Source: fbu.ua
Ukraine national team point guard Oleksandr Kovlyar shared his thoughts following his team’s 96-92 victory in a friendly match against Lithuania.
What were your initial feelings after the game?
– It was a very good test for our team to play against Lithuania on their home court. They have a strong squad and were nearly at full strength. We rarely lost any individual battles, capitalized on our advantages, and finished the game with a solid result.
What advantages did we have in this match?
– Our style is fast-paced basketball in transition, and we need to make our free throws. We almost fully executed that, though there was room for improvement. I liked how we pushed the pace. Our centers did their job well on defensive rebounds. We have to build on what we practiced and worked on for the next game against Georgia.
You played in the backcourt alongside Mykhailiuk for the first time. How was it playing together?
– It’s great to play with such a talented player. I don’t need much — I can find everyone on the court. I believe it will also be easier for Sviatoslav to play with me; he can get open looks from the point. Of course, he can create those shots himself, but I can help him with that. And he can help me too. This way, we can unlock our game even more, and everyone else will get more opportunities as well.
How did you find playing in such an atmosphere?
– It’s always awesome to play in a venue like that. I would really love to play in a similar arena in Ukraine and hope we get to do that very soon. It definitely gives an emotional boost when playing away, which I enjoy, and I think it was a valuable experience for us.
The game seemed quite physical and contact-heavy at times.
– That’s typical Lithuanian basketball. We need to be ready for it. Especially against the Georgians, since they don’t like that style of play, and that’s our path to victory. We have to break them from the first minute, foul their leaders hard enough so they feel the pressure and start to get nervous. That has to be our number one task at the start of the next game.
