After we surprised everyone last year by going to the Playoffs, we are back to try and do it again. This year we arguably face the toughest group in the first round. All six teams are contenders: Partizan was a Final Four team last year; Caja Laboral is the Spanish League champion; Maccabi is a Euroleague powerhouse every year; Kaunas looks very strong under the reign of their new coach; and even though Khimki is a qualifier, they are a strong team. So now more than ever it is important to win your home games and find your groove quickly.

My team Asseco Prokom is playing in a total of three competitions this year, so to try and keep everyone healthy and ready for the games we have signed a few extra players to give proper rest to everyone. I truly believe in this team. We have great players who are all able to compete at this level and our record of 0-2 does not paint the total picture. Both games we have played so far were games that could have gone either way; we played hard and competed to the last second. We knew that both games would have been a challenge. When you fly to Moscow to play Khimki it is always tough to play there. We found ourselves in a hole early but kept on fighting. On a side note, I think it was the first time I ever saw a player get 2 intentional fouls and leave the game early. Unfortunately, the player who left was our shooting guard Bobby Brown, who is a huge part of our team. It was an uphill battle from there on out.

Three of our actually played their first Euroleague game in Moscow. I don't have to tell anybody that it does not matter where you have played before, the NBA or any other international competition; the Euroleague has its own pace and intensity. Getting accustomed to this level of competition and defensive intensity is always a difficult adjustment. We are still adjusting after losing at home to a powerful and experienced Caja Laboral team in the second game. We have a few new players and finding our rhythm on the court has been a challenge at times. It is always hard to have a new team and compete at your best level from the get-go. I think we are a few practices and a game or two away from being really good and close to being a great team.

We are working hard to find our defensive rotations and become better acquainted on offense. Our coaching staff is working overtime to get us together and form a team out of many promising players. The next blog I write will be about us winning and moving up the ranks to get into position for advancing to the Top 16. That's a promise.

POSTED BY

Jan Jagla — Gdynia, Poland