Miezis: Mongolian teammates will be shocked by Ghetto Games scale in Ventspils

Latvian 3x3 basketball star Nauris Miezis and his Mongolian team "Ulaanbaatar" will compete in a Quest tournament in Ventspils this weekend as part of the Ghetto Games festival. Last weekend, the team played without Miezis due to a minor injury and lost to the American team "Phoenix" in the quarterfinals in Tallinn.

Miezis said the team arrived in the Baltics from Spain, and he hosted his Mongolian teammates at his home. "They were surprised how green Latvia is. I took them to Old Riga and also for Latvian food," Miezis explained. He predicts his teammates will be shocked by the scale of Ghetto Games, which he said is much bigger than typical Quest tournaments with few courts and small crowds.

This season, "Ulaanbaatar" has finished second twice and third once in World Tour Masters events, currently ranking sixth overall. "We are doing very well, surprisingly well. Health is the only thing that could hold us back. So we need to be smart, for example, sometimes skip a tournament or take a break. The 3x3 basketball season is very long with many tournaments," Miezis noted.

In April, the FIBA board, following an IOC recommendation, granted exceptions for Russian and Belarusian U-21 teams to compete in the 3x3 Nations League in Asia. Miezis said there is no discussion about Russia's return in the 3x3 basketball community, but he has heard about decisions in other sports, such as volleyball players returning.

This summer, Miezis and the Latvian national team won the 3x3 Basketball World Cup for the first time.