Source: youtube.com
Post-Match Press Conference: Ukraine vs Georgia
Rati Andronikashvili, defender of the Georgian national team:
“We failed to do what was necessary to win. From the very first minute, we should have played better and executed our plan for at least 40 minutes. This is entirely our fault.”
Aleksandar Djikić, head coach of the Georgian national team:
“We fell short in many areas. Personally, I failed on the bench by not reacting appropriately to this style of play. I didn’t fully understand some of the things happening on the court. It’s difficult to speak after such a match. Of course, we will respond and act differently next time when our players are treated like this.”
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, defender of the Ukrainian national team:
“I congratulate the country, the coaches, and the players. This was a very important game for us. It was a fantastic match, and we played very well. We won by 19 points, working hard both defensively and offensively. We made simple decisions, scored our shots, and delivered a very solid performance. How has the national team changed over the past four years? There are many new young players. Some are injured. I haven’t played with many of them, maybe only 3 or 4. I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, but the team is on a new path and needs to adapt. We had two games in Lithuania and one here for that purpose. That’s the hardest part for the team. Is there a chance to see me in the upcoming qualification matches in August? Yes, I think there will be an opportunity to come. I don’t know who we’ll play after Denmark, but those matches will be very important. There’s a great chance to qualify for the World Cup. I have a strong desire to come and help the team reach the World Cup for the second time in history.”
Ainars Bagatskis, head coach of the Ukrainian national team:
“I don’t want to dwell on what was right or wrong in defense or offense. That’s secondary. The most important thing is the match protocol. It doesn’t matter how we or Georgia played. I want to say only one thing — the most crucial thing for us now is to deliver the same high-quality performance in three days as we did today and in the friendly against Lithuania. These wins are important. We are contending for second place. Was Marquis Reed’s ejection a key moment? I don’t know. I’m not a seer. I had to react to the situation. Of course, Reed managed to score 18 points. He is Georgia’s leader and the team’s best playmaker. His ejection wasn’t the reason for our victory, but it made things easier for us.”
“Will I reprimand Kobzystyi for the technical foul in his debut match? I never criticize players for physical plays when they stop opponents. Basketball isn’t the most complicated sport. You need to show physicality, aggression, and read the situation. Kobzystyi played physically, and Reed responded in kind. Oleksandr performed excellently; he has a bright future, in my opinion. I never tell players to win outright. I tell them to play tough to create more chances to win. We can’t focus solely on victories. Today, we played good, very aggressive basketball against Georgia, even though we were considered underdogs. That gave us great confidence.”
“We have Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Dmytro Skapintsev. The roster has changed. We have become younger. Sviatoslav carries a huge workload offensively and always finds a shot. That’s a bonus for us. Two wins over Georgia are good, but we need to think about the next match against Denmark, or we risk losing second place. The situation in Group 2 is complicated, but I’m not worried. I always focus on us and aggressive basketball. If we do that, the basketball gods will help us. The match against Denmark is very important. The balance will be either 4-2 or 3-3. Two wins over Georgia are good, but they hold the advantage in head-to-head matches against Denmark. Spain will face a tough away game in Georgia in the last group match. Denmark will be the host, but we must play to win. That’s crucial for the next stage. There will be changes in the lineup. That’s all I can say.”
“We didn’t do anything extraordinary. There was no crazy tactical plan in defense or offense. We fought for every moment. That’s part of basketball. Georgia didn’t quite expect the game to unfold this way. They have four players who are stars in European and American basketball. I don’t know what they expected. It doesn’t concern me. We fought hard. We needed to control our emotions better, but the main thing is the match result and the score on the board. Everything else is secondary. I knew the size of our players and Georgia’s. During a bad stretch, we got lost offensively. Decisions could have been better at those moments, but I’m satisfied. We only had seven turnovers statistically. We always took shots, attempting 70 compared to Georgia’s 65. We had 42 free throws. Ideally, every attack should end with a good shot, but sometimes there were problems. That allowed Georgia to score extra points. We need to manage emotions better and make better offensive decisions. Defensively, we played quite tough and gave our all, executing the plan.”
