Basketball. Poland weakened ahead of EuroBasket

In just two weeks, the Polish national basketball team will begin competing at EuroBasket. Jeremi Sochan will not play in the tournament, which will include the group stage at the Spodek Arena in Katowice. The NBA player missed the national team training camp due to a calf injury. Kinga players Tomasz Gielo and Przemysław Żołnierewicz are both scoring points in the national team's upcoming preseason games.

"I'm very disappointed, but due to a calf injury, I unfortunately won't be able to play for Poland at this year's EuroBasket. I've been working hard for this over the past few months, and the time I've been training and playing with the national team has been incredible. This is a special group, and I was really looking forward to being a part of it. Fortunately, doctors predict I'll be fully recovered by the start of training camp for the upcoming NBA season. I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and the entire staff, and especially the fans in Poland, for their support. I appreciate it very much, and please know that even though I won't be able to be with you, I will support Poland wholeheartedly!" Sochan wrote in an official statement.

In Sochan's absence, Jordan Lloyd could become the team's leader. The American basketball player, who has received Polish citizenship, put in a strong performance in the second preseason game against Sweden, winning 74-72. The new Polish international was the most effective player on the team, hitting a sensational 8-of-9 shots from the field, resulting in 20 points in just over 19 minutes on the court.

"We knew what Jordan was capable of. We needed a player of his caliber. He's a scorer who can create, and importantly, he's aggressive on defense. This fits our needs. He's not in optimal form yet, so we need to gradually bring him in, but we have enough time before EuroBasket. Jeremi's absence is a difficult situation tactically, but it also motivates everyone to give even more. This could bring us together. We were already considering pairing Aleksander Balcerowski with Dominik Olejniczak. With Jeremi gone, we need to fill the gap at the back four qualitatively, using various options. We need to find the best solutions," says Poland coach Igor Milicić.

The first friendly match against the Swedes ended in a defeat for the Poles 82:88.

"We have some thoughts on aggressiveness at the start of the game – we can do it much better. In some situations, the ball moved well on offense, and we had a lot of open shots. On defense – especially when we were chasing the score – we showed that we can play aggressively, with team rebounds. This despite different formations, which is a big plus. Our opponent plays a different kind of basketball, and we deliberately didn't scout, so we can draw a lot of benefits from this matchup and be happy," adds coach Igor Milicić.

Both matches against Sweden featured players who will be featured in the upcoming league season for King. Tomasz Gielo scored 13 points in both matches, while Przemysław Żołnierewicz scored 12.

The Polish national team still has three friendly games on its calendar before EuroBasket. The next friendly is scheduled for Thursday against Georgia in Sosnowiec, followed by another three days later against Finland in the same city. The final test before the European Championship is scheduled for August 21st in Helsinki against Finland.

(voivodeship)

Schedule of matches of the Polish national team during EuroBasket 2025: Slovenia - Poland (28/08, 8:30 p.m.) Poland - Israel (30/08, 8:30 p.m.) Poland - Iceland (31/08, 8:30 p.m.) France - Poland (2/09, 8:30 p.m.) Poland - Belgium (4/09, 8:30 p.m.)