By Lefteris Moutis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Latvian national team will begin its obligations in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament of Belgrade tomorrow, by playing against the Czech Republic.
Right after the latest practice of Latvia we talked with Janis Blums and asked him his opinion on the condition of his team. “We are in a good shape”, said the most experienced player in the Latvian squad. “We are a young team with many young players. We will try to look at each game individually and go to Rio.”
Is the pressure on Serbia since the tournament is held in Belgrade and the team is regarded as the grand favorite? “Of course. In these tournaments what counts more is who is psychologically and mentally prepared in order to win. There is a very big goal here, but after a long season what is difficult is finding the motivation to play”.
In the Eurobasket 2015, Latvia made a bang by gaining the ticket that sent them to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. So now everyone takes them quite seriously. “We want to be better and better every year. If we we perform in the best possible way, I believe that we can qualify to the Olympic Games”.
During the 2014/2015 season, Janis Blums played at the side of legendary Dimitris Diamantidis in Panathinaikos. Did he watch the Greek Basket League finals, the last games of his teammate in the Greens? “Of course. Amazing games. But Mitsos did not finish his career in the best possible way and it’s a pity. I wanted Panathinaikos to win the title and Diamantidis to finish his career as champion. It’s ok. He has won a lot in his career (laughs)…”