Basketball club "Prometey " finishes a series of pre-season interviews with the club's players. The last one we haven't talked to yet is “Prometey” newcomer Ondrej Balvin, a player of the Czech National team.

- Ondrej, we are glad to welcome you to our team. We are talking only a day before the official start of "Prometey" in the new season. With what feelings do you enter this season?

- Feelings are good. We have an interesting team. Maybe the names of the players in our team are not that known in Europe yet, but I think we have a lot of quality in our team. I am very excited to see what we will achieve as a team.

- You have spent several weeks with the team. Describe your experience in "Prometey" so far.

- Everything is fine. Yes, the situation is a bit complicated. Because of the war, because we have to be in Riga. Yes, everything is very good, but it is not the same if we were in Ukraine. In some aspects, it is still a little different. Everything is a little more complicated, but it is part of the journey, part of the situation in which we all find ourselves. The club does everything to provide us with everything possible, to make us feel at home. We just have to get used to the new conditions and do our best.

- Were you able to catch up with the part of preparation for the season that you missed due to participation in EuroBasket?

- Yes of course. Ronen Ginzburg is the head coach of the Czech National team, so I know most of the training exercises we do here. Some, of course, are different, but the difference is not so significant. I know what to expect, what style the team will play, so it was much easier for me to adapt.

- "Prometey" played the last two training games, at the "Pinar Cup" in Turkey, against the Turkish giants - "Fenerbahce" and "Karsiyaki". “Prometey won both games. What did you see from the team in these games and how important are these victories, do you think, in the big picture of the upcoming season?

- Yes, it's good that we won, but still, these are preceding matches. I know this from my Spanish experience: friendlies are good, but they don't always show the level a team can reach. It's good to beat clubs like “Fenerbahce” and “Karsiaka”, but these are preparatory games. Many teams try something new, many newcomers, completely different rotations, unlike "real" matches. I am happy with these victories, but not as much as it would be, for example, in the season. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how our team looked. We've only spent a few days together, there are things we need to improve, to be honest there are a lot of them, but we already have great chemistry, we'll be aggressive in  offense and help each other on defence. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we already have a solid foundation on which to build a strong team.

- You mentioned team chemistry. Do you like the atmosphere in the club at the moment?

- Yes of course. In some teams before, the players were immediately divided into two groups - local guys and foreigners. Fortunately, everyone in “Prometey” now speaks English, which greatly simplifies communication. There is no such division into groups. Yes, you can hear Ukrainian in the locker room and other languages, but there is the necessary chemistry that allows us to maintain good relations.

- Let's go back in time, to summer. What was behind your decision to become a “Prometey” player this season?

- A few years ago, Neno and I started jokingly discussing this, saying that one day he will become my coach not only in the National team, but also in the club. This summer, during the last qualification "window" for the World Cup, if I'm not mistaken, in June, he asked about my situation at club level. Even last year, he tried to drag me to “Prometey”, but I signed a contract in Japan very early, right after the end of the season. Now I told him that I would take my time and see if there were any interesting offers. To which he replied: if you are interested in it, then contact me - I am interested. "Actually, why not?", I thought, and we tried to find some solutions. The club started communicating with my agent and we quickly reached an agreement. But I came here not only because of Neno. Yes, “Prometey” is a young club, but it is trying to grow quickly in Europe, trying to show up itself, and such a club is interesting for me, because it plays in the EuroCup. Again, as I said, we may not have a lot of well-known names on the roster, but we have a very high-quality team.
 

- Didn't Neno use any special words to convince you? Any secret keys that only the two of you know?

- No, nothing like that. Only pure relations that have formed between us over all these years. I am very interested to work with him not only as a National team coach, but also as a club coach during the season, because under his leadership I have always shown my best basketball. Now I'm really excited to see how it all works during the season.

- We know you as a big player who can finish attacks from under the basket, has a solid average shot, is active on the boards, now you have a lot of experience. What else could you add up to this little scouting note about you?

- I think it's experience. I have been in the game for a long time, this will be my 13th season at the professional level. I have a lot of experience. As I said before, I understand quite well the system that Neno builds in his teams. He installed it in the National team of the Czech Republic for almost ten years. Understanding the game the coach wants is exactly what I can add to “Prometey” from the very first day.
 

- Let's talk about your National team at Eurobasket, after which you joined the team. For the Czech Republic, this tournament was special - the country hosted the group round in Prague for the first time. At the same time, I think you have mixed feelings about the tournament because of the team's early elimination from the playoffs. How do you feel about the Euro experience 2-3 weeks after it's over?

- Of course, it was a great experience, because we had the opportunity to play in front of our native crowd. Each new game broke the record for the attendance of a basketball match in the Czech Republic. It was wonderful. On the other hand, all the guys in the team were a little disappointed - we knew we could accomplish more. We have a strong team, we have already proven our strength over the last 7-8 years while growing into the players we are now. Unfortunately, we did not approach the tournament in the best shape. We had a lot of injuries, some guys got sick with COVID right before the games started... It was difficult for us to catch the rhythm and find the right form, although we knew that we were playing at home, which for our generation of players is almost the main event in life. Of course, we improved the impression of the tournament a little bit with the match against Greece, but inside the team we knew that we did not do what we are really capable of.

- During the Euro, you played and even personally took care of two of the best players in the world at the moment — Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounpo. What impressions and main conclusions did you have from this experience?

- You know, for me, as a player, this understanding is not so important - oh, I'm playing against Giannis or Jokic. Because if I start thinking about it, it will break my head. I have played against countless strong players, I have played against the USA several times. You don't have to think that "this is me now going out on the court against the two-time MVP of the NBA." You just go out and play. Playing in the NBA and playing in Europe are two different basketballs, so don't think about it that way. Playing against Jokic? Well, let's play. Playing against Giannis? Well, let's play against him. Yes, it is difficult. But I won't think of it as anything too special - I'll just  come out and play.
 

— You also mentioned your experience in Japan. Our audience would be interested to hear about this part of your journey, because not many people in Ukraine understand what Japanese basketball is. Yes, we heard something, we know Rui Hachimura... and that's it. But what about the Japanese Championship? Tell us about the level of this league, your experience there and maybe something interesting from your point of view.

- The league is divided into two conferences, perhaps now even a third has appeared. They constantly play with each other. 60 matches in a season - yes, it is a lot, but now there are 22 teams. There are many matches. I also didn't know much about Japanese basketball before I came there, but to be honest, it's not a bad league in terms of quality. We are all used to the fact that the best leagues in the world after the NBA are only in Europe, but the Japanese have, let's say, a great potential for development in terms of basketball. Now basketball is becoming very popular there, Japan has a very large population so it can attract a lot of people to the game. Yes, they need to involve a lot of foreign specialists at this stage, primarily to develop local players. However, it takes time. I think in a few years the league will be at a much higher level and will have a lot of respect from European players.

Not so long ago, Japan was generally called a "league for retirees", a league where careers are usually finished, but now there are many strong players in their prime - I played against many in Spain, in the Euroleague. It is no longer the case that foreigners are only 35+ and older, there are a lot of young performers. Because they know that they can go there, get good money, a good life in Japan in general.

What I also like about Japan is that they have a lot of respect for age players. In Europe, at the age of 33-34, you start to speed down a little bit, teams - if you haven't played in this club for many years - start looking for a replacement for you among the younger and more prospective ones. In Japan, for example, last year there was a player in my team who was 42. And he had a valid contract for two more years. Another player turned 40 during the season. In Japan, age is seen as just a number, not an indicator of what you can do for the team. And they respect that very much.
 

- Oh, this is very interesting, thank you. We talked about you as a basketball player. But how would you describe yourself as a person outside the court?

- I am a very calm person. When Neno gives us some time off, I try to spend a lot of time with my dog Charlie. We are walking around Riga, trying to learn more about the city. I really like video games, my computer is almost always with me. When I need to distract from something, I usually play some games with my friends online. I am a rather easy-going person, I really like to get to know different places, to go somewhere. But, in fact, a lot of time is spent on my dog. I try to entertain him with all my might.

- So your dog will be your main fan next season?

- Yes of course. He always supports me.

- Maybe someone else? Family, friends?

- It is very good that Riga is a 90-minute direct flight from Prague. Friends have already asked me about the schedule of matches, many of them want to fly to visit matches. They heard many good things about Riga.

- What are your expectations for the upcoming season, both as a team and personally? Maybe there are some specific goals?

- In the Latvian-Estonian League, we have to reach the Final Four and try to win. Our overall goal is to win as much as possible. I can't say 100 percent, but from what I've seen from the teams in this tournament, we should be in the Final Four. Everything will be a little more difficult in EuroCap. Right now we don't know the real strength of the teams. Injuries often happen, it changes the whole course of the season. I believe we can get to the playoffs. I don't know from which place, but we can definitely do it. Next, let's see, because the playoffs of the Eurocup have a strong specifics. We saw it last year: the team with the best numbers can lose one match to anyone and get expelled.

About me: After a year in Japan, I kind of fell off the radar. I would like to return to the same radars already in Europe. However, the main thing for me is for the team to succeed. Because, in general, it will then affect me personally.
 

- "Prometey" fans are really looking forward to the start of the season. They are waiting for the games, they are waiting for you all and you personally on the court. Please give a few final words to the “Prometey” fans who will be rooting for you throughout this season.

- Firstly, thank you. I know: it is very difficult for you right now. But I am happy that you can support us, find time for the team. Even if you can't be with us in the hall, I hope you will support us online, on the phone or in any other way. We will try to do everything to represent you and Ukraine at the European level.

- Thank you very much for your time, Ondrej. Good luck during the season, good luck in its first match. We will watch attentively and support you.