By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
From 33 minutes with Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Wednesday, Tornike Shengelia added 62 more minutes of action with the senior national team of Georgia on Thursday and Sunday.
At the bottom end of a demanding stretch between club and international levels, the 33-year-old forward logged a game-high 25 points, leading Georgia to a win over Finland in Tbilisi Arena.
“It’s a thing that I love to do, I take pride in coming to play for the national team. I try to put everything that I have. Thanks to God, it pays off. Many things were illogical on the physical side of it,” he pointed out after pushing his country closer to a berth in the 2025 EuroBasket on Sunday, “The only way I can explain, honestly, is I am feeling blessed from the skies.”
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“He will be pissed, but I don’t care. He played ten games from November 3 until today. That’s about it. End of my comment,” reacted the selector of the national team Aleksandar Dzikic.
“It becomes mental,” the experienced power forward described his approach, “The body sometimes shuts down. The more you think about the tiredness, the more tired you will become.”
For almost two decades, Shengelia, a veteran of 45 NBA games spread from the Brooklyn Nets to the Chicago Bulls, has been a regular for Georgia, including early experience with junior national teams.
“Everybody’s dream is to play in the NBA. My first dream was to play in the national team,” he said, “It always means the world to me.”
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Photo Credit: FIBA