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It is often said that good things come to those who wait. That exact phrase is best suited to Russian big man Timofey Mozgov.
And at present, he’s on a NBA championship-calibre team with Cleveland, directed by a coach that he has worked with on the international stage for many years plus he will look to lead Russia’s resurgence this summer at Eurobasket.
“I have known David for a couple of years now and I am happy to be working with him again,” Mozgov said in an interview with FIBA.com.
“He knows my way of playing very well. He is a great and successful coach. I had one of the best moments of my career so far with him when we won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. I will never forget that moment.”
And who knows, maybe he can lead Russia to possible glory at Eurobasket, and at the same time book a ticket to Brazil for the 2016 Olympics, where they have a chance to better the bronze medal that they captured in London in 2012.
Hosts and reigning European champions France stand in their way though, along with Bosnia & Herzegovina, Israel, Poland and Finland. The group is strong but the Cleveland Cavalier is confident in his own national side’s ability.
“The group is very interesting,” Mozgov said. “France is going to play at home and will have a lot of fans supporting them. The other teams are also very competitive but we have also a solid team. The tournament is going to be very nice and a lot of different teams can fight for the title.”
Talking about international titles though was a long way off back in 2013, as back then Russia were in turmoil. Its Basketball Federation elected Yulia Anikeeva as president and just before the team could properly prepare for Eurobasket in Slovenia, head coach Fotis Katsikaris resigned, citing her attitude towards him as a reason for his departure.
At the last minute, Valery Karasev was appointed coach and what followed was a shambles of a campaign in Koper, as Russia, without Mozgov, were dumped out of the group stages. The ladies didn’t fare any better before the men’s campaign, as they were ousted in the first round of Eurobasket Women four months earlier.
As a result, Russia were not involved in the FIBA World Cup nor were the women present at the world championships a year ago.
But the troubles that plagued Russia seem to be behind them now, as slowly but surely they have rebuilt the programme, and after qualification to this year’s event, Mozgov along with the national side are eager to let the world stage know that 2013 was a blip.
Mozgov’s focus though remains Cleveland and securing a Playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“We are playing at a very high level now and we would like to keep the same dynamic in order to be ready to have a successful play-off campaign,” he said.
“The team had some difficulties at the beginning of the season but now the chemistry is very good. We have an impressive roster and very talented players at every position. Every player is happy to play here and we have a very solid and united group of players. We want to have a great season and fight for the ring.”
Not bad for a guy back in 2010 and 2011 used to be known for picking up more fouls than points and being the poster assistant to a Blake Griffin dunk.
