After EuroBasket-2015 qualifying draw the Georgian national team is in Group E with Czech Republic, Hungary and Portugal.
Winners of each group and 6 best second-placed teams will make through to the final tournament of EuroBasket-2015.
Group B (Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Holland) is the toughest group. Montenegro is a favorite. Bulgaria and Israel have chance to fight for the second place.
Georgia is a weak group but it must not give us too much confidence. At EuroBasket-2013 we lost to Czech Republic with big score. We have not held an official game against Hungary yet but we lost friendly games to them. Portugal is an outsider but we must not be too self-confident.
If all members of the Georgian national team are in form and we have better coach than Igor Kokoskov, we can fight for higher goals with this team.
We asked Vladimer Boisa, veteran basketball player and vice-president of the Georgian Basketball Federation, to make comment on this draw.
- Are satisfied with EuroBasket-2015 qualifying draw?
- It is not a bad group and we have a good chance to play at EuroBasket-2015. Only Luxembourg has amateur basketball players. All other countries have professional players. Nobody will forgive us careless play.
- There was time when our team was losing to Iceland and Luxembourg. How can you explain these losses?
- I will not evaluate coaches. You must beat Luxembourg and Iceland without coach. We lost because of bad play of our players.
- Contract of Igor Kokoskov has already expired. Will the Serb coach the team again or will we have a new coach?
- Mikheil Gabrichidze, president of the Georgian Basketball Federation, stated: “On March 15 we will find out whether Igor Kokoskov will coach of the team or another specialist”.
- How do you summarize the work of Kokoskov in our team? Do you think he must stay in our team?
- I am not the only one to decide it.
- Besik Liparteliani stated they would hold a farewell game for Vladimer Boisa. Have new managers of the federation said anything about it?
- No, they have not.
- Please, tell us about you.
- I was born in Rustavi on July 4, 1981. I have a wife and two children (girl-boy). Besides the national team, I played for “Azoti”, “Vita”, “Armia” (all Georgia), “Slovan”, “Postojna”, “Olimpija” (all Slovenia), “Siena” (Italy), “Spartak” Vladivostok (Russia), “Aris”, “Panionios” (both Greece), “Zadar” (Croatia), “Menorca” (Spain). Now I am a vice-president of the Georgian Basketball Federation.
- What are your duties at the federation?
- My duties are to establish foreign projects here and to gain information about those foreign coaches who are candidates of our national team.
- Who are the main candidates of our team now?
- I will not answer that question.
Roland Labuchidze