Azerbaijan’s 3x3 national basketball team member, Amil Hamzayev, has spoken out about the team’s performance in the World Cup qualifying round held in Baku.
Hamzayev shared his thoughts in an interview with Report, citing the challenging group draw as a key reason behind the early exit, Idman.biz reports.
“We ended up in a tough group, which was determined by the rankings,” he said. “Two teams from our group advanced to the next round. It was the first international 3x3 tournament for both Nazar Guliyev and Kamran Mammadov. Transitioning from traditional basketball to 3x3 is not easy — we’ve seen a similar adjustment period with our women’s team. Now, we’re preparing for the European Championship qualifiers. We’ll be heading to Serbia for a training camp, and I hope we’ll deliver a stronger performance in the next competition.”
The Azerbaijani squad — consisting of Orkhan Aydin, Amil Hamzayev, Nazar Guliyev, and Kamran Mammadov — was placed in Group B. The team suffered losses to Canada (7–12) and Great Britain (12–21), falling short of a playoff spot.
Idman.biz
