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Tuesday July 27th , 2010 A POSITIVE FIRST STEP!
Sofia Tournament Champs! A perfect first step for the Czech Republic in 2010! With a positive feeling from Monday nights win over Austria, the day began early with an 8:30am breakfast. Despite the tournament opening win, everyone understood the next challenge at hand. The strong Bulgarian team was unbeaten in their preparation and pounded Cyprus by 48 points in the Monday night win. Not only did they pound Cyprus on the court, Bulgaria also got the better of a fourth quarter bench clearing brawl between the two teams. As the players sat at their breakfast tables in the Hotel Triada restaurant, the team seemed to know the evening ahead would require a great team effort. While the team was rested, they were certainly not resting on last nights laurels.
Manager Kuba Dura posted the daily schedule on my hotel room door. The small white bus took us over to the gym for morning shooting and Sascho escorted us to the floor. Making my way down the old hallway, I could hear the familiar sneaker squeak and bouncing ball from the gym. While players made a sharp left hand turn into the small lockerroom designated for the Czech Republic National team, I continued to the open double doors a few feet ahead. When I stood in the doorway and looked in, the Bularian team was split into post and perimeter groups working through shooting drills. Within seconds, a staff member in a light blue collar shirt swiftly stepped in and closed sternly closed the two wooden doors. Today's shoot-around was a secret. Czech Republic was the enemy. The rule for coaches and players in the unwritten rule book clearly states --- no fraterenizing with the opponent before the game. Bulgaria meant business and the stern door slam in my face sent a message about the day ahead.
On the floor for walk through 10am. Once Bulgaria's time ended, they welcomed us into the gym. I shared a brief word with their assistant Oliver Kostic who worked with Red Star this season. We share a mutual friend in Marko Pesic so the conversation was friendly. But it was quick. Pavel blew the whistle and we were all in the center of the court. With a few wise words in Czech for the players, Pavel set the tone for the team. Bringing it in, team captain Petr Benda shouted our team motto 'Fight like a Lion'. To win this night, we needed to.
Coachin' 'em Up and bringing it in!
Practice went well and the team seemed focused and ready. After the opening win over Austria, the players responded extremly well to the positive, aggressive style Pavel wanted. The team played tough physical defense and made adjustments well. In preparing for Tuesday nights game, it was simply the next step. Bulgaria was a deep, skilled, well-coached, confident team that dominated their opponent the night before. Playing on their home court, in front of their own fans with home court advantage from officials meant we had our hands full. But in the big picture, the tournament was shaping up to be perfect preparation for the upcoming important games later in the summer. Playing on the road in Slovakia and Switzerland will be tremendous challenges for the Czech Republic team and experiences like a tournament final against a tough Bulgarian team in Sofia were something to learn and grow from. Following the morning workout, we went back to the hotel where Honza put together a terrific video from the Austrian game. While the team had a tremendous feeling from the victory, Honza showed some video clips were we made some mistakes on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. Making corrections, Pavel clearly showed the players what he wanted. Along with the mistakes, Honza also presented some highlights for the team to see and gain confidence from. It was an excellent clip. Finally, at the end, Honza put the bench clearing brawl between Bulgaria and Cyprus leading to Pavel's jokes about how much we needed to be ready tonight. After the quality video session, we moved next door for lunch before retreating to our rooms for a two hour rest. Four o'clock was snack time for cakes and coffee and the bus departed the hotel at 420pm. The next challenge was at hand.
Honza breaking it down with the video You could feel the intensity of the game during warmups. As both teams took the floor, they lined up at opposite ends along the baseline with only the conditioning coaches moving around midlane. Each conditioning coach took their team through active warmup drills from skipping to sliding to agilities. It almost became a competition between the two teams in warmups. I stood along the sideline opposite our bench. It was there I realized how meaningful this exhibition tournament meant to the two teams. Sneaking a quick look down the other end to see what Bulgaria was all about, these guys were sharp and crisp and worked with tempo. It was about to be on. The crowd was bigger, the music was louder, the layup lines were faster. The floor had an energy. It was almost game time.
Point guard Michal Carnekcy organizes the offense against Earl Calloway of Bulgaria. At tip off, the game began completely opposite from Monday night against Austria where we fell behind 0-7. Facing Bulgaria, we started strong. Outstanding team defense created steals leading to fast break points. Pavel Slezak was excellent on the defensive end and transfered his energy to offense leading Czech scoring with 8 points in the first quarter. Bursting to a 10-7 lead, the Czech energy and effort was fantastic. But 8 turnovers against Bulgarian defensive pressure cost the Czech advantage and Stefan Georgiev matched Pavel Slezak with 8 points in the first ten minutes. After the strong start, Czech's lead evaporated and Bulgaria held a 21-17 lead after 1. Quarter two opened with more strong play from Bulgaria. Maintaining a 31-26 lead to the mid point in the quarter, all the momentum was with the home team. Filip Videnov sank two threes and the Bulgarian team seemed in control. A thunderdunk from Nikolay Varbanov over Big Z Zbynek Pospisil brought the Bulgarian crowd to their feet. Not only rattling the rim, the entire Czech Republic team was stunned for a moment. In moments like this, with a team or player on the ropes, it becomes really possible to learn about character. Dunked on by the big physical Bulgarian center, Big Z did not back down. Only possessions later, Zbynek got payback catching a tip dunk over the very big man who dunked on him. The retaliation slam sent a message to Bulgaria and reinforced the new Czech mentality that Pavel pushed these players to demonstrate --- always attack!! The energy from Zbynek's dunk sparked a strong finish to the first half and a 14-3 run for the Czech Republic. Completely reversing momentum, the Czech team took a 40-34 lead into the halftime lockerroom. It was clear to say, the players fought like Lions in the first half. At the half, the Czech team did an excellent job on the boards outrebounding the strong Bulgarian team 16-12. Once again the Czech bench was a factor producing a 20-10 advantage as well. The Czech squad also held a slim 16-14 lead in points in the paint. Making 58% from the floor and 3 of 6 from three along with 7 of 10 from the foul line, the Czech Republic also limited Bulgaria to 46% from the field, 3 of 8 from three and 5 of 6 from the foul line. Extremely happy about how the Czech team took the punch from Bulgaria and fought back to regain the lead, Pavel readied the team for the challenge of winning on the road in the second half. Everyone knew a Bulgaria run would come. What we did not know was how our team would respond.
Lubos Barton cooly sinks a clutch free throw for the Czech Republic. Home court advantage in Europe can be many things. At the heart, it can be an unfamiliar arena, a different rim or a strange basketball. But many times, home court advantage goes beyond these simple things. An intimidating crowd can be considered home court advantage because players and teams must learn to play on the road without the support of the home crowd. On the road, teams must generate their own energy and overcome the energy from the home gym. Referees can also create home court advantage. Many times, officials 'test' road teams to see if they are mentally and physically up to the challenge on that day. If a team is weak mentally, the home team will overpower them and move on to win. If a team is inefficient in their execution, the home team takes over. Playing against an unbeaten Bulgarian team, in Sofia Bulgaria, in an exhibition tournament, we knew what to expect in the second half. Pavel emphasized to the team to keep their mental and emotional discipline and focus on the next play to do what we had to do to win. It started immediately. Officials gave the ball to Bulgaria at midcourt to start the second half. Despite pleas on the officials and table, Bulgaria had the first possession. We had won the tip to open the game and Bulgaria had the ball to start the second quarter. Now they had the basketball once again and there were no jump balls in the first half. Finally, after the ball was inbounded and Bulgaria was into the attack, one offical ran over to our bench and said to Pavel 'Sorry'. During that possession a Bulgarian player drove baseline and clearly stepped out of bounds across the endline right in front of the baseline official. Our bench went crazy 'He's Out!!' --- again, no whistle. Earl Calloway scored. It was here --- Home court advantage. Bulgaria quickly evened the game. Ironically, the officials tightened the game up at that point. Five minutes into the third, the lead had changed 15 times and the Czech team held a 46-43 lead. Bulgaria gained in momentum as Earl Calloway became almost unguardable on ballscreens. Slicing and splitting defenders with beautiful basketball grace, Calloway scored 8 points in the third quarter pushing the Bulgarian team to a 57-56 advantage heading into the fourth. Statistics evened out for the most part, but home court advantage helped Bulgaria shoot 18 of 20 free throws compared with our 10 for 14. On a positive note, we reduced our turnovers and handled the basketball much better against the Bulgarian defensive pressure. But a 17-11 foul differential began to create problems with foul trouble and the free throw advantage that helped Bulgaria back into the game. Facing a tough test, winning on the road presented itself as a tremendous challenge. But in the big picture, this preparation turned out to be perfect. Action developed into a tremendous basketball game with both teams presenting themselves with heart and hustle. It was Pavel Houska who sparked the Czech comeback with several important three point shots and a driving two hand thunder jam. Pavel Slezak continued his excellent play as well. The depth of the Czech team became a key factor as the bench remained a productive option. By the midpoint of the fourth, Czech team held a 68-67 lead. With everyone fighting like Lions, the only question was could we hold on? Earl Calloway put Bulgaria in position to win but it was a Chavdar Kostov bucket that put Bulgaria up 74-73 with 29 seconds to play. On the other end, Pavel Pumprla was fouled and the athletic wing from Nymburk cooly tied the game. Calloway made two free throws giving Bulgaria a 76-74 lead with six seconds to go, but after a timeout, Pumprla took the inbound pass, sliced down the mid-line, drew defenders and fed Big Z Zbynek Pospisil who powered in the game tying two. Even at 76, we went to overtime. Excited by the big play and excellent teamwork, everyone came to the bench filled with confidence and energy. Unfortunately, the bench shortened as point guard Michal Carnecky had fouled out and Lubos Barton had tweaked a leg. With Pavel Slezak suffering from cramps and a tender shoulder, the team needed to dig deep to find a way to win. Overtime started with a blur as Bulgaria raced to a 7-0 advantage forcing Pavel to call a timeout. Huddling the team together, Pavel reassured the squad and emphasized there was plenty of time. Putting the ball in Pavel Pumprla's hands, the team returned to the floor ready to play. Inexplicably, the team exploded to an 11-0 run. With every big basket, the Czech defensive energy picked up a notch. With every defensive stop, the offensive game found more rhythm. With the game tied at 85, it was the visiting Czech Republic who made the stops and found a way to score. Pavel Houska and Pavel Pumprla made important plays and the team rode momentum to winning position. Lukas Kotas and Pumprla converted clutch free throws to extend the margin and keep Bulgaria at bay. At the final buzzer, the Czech Republic could celebrate a strong victory resulting from a terrific team performance. The 91-87 overtime road win over Bulgaria in Sofia Bulgaria was an exhibition tournament championship, but even more important, the tournament games were outstanding preparation for meaningful games later in the summer.
A strong result for the newly assembled Czech National team. Pavel Houska was named tournament MVP and team captain Petr Benda accepted the tournament championship trophy, a Silver Cup, for the Czech Republic. Everyone involved with the win was so happy, but I was particularly happy for Pavel Budinsky. What a fantastic way for my friend to begin his tenure as National team head coach. The team worked hard and earned the two wins in Bulgaria and could use this excellent experience as something to build upon.
Pavel 'Houshie' Houska from BK Decin, proudly accepts the tournament MVP award!
Czech Republic team captain Petr Benda receives the Sofia Cup!
All the hardwork from the intense training camp in Liberec was worth it. The team received direct feedback that their hardwork and teamwork and positive energy led to success. For the 2010 Czech Republic National team, the tournament in Sofia Bulgaria was a perfect first step. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm and international baketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com! GO ULM! MIKE T
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