Captain - The Road of Georgian Basketball (Part XVI)

Zaza Pachulia is celebrating his birthday on February 10th. We think that this should be an interesting day for fans to read about his career in the national team and remember the video highlights.

All this in the project of Basketball Federation – “The Road of Georgian Basketball to Eurobasket 2021”.

Zaza Pachulia

– It was 2000 when Zurab Tomaradze called me to the national team, I will never forget that period! I can clearly remember how I joined the team in Moscow, how I traveled with the team to Denmark, what it was like to debut against Luxembourg. I was 16, playing in Turkish “Ulker”. I didn’t know many of the national team members. To be honest: I knew only two players – Nika Tskitishvili and Kakha Shengelia. I had played in all age groups starting with the cadets along with Tskito. But as for the others, I had seen them from tribunes only. They didn’t even know me… So I had a lot to prove, -recalls Zaza Pachulia, who finished his career in the national team with the end of Eurobasket 2017, saying:

– As in my youth, I was very committed to every training, every meeting, every game until the end. I understand very well that playing for the national team is not personal, for ones own purposes… it’s for the country, for my people. Playing for the national team was both an honor and a duty for me. First of all, I played there from a young age and secondly, I was captain of the team. I want to thank everyone for standing by my side, trusting me, loving me, and even criticizing me, because it made me a better person, more motivated. I never took criticism for personal insults, I was analyzing it and trying to act the way as the country needed me to. As a result, I gained a lot of experience and developed both on and off the court.

There was a great acquaintance, great disappointment, great victory, great dedication in Zaza’s 17-year career in the national team…

Great Acquaintance

Zaza’s national team debut took place on May 17, 2000 in Denmark. Georgia lost to Luxembourg 71:92 that day.

As for the first match in Tbilisi, the future captain held it on June 3, 2001: we defeated Bulgaria 91:75, Pachulia scored 20 points and 8 rebounds. In exactly three days, we beat Belarus as well – 83:78. Zaza: 24 points, 19 rebounds – the fans grabbed him as soon as the match was over. This is how Georgian fans got acquainted with Zaza Pachulia.

– During one of the matches of the Turkish championship, I got my jaw injured by the hit of elbow and two of my teeth fell out. I needed an operation, but since the playoffs were underway, the surgery was postponed. Admittedly, I found it difficult to speak, but I was in optimal shape. I was still very nervous, because I knew I had to play against Belarusian Alexander Kuehl. He played for Galatasaray in Istanbul then and was the best center of the Turkish championship. I thought I would have a hard time against him, but the fans gathered at the Sports Palace saw with their own eyes what happened in the end. I saw a lot of happy faces at the end of the match, which we Georgians really missed, I think I was the happiest though!

Great Disappointment

The roster of the Georgian national team was renewed from 2004, gathering a generation that will go down in basketball history under the name of Golden Generation. However, not everything went as well as Zaza and his teammates deserved. It took 6 years to escape from the Second Division. The reason for this was several unexpected bitter failures.

– When it comes to the worst matches, I remember losing in Iceland in 2007. It was the biggest disappointment of my national team career. In fact, we lost the game which had been almost won, and the worst thing was that we stayed in Division B for two more years because of this defeat, – Zaza Pachulia recalled.

Great Victory

Igor Kokoshkov came to the Georgian national team as a coach in 2009, “Golden Generation” got enough experience and got what they deserved: in 2009 they defeated Belarus in the playoffs and won a ticket to Division A,  they did not miss the Eurobasket from 2011 to 2017.

At the first Eurobasket (2011) we passed the initial group stage, and in 2015 we reached the 1/8 finals… After 2010 we had many big victories: against Belgium, Poland, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Lithuania, but this is the period when such victories are no longer surprising:

– Georgian national team has firmly established its place among the top teams in Europe. I am proud that any favorite of the Eurobasket is afraid of our team. We raised the game quite high for the price of hard work. I hope the next generation will keep it with dignity.

Great Dedication

As we have mentioned, Zaza Pachulia had been playing for the Georgian national team for 17 years. Only in 2013 did he miss out on the team. The reason was an injury he suffered during a match against the Lakers in March.

Zaza also had a ticket – he was going to Eurobasket 2013 to encourage Georgians, but at the request of the leadership of Milwaukee and doctors, he had to cancel the ticket.

– We have gone through many hard days for 17 years and we have had many victories. We went to Eurobasket four times. That was what I was able to do in my national team career. I also believe that our people deserve more success, – these are the words of Zaza Pachulia, which he said in an interview with Lelo.

Ilia Londaridze

Ilia Londaridze did not play in the Georgian youth teams, but with the increase of his age he improved from year to year and became one of the most useful and unstoppable centers of the Georgian championship.

In 2017, he attracted the attention of head coach Ilias Zouros and played on Eurobasket in Israel. Ilia was often seen on TV screens – emotionally supporting the team from the bench. When you have Zaza Pachulia, Giorgi Shermadini, Tornike Shengelia and Goga Bitadze in the front line, it is very difficult to take away the playing minutes from them…

Kakha Jintcharadze

Kakha Jincharadze was not pampered with the game in the national youth teams either. Ilias Zouros also noticed him from the Georgian championship.

Kakha is a very valuable forward in our super league. He did this with a lot of work on himself – he didn’t have a hard time with the ball or shooting it, in recent years he has improved his physical condition as well, and that’s why he is constantly among the candidates for the national team.

Mikheil Chochua

Misha Chochua appeared in the Super League from Rustavi. He is a classic shooter with good three-pointers. Nor is he be physically lame, so it is not surprising that he has been in the extended roster of the Georgian national team for a long time. The coaches, however, don’t choose him while selecting final twelve. 

Chochua is always in those teams, which plan to become champions. He has won the Super League many times with Rustavi and Dinamo.

Revaz Rogava

In 2012, when MIA Academy was aspiring to the championship, Rezo Rogava, a young player who was playing as a substitute for American Deonta Vonn, was part of the team.

That’s when the coach of the MIA Academy, Giorgios Ketselidis, said that young Rogava should have been at least in the extended roster of the national team. Rezo is among those players, who attracted the attention of the national team coach with a good game in the Georgian championship.