Report.az
We will play in the European Championship games with a young team.
This was stated by Evren Alkaya, the head coach of the Azerbaijani women's basketball team, in an interview with "Report", while talking about the matches against Belgium and Poland in the qualifying round of the European Championship.
The specialist emphasized that most of the national team members are young:
"We have been preparing for the matches with Belgium and Poland for about a month. There is a rejuvenation process in the national team. Currently, 11 out of 12 players are under 17 years old. We will go to the competition with a completely young team. Our only experienced basketball player is Aleksandra Molenhauer".
He emphasized the experience of the Belgian national team:
"We have passed strength, as well as technical and tactical training. The rival Belgian team lost to the US team by only one point, achieved success in the Olympics, and is the last European champion. I think the score will be different. Of course, we will do our best".
E.Alkaya asked for support from the fans:
"We have a league, we think that these players will reach the best level in the next 3 years. By bringing these girls to the highest level, we are building the team of the future for Azerbaijan. We have very serious, high-quality players. Of course, it is still too early for them to compete at the required level in the international arena. No matter how well basketball players play at this age, the opponent is very experienced. We will try to finish the games in the most successful way. We just want the fans to be with these children, to know that the team consists of young people and that they are going to the competition to gain experience. The level that the children will reach will be determined after such important matches".
It should be noted that the Azerbaijani national team will face Belgium on the road on February 6, and Poland in Baku 3 days later.
