Post by Kralj Vatra on Sept 3, 2011 3:24:16 GMT -5
www.eurobasket2011.com/en/cid_4,w7QjPeH-M,ty138LH2l3.teamID_253.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2011.roundID_7526.coid_HoXMWPsFIXw,TrG6cCN-K1.articleMode_on.html
By Yarone Arbel
On June 8th, 1985 Bulgaria beat a team that doesn't exist anymore - Czechoslovakia - 84-68 in the Preliminary Round of EuroBasket 1985.
Georgi Mladenov scored 26 points and Ilia Evtimov added 24.
Why is it so relevant for today? Because until yesterday it was the last time Bulgaria won a game in EuroBasket when it still mattered.
It took more than 26 years and more than 9,500 days to break this chain, and nobody can blame them for not trying.
After that victory in 1985, Bulgaria played in five EuroBaskets - 1989, 1991, 1993, 2005 and 2009 - and won just one of their 17 games over that stretch. It was in 1989, a game for seventh place out of an eight-team tournament.
Not that Thursday's win was easy.
The Bulgarians edged Belgium 68-65 to start a new count and stay in the race for the Qualifying Round in EuroBasket 2011.
The twins Kaloyan and Deyan Ivanov were born nine months after that big win over Czechoslovakia.
Now they play a key role for team Bulgaria in Group D at Klaipeda.
"It's so exciting to be part of the team that finally won a game for Bulgaria," said Kaloyan Ivanov after taking a few minutes to recover.
"My brother and I were part of the teams that played the last two EuroBaskets and we didn't win a game in those tournaments.
"It's kinda frustrating to make it to such a big stage and come back home without any win, but this time before we came to Lithuania we felt something is different," he added.
"We knew this time we have a chance to win some games, and were more confidant."
Watching the Ivanovs lead Bulgaria isn't a big shock to the people who follow youth basketball.
The twins were a force in any age category and dominated from a very young age.
It was natural that it would take them some years to mature and develop their senior game.
Now, together with 23-year-old Chavdar Kostov and some veterans such as Filip Videnov and Tencho Banev - both 31 years of age - and the support of EJ Rowland, Bulgaria can compete.
"It was a process and took time for this team to mature and have enough skill to win games in EuroBaskets and that's natural," explained Kaloyan Ivanov.
"Bulgarian basketball isn't one of the very best in Europe but it's certainly not that bad that we can't beat any team.
"We just needed to grow as a team and gain more experience."
Yet this isn't the end of the road for Bulgaria.
Winning just one game isn't enough. At least not for Kaloyan.
"We didn't come here to win a single one game and forget about everything," he warned.
"The goal is to make it to the next round and we still have three more games to play here before we give up.
"It's great to break the drought but now we have to focus on moving on and see how we can improve our game even more so we could continue this.
"We do not want this win to be the first after so many years but also the last in 2011."
By Yarone Arbel
On June 8th, 1985 Bulgaria beat a team that doesn't exist anymore - Czechoslovakia - 84-68 in the Preliminary Round of EuroBasket 1985.
Georgi Mladenov scored 26 points and Ilia Evtimov added 24.
Why is it so relevant for today? Because until yesterday it was the last time Bulgaria won a game in EuroBasket when it still mattered.
It took more than 26 years and more than 9,500 days to break this chain, and nobody can blame them for not trying.
After that victory in 1985, Bulgaria played in five EuroBaskets - 1989, 1991, 1993, 2005 and 2009 - and won just one of their 17 games over that stretch. It was in 1989, a game for seventh place out of an eight-team tournament.
Not that Thursday's win was easy.
The Bulgarians edged Belgium 68-65 to start a new count and stay in the race for the Qualifying Round in EuroBasket 2011.
The twins Kaloyan and Deyan Ivanov were born nine months after that big win over Czechoslovakia.
Now they play a key role for team Bulgaria in Group D at Klaipeda.
"It's so exciting to be part of the team that finally won a game for Bulgaria," said Kaloyan Ivanov after taking a few minutes to recover.
"My brother and I were part of the teams that played the last two EuroBaskets and we didn't win a game in those tournaments.
"It's kinda frustrating to make it to such a big stage and come back home without any win, but this time before we came to Lithuania we felt something is different," he added.
"We knew this time we have a chance to win some games, and were more confidant."
Watching the Ivanovs lead Bulgaria isn't a big shock to the people who follow youth basketball.
The twins were a force in any age category and dominated from a very young age.
It was natural that it would take them some years to mature and develop their senior game.
Now, together with 23-year-old Chavdar Kostov and some veterans such as Filip Videnov and Tencho Banev - both 31 years of age - and the support of EJ Rowland, Bulgaria can compete.
"It was a process and took time for this team to mature and have enough skill to win games in EuroBaskets and that's natural," explained Kaloyan Ivanov.
"Bulgarian basketball isn't one of the very best in Europe but it's certainly not that bad that we can't beat any team.
"We just needed to grow as a team and gain more experience."
Yet this isn't the end of the road for Bulgaria.
Winning just one game isn't enough. At least not for Kaloyan.
"We didn't come here to win a single one game and forget about everything," he warned.
"The goal is to make it to the next round and we still have three more games to play here before we give up.
"It's great to break the drought but now we have to focus on moving on and see how we can improve our game even more so we could continue this.
"We do not want this win to be the first after so many years but also the last in 2011."