quarter-Finals. Knowing they went through such an ordeal to get to this spot, Poland will be fully focused and hungry to show how far they have come.
Poland will not take fellow OPQT qualifier Bahamas lightly and then get a chance for revenge when they face off against Finland. In the end, the hope is Poland can work some magic and make it to Paris 2024.
The Fear
Poland can have some hiccups on the international stage - for example failing to advance from the 2023 World Cup European Qualifiers First Round and the big defeats at EuroBasket 2022. Poland will need a big tournament from Mateusz Ponitka, who had a much smaller role with his club this past season and will turn 31 later this summer. Milicic's team also can be hit or miss from long range, which could hurt them when all is said and done.
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