BRNO (Czechia) - Renowned Czech baller Ivana Vecerova is counting down the days to the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2025 which will be held in her home city of Brno.
A two-time Olympian, Women's EuroBasket champion, Women's Basketball World Cup silver medalist and EuroLeague Women winner, Vecerova recently helped to conduct the draw for the showpiece event later this year.
Now the former Czechia standout can't wait to see the next generation of young talent taking to the court. "We will see if there are some superstar prospects for the future," smiled Vecerova.
"It's a great opportunity for the Czech girls. I would say they are a team that can find their own dream and follow it. For the rest, I'm expecting some stars and especially for Spain, but I am interested and excited in watching all the other players and seeing how the teams will cope."
Vecerova herself was handed an opportunity at a young age to shine for her country and revealed it's something all competing players in Brno should embrace and make the most of. She said: "When I was 15 years old, I didn't even realise how my sport could be the same for me as it was in the Olympics. "When I was 16, I was in the young national team and then into the senior national team. It went so quick and I would say for myself it was better to not even realize anything about feeling pressure. Yes, it can sometimes be pressure for some - it depends on the personality of each athlete. But it's something special to hear the national anthem. "My first tournament was U16 and afterwards my coach wrote in my notebook 'Hey Ivana, now you see how it is in Europe and how you have to be stronger or you will not be able to compete with them'. "Then I had U18 and I has some problem with my knee but came back fresh and did a good job and we won the bronze medal and won the chance to participate in the World Cup the next year." Finishing sixth in her first outing at the global level, things didn't all go to plan and there were some setbacks for the team and for Vecerova herself.
It was a a big advantage to have these experiences as a young player.
But in dealing with the challenges of a new environment at U19 level, she feels it was an invaluable maiden footstep on the world stage. She explained: "Going to Brazil, the flying and the different food for example, I think I was a little bit lost in this new experience and it was not easy. "But I didn't give up and I remember the coach coming back from the airport and saying that even if the tournament didn't go well, I could be competitive in Brno in the EuroLeague Women team. That really gave me a lot of confidence and power."
"It was a a big advantage to have these experiences as a young player [with the national team], even if some were failures. I already knew how things worked and I think it is good to let the young players live it. It's good to start early." Finally, as well as the basketball itself, Vecerova is excited to welcome the players, coaches, staff and fans to the city and is hoping that it will provide a fitting backdrop for a great experience on and off the court. "Brno is my hometown, so it is special for me in my heart. Our country is beautiful and everyone will find something and we already know that a lot of young people like to study and live here in Brno. "And yes, there is also a long association with women's basketball. One day two people created the club and they had big dreams and a big heart," concluded Vecerova. FIBA