By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Polish national team is currently standing at the 2nd place in their Group C of the World Cup Qualifiers with a 2-2 record. They went 1-1 in the games of the February window, winning against Kosovo 90-62 but then losing to Hungry 64-57.
Head coach Mike Taylor discussed Qualifiers experience with FIBA.basketball:
What is your take on the fans? Are they pulling for the national team no matter who plays for it?
It’s more than just a team. It’s the country. You’re playing for your flag, your country, so there’s extra pride involved and the fans feel that. They really have high expectations and want to see wins.
What about the flux in rosters all national teams have had and will always have?
You control the things that you can control and don’t worry about things you can’t. I’m very positive and the mindset is: make the best of what you’ve got. Nothing’s perfect. You can always point to problems. But we want to maximize our possibilities, our potential and be the best team we can be. You have to hit the ground running and be efficient to get the team ready to go and what we’ve seen is not only from our team but for other teams, it’s a constantly changing roster and constantly changing lineups. These are things you have to adjust to, you have to manage.
What about young players having to grow up quickly?
I think what you see with our team is we have the same names, much of the same core. The difference is much of the players are going from role players to players with responsibility. There is no time to waste. You saw Karol Gruszecki play really well for us this window, Michal Sokolowski in November, Przemyslaw Karnowski has been given a starting center role, Tomasz Gielo started at the power forward spot in both February games. So these players that have been role players in the past have been growing into players with responsibilities in our rotation. We’re happy to see it and to keep pushing with them.
Any other players assuming more leadership than in the past?
Anytime you have players with responsibilities, they have a bigger voice and a little bit more self-confidence so that’s a natural factor. We’ve missed our captain, Adam Waczynski, the past two windows but the experience of Lukasz Koszarek has been something to rely on. He’s done a great job. And then Mateusz Ponitka’s leadership has been outstanding, especially these past two games. The young guys can rely on these established players and can try and gain a foothold with how they impact the team.
How challenging is this for you?
I rely on my experience in the G League where the rosters changed all the time. You were constantly re-teaching the system and had very little time to prepare. So I’ve relied a lot on my experience of having worked for the Maine Red Claws. You definitely have to adapt the things you’re doing and trim the fat from practice or some of the drill work. You just have to be focused to put your system in and get the guys ready. I think we’ve done a good job but we’re looking for that big result. We have that next chance at home to Lithuania.
Photo credit: FIBA