Estonian basketball player Markus Ilver moves from Tartu to Warsaw's Legia

Estonian basketball national team player Markus Ilver will play for Legia Warsaw in the new season, under the guidance of Heiko Rannula. Legia has won the Polish championship for the second consecutive year.

Last season, Ilver played for the University of Tartu and won the Estonian championship. Previously, he played college basketball in the United States.

The 24-year-old forward described the move from the Estonian-Latvian league to the Polish league as a very good step. "To join a strong club where the coach trusts you is excellent. I found out about it through my agent, and then Heiko called me himself, and we agreed," Ilver said in an interview with ERR.

He emphasized that he wanted to move abroad but not take too big a leap. "The Polish league is strong, and Legia plays in the Basketball Champions League, which is a big plus."

Ilver noted that having former teammate Matias Tass, who recently left the club, gives him confidence. "It helps when there are familiar guys who have played there."

Before joining Legia, Ilver will play for the Estonian national team against Slovenia (July 3 at home) and the Czech Republic (July 6 away). "Some players are missing, but we can't use that as an excuse. The friendly against Latvia showed that our game is still a bit raw, but it will be much better by the Slovenia game," he said.

Ilver admitted that getting into rhythm in summer is tough. "The first practices were quite painful. I woke up in the morning with more pain than during the season. But it gets better. I think by tomorrow most players will be in good shape."