Blumberg after loss to Georgia: We must play with full effort throughout the game
Latvia men's basketball forward Roberts Blumberg, after a friendly loss to Georgia, emphasized the need to play with full intensity and build team chemistry quickly, as several new players joined the squad.
The Latvia men's national basketball team suffered a loss in a friendly game against Georgia on Sunday in Riga. After the match, players acknowledged that they still need to work on on-court cooperation.
Forward Roberts Blumberg, who started the game and recorded five points, seven rebounds, and a team-best +10 plus-minus rating in 23 minutes, stressed that the team must play with full effort throughout the entire game. "We have to keep doing our job, follow the coach's assignments, and show everything we can. The coach demands that from everyone, including me – play with physicality, go for rebounds, do the 'dirty work,' and give it all," Blumberg said.
Blumberg was not called up to the national team under previous head coach Luka Banki, but was invited in November by then-coach Sito Alonso. After Alonso's dismissal, Jānis Gailītis took over and included Blumberg in his first camp. The player commented: "It doesn't matter who the coach was before. The main thing is to do my job and execute it to the best of my ability."
Blumberg's club season ended in mid-May when his team, Izmir's Petkim Spor, failed to reach the Turkish league playoffs. He admitted he has not yet reached peak form. "It will take some time to get into top shape. It's not bad, but also not the best," he said.
Compared to the previous camp, the national team lineup has changed, and three players made their debuts in a friendly in Tallinn: Kristians Feierbergs, Ričards Aizpurs, and Gunārs Grīnvalds. Blumberg noted that the need for chemistry is evident on the court. "You can see we're still trying to gel. We are professionals, and we need to do that as quickly as possible. I've played with many of them in youth national teams – for example, Artūrs Strautiņš, Kārlis Šiliņš, Kristers Zoriks – so it's not like anyone is a stranger," he added.
In EuroBasket qualifying Group F, after four games, Poland has four wins, the Netherlands two, while Latvia and Austria have one each. To advance to the second stage and compete for a spot in the final tournament, Latvia must win the next two qualifying games.
