Azerbaijan U-20 men's basketball head coach Anar Sariyev has described his team's group at the upcoming European Championship as extremely challenging despite positive results during a recent training camp in Georgia.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the coach shared his thoughts on the preparations completed in Tbilisi and assessed Azerbaijan's prospects ahead of the FIBA U-20 European Championship Division B.
"My overall impression of the training camp in Tbilisi is positive. We managed to bring the team together in a short period of time and the players performed well against strong opponents," Sariyev said to report.az.
"After returning to Baku, we need to intensify our preparations even further because our group at the European Championship is very difficult. We will do our best to represent our country with dignity."
The coach revealed that the analysis of upcoming opponents is currently underway after official rosters were announced only a few days ago.
"The squads of our opponents were published about two or three days ago. We are now analyzing the players individually, studying where and how they perform. I believe our U-20 team should deliver a strong performance at this tournament."
Sariyev also noted that the final roster has not yet been finalized.
"We have not announced the squad yet. We will continue training in Baku and then select the final 12 players who will travel to the tournament."
Azerbaijan's preparations received a significant boost in Tbilisi, where the team defeated Georgia's U-18 national team 86-64 and Georgia's U-20 side 75-69 in friendly matches.
The European Championship Division B will take place in Bratislava, Slovakia, from July 10 to 19. Azerbaijan will compete in a challenging group featuring Sweden, Ireland, North Macedonia and host nation Slovakia, with promotion to Division A among the main objectives of the tournament.
