Levan Gogeladze, a Georgian player for Guba Basketball Club, shared his thoughts on the team’s season and Azerbaijani basketball in an interview with the club’s press service.
The experienced foreigner reflected on their playoff run and commented on his injury and the league’s future, Idman.biz reports.
– Guba’s season ended in the play-in round after a loss to Ordu. What went wrong?
– It was a good but short series. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help the team. Also, Zaur Pashayev couldn’t play in the first game. I believe that if I had been able to play, we could’ve made it to the playoffs.
– You were injured before the Ordu games. How are you feeling now?
– Yes, I missed the series due to an injury I picked up during training before the first game. I had a cut on my head that required stitches. Luckily, I’m feeling fine now.
– You’ve been playing in Azerbaijan for three years now. Do you see progress in local basketball?
– Definitely. Basketball in Azerbaijan is growing. I believe it would help to bring more kids to the games and to have more professional general managers. Steps like these would benefit the league.
– How would you compare basketball in Georgia and Azerbaijan?
– I think the level of foreign players is quite similar in both countries—many of the same players have competed in both leagues. The main difference lies in team discipline and the local talent pool.
– Guba struggled in the regular season, finishing second to last in Group B. What was the issue?
– We were focused on finishing the season strong. To be honest, the point gap between us and the teams above wasn’t that big. Even though we didn’t have a full roster in the play-in games, we proved we could compete and put up a solid fight.
– Will you return to Guba for the new season?
– That’s still undecided. Time will tell. I have great respect for our head coach Shahriyar Asgarov and captain Zaur Pashayev. I always wish them the best.
– Who do you think will win the ABL championship this season?
– I believe Sabah is once again the favorite. Head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis has built a really strong team.
Idman.biz
