Czechs work on chemistry as they wait for star-power

PRAGUE (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Czech Republic head coach Ronen Ginzburg has trimmed his preliminary squad to 19 players shortly before the Czechs commence the main stage of preparations for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade and, in a sense, they enter uncharted territory.

The reason is not because they are travelling on 14 June to Italy to play their first three warm-up games - the towns of Treviso and Trento are both within driving distance from Prague. It is rather because their two superstars, Tomas Satoransky of FC Barcelona Lassa and Jan Vesely of Fenerbahce Istanbul, are currently involved in the play-off race of the Spanish Liga Endesa and Turkish Sportoto Ligi, respectively. As such, it's not possible to predict when exactly the pair will join the training camp.

"It is a strange preparation for us because they both have a very big role on our team and it hurts the chemistry of the team that we might not have more than five to six practices all together, but it is what it is and we can do nothing but wait," Ginzburg told FIBA.com.

One thing I know for sure is that Satoransky, Vesely and Schilb want to do their best for the national team. - Ginzburg

Veteran winger Blake Schilb, who made a great contribution to Czech Republic's historical run to a seventh-place finish at FIBA EuroBasket 2015 in his maiden tournament with his adopted nation, will be available again this summer, although he will too join preparations after the team's return from Italy.

"Of course everybody knows each other on our team but for sure it would be much better to be able to have for example 15 or 16 practices together," Ginzburg said. "One thing I know for sure though is that Satoransky, Vesely and Schilb really want to do their best for the national team. I hope this will make up for the lack of practice time with the team."

With the only exception of 36-year-old forward Lubos Barton, the Czech preliminary team includes all the players who stepped out at last September's EuroBasket, headed by captain Jiri Welsch and fellow seasoned veterans Petr Benda and Pavel Houska. Meanwhile, youngsters Tomas Kyzlink, Adam Pechacek, Martin Kriz and Martin Peterka are amongst those who need to convince Ginzburg they deserve a place on the final roster as they are aiming for their senior national team debut.

The Israeli tactician is very familiar with their potential, especially of the latter two, as he coached them this season at Czech league champions Nymburk.

"During the trip to Italy I want to check whether some players can get the chance [to play] in this campaign or in the future," Ginzburg said. "But the main aim of the trip to Italy is to build our chemistry, as we also work on things that we might use in the OQT."

I would suggest to everyone to watch out for Puerto Rico in Belgrade, they have good players and are usually a good team. - Ginzburg

Luckily for neutral fans who were captivated by the Czech team's spectacularly athletic brand of basketball at FIBA EuroBasket 2015, working on new things does not mean they will not get the chance to see much of the same in Belgrade.

"You change small things and you add sets all the time, but the style of game of the Czech Republic fits these players and the main concepts remain the same," Ginzburg said. "Aggressive defence is a big part of our game and it's the natural style of the national team. I have not yet watched too much of the other teams [that will compete in the Belgrade OQT], but I would suggest to everyone to watch out for Puerto Rico. They have good players and are usually a good team. For sure Serbia is the favourite, but both other European teams [Czech Republic and Latvia] and Puerto Rico can all prove very dangerous."

FIBA