You know why we call 1993 born kids “Polish golden generation”? If you look into the past, you wouldn’t find so many so talented players in last probably 10 years or more. Okay, maybe we should call them silver after they lost to USA at FIBA U-17 World Championships in Hamburg, but that doesn’t make big difference. The point is that we can’t waste their potential.
Two biggest names are of course Przemyslaw Karnowski (spelled something like Psha-mee-swuv Cur-nov-skee) and Mateusz Ponitka (Mu-te-oosh Po-nee-tku), at the pic. I don’t really know which one of these guys should I consider as biggest Polish prospect. Karnowski is probably the best 1993-1994 center in Europe or even in World if we don’t count USA. Being 213 cm high, having good body, couple post moves and nice foot work he easily dominated opponents at his age everywhere he goes. He even dominated Polish seniors in 3rd level league. Now the question is how he will adapt at top senior level. In Poland we are afraid of sending him abroad so early, because sitting on the bench (or even out of bench) in Euroleague clubs already ended some other Polish players’ dreams of making big career. Example are Mateusz Jarmakowicz, Wojciech Barycz, Tomasz Kesicki, Kamil Pietras (he had also health problems). although probably none of them was as talented as Karnowski. From our point of view good thing is he wasn’t sent this year to Barcelona (they were interested), but bad thing is that his father didn’t find solution between “top Spanish Euroleague club bench” and “Polish 3rd level league”. He had some offers from Polish first division teams, but chose to go to Polish federation school (something like French INSEP, but only for basketballers) where he would practice and play again at Polish 3rd level! Hopefully he will stay there not more than one year.
Ponitka is probably first Polish outside player who can play at top Euroleague level or maybe even in NBA in future. We have many 20-25 years old shooting guards, but noone had Ponitka’s skills being 17! I can even say that he’s already one of best Polish outside shooters (if we talk about small positions and not count Maciej Lampe & Michal Ignerski). Better are probably only veteran Andrzej Pluta and Pawel Kikowski, who played for Olimpija Lublana. He can also play like a slasher and he is great defender (ask Nenad Miljenovic). Of course he has to learn many things and work hard, but his behaviour on the court and attitude seems not to be Polish. Most of our young talented players (and this time we don’t count Dardan Berisha, cause he is of Balkan origin) are not brave enough on the court. If we don’t know what I mean, I should just say - Mateusz has big cojones. He will stay another season in Polish 2nd level league being the leader of Politechnika Warszawa, but I think he is ready to play at highest Polish level. Good that he is being coached by Mladen Starcevic, Croatian who runs Polonia 2011 youth system (Politechnika is part of it). Starcevic sent Tomasz Snieg and Dardan Berisha to Polish NT. Berisha was starter this year and two years ago he was just 2nd level player, so we can say Ponitka is in good hands. I’m pretty sure he will end at top European level, but on the other side - expectations are big, very big. We didn’t have any small player in NBA, we didn’t have any such player in Euroleague (oh, I’m sorry, we have David Logan!), so we just want him to go there and make us proud of him. If I think about his real chances of making NBA, I have to say that not many European guard managed to do this in this decade. Reason? In NCAA you have thousands of 190 cm high guards. You probably have to have skills of guard and body of power forward to be sure you will go to the NBA. Being NBA camp MVP is not enough.
I focused on these two players not by mistake. I really wish other to make progress and surprise us, but don’t really know if Piotr Niedzwiedzki and Tomasz Gielo can become someone over mediocre European level.
Photo: FIBA.COM
