Mateusz Ponitka, a member of the Polish national team, spoke to Meridian Sport after the friendly game against Serbia.
This match served as preparation for the upcoming EuroBasket, and Serbia came out on top, recording a routine 79-67 victory.
“Definitely a big game! Serbia is surely one of the best teams in the world. I know most of those guys — we’ve played against each other or I’ve played alongside them. They look really good. As for us, it’s great to have a training game like this. We can learn from it. It’s a great experience for our young players to face NBA stars. For some of them, it was the first time in that situation, so it’s all just positive,” Mateusz Ponitka said.
The game was played with a lower score.
“Yes, but some of the important players weren’t in the lineup. Both teams were trying something new. For Serbia, it was the same as for us – you try to build chemistry, test different lineups, and try out new ideas on the court. I wouldn’t pay too much attention to the result. Of course, Serbia has 15-20 players who could easily make the roster. For them, this is more about fighting for a spot on the team. As for us, we just have to figure out what to do with what we have, what our strengths and weaknesses are.”
There are currently several of his former Partizan teammates in the Serbian national team.
“Actually, there are five from Partizan. I’m in great contact with Tristan. Balsa will be with me next season in Bahcesehir. I’m also in regular contact with Trifa, as well as with Aleksa. The only one I haven’t seen is Smajlija (Smailagic), he wasn’t with the team.”
Ponitka then joked:
“Yeah… I don’t know if I forgot someone. Well, Punter wasn’t there, I don’t know why. I need to send him a message to see where he is. It was really great to see those guys. We have some amazing memories together.”
In Poland, they are still waiting for Jordan Loyd to join the team.
“We’re moving forward step by step. We have some new faces and we’re waiting for Jordan Loyd to join us. With every game, we’re getting better. This is the stage after a stretch of hard practices. We’re trying to regain freshness and recover the nervous system so it works the right way. We still have enough games and enough time.”
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Next season at Bahcesehir, his teammate will be Balsa Koprivica.
“Baki is really a great guy. Such a positive kid. I believe it will be an excellent opportunity for him to show in the EuroCup that he’s at a EuroLeague level — maybe even more than that. As for my contract, I had a 1+1 deal, so we just talked briefly about staying. Both sides were satisfied with last season, I feel great there, my wife is happy, Istanbul is a fantastic city… I love Turkey.”
Mateusz Ponitka will also have a Serbian head coach, as Marko Barac, former coach of Mega, is now at the helm of Bahcesehir.
“I played against a team Marko coached. I saw that Mega played interesting basketball — very aggressive, fast, with young players just starting their careers. And they played tough! I believe coach Marko has ideas for our team. I’m here to help.”
Bahçeşehir’s sporting director is Nemanja Bjelica.
“Nemanja is always with the team. He’s the sporting director, a very important role. He talks about players, chooses reinforcements… He also has to discuss everything with the general manager. Both of them are trying to build this team. It’s a very responsible role, and it was a very good first season for him. From where we started with Bahcesehir to reaching the Top 4 in the EuroCup and the Turkish championship… a great start! And we have the capacity to go even further. Bjelica has the knowledge, he’s been everywhere, won the NBA, was EuroLeague MVP… Everyone knows he understands and feels basketball. I’m really happy to be part of that project,” said Mateusz Ponitka.
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