He is only 16 years old, but averages almost 15 minutes per game in top icelandic competition (Express League). He is not born in that country, but he landed there when was 5 after growing in Poland. Now has icelandic citizenship. We are talking about 6'3'' guard Maciej Baginski ('95), an important piece of Njardvik: 5.6 points and 1.6 rebounds. Team coached by Einar Johansson finished eighth at the regular season (9-13) with two american players scoring more than 20 points per game: Travis Holmes (Virginia Military Institute) and Cameron Echols (Ball State). Eurohopes contacted the prospect.
-It's not easy to find a 1995 player in a top division of a country. How is the season?
The season has been quite good for my teammates and I. We have a very young team and there have been many ups and downs. We just made the playoffs in the eighth place and now we will face number one seed (Grindavik).
-Usually icelandic national teams don't compete very often in summer. This doesn't help you for your exposure. How is the life there?
That's right. Iceland most often only plays at the Nordic Championship in Solna, Sweden. But this year the under 18 team will play at the European Championship in Bosnia (Division B). The life here is very good, at least here in Njardvík where I live. We always have good programs to improve during the summer. And gym is nearly always open.
-You still can choose playing for Poland or you can't?
Yes. I think I can play with Poland. But I need to commit to the polish national team because if I play with Poland then I can't play with Iceland again.
-What are your goals as a player?
My personal goals are to improve my game as much as I can.
-Many european prospects choose to go to american colleges, like for example icelandic Haukur Palsson (Manresa, ACB), who spent one year in Maryland. Is an option for you?
The biggest goal is to play college basketball in USA and then to play professional basketball, either in Europe or somewhere else. I hope I can get the chance to play there. But it is very difficult to get a scholarship from a good college if you didn't go to high school in USA. I've choosen to play one more seson in Iceland.
Photo: vf.is
