"We are among the weakest teams in this tournament because seven of our players are only 17 years old," said Evren Alkaya, the head coach of Azerbaijan women's basketball team, in an interview with Idman.biz.
The Turkish coach explained the reasons behind the team’s 47:108 loss to Lithuania in the European Championship qualifiers, despite the series of large defeats: "We have two players who make the biggest contributions, scoring about 50 points together each game. Some other players, who are nearing the end of their careers, continue just to help the national team. We didn’t come here to be criticized as a ‘very poor team’; we came to see what we can become in the future. It's easy to comment from the outside, but it’s different when you’re inside. We've gained invaluable experience."
Alkaya stated they need five years to reach their goals: "We have no issues with the lower age groups and are making significant progress, discovering many players. They train five to six days a week. Experience is key to reaching this level, but we shouldn’t rush. It's unfair to judge the team based on results, and not participating in these games would also be wrong. In Europe, there aren’t even 30 national basketball teams. Some countries still can’t form teams. The federation supports us, and we have upcoming games against Poland and Belgium. Our players are battling much stronger opponents, and it’s inevitable that results are what they are. We knew it would be tough, but Azerbaijan needs recognition. Our opponents were like us 20-25 years ago, taking decades to reach this level. It’s not about funding—we have our system in place and are just beginning our journey towards success."
Azerbaijan’s team currently sits at the bottom of their qualifying group with four points after four games.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
