Poland has additional pressure compared to the previous EuroBasket, as they play in front of their fans, the Poles will try to be more efficient than in 2007. To do so, Muli Katzurin has selected a very competitive team. In addition to the traditional players of the selection like Adam Wojcik and Filip Dylewicz, the Israeli coach will count on the American scoring machine David Logan.

Adam Wojcik

During the past decade, the Polish national team has always played in anonymity. It will change completely this year, as Poland will host the EuroBasket. Katzurin's squad will be supported by an entire nation. "The competition provides a unique opportunity to pro-mote basketball in Poland", the Israeli coach said. For that reason the Poles have little margin for error.

Indeed it would be a real disappointment if the selection leaves the competition with three loss and zero win like they did in Spain in 2007. At the last EuroBasket, they lost against France, Italy and Slovenia, led by Adam Wojcik, Andrzej Pluta and Filip Dylewicz. This year, the fans expect their representation to reach at least the second round. New coach Muli Katzurin has selected a very competitive team to carry out this challenge. Many players who didn't come two years ago will wear the Polish jersey this time. It's especially the case of Maciej Lampe and of the NBA Finals runner-up Marcin Gortat of the Orlando Magic. These two young players give a new dimension in the paint. Along with the veteran Adam Wojcik and the experienced Filip Dylewicz, they complete a very nice frontcourt that can compete with anyone. This is very important for a team that was one of the poorest of the last EuroBasket in rebounding.

Marcin Gortat

The backcourt is maybe less impressive but is still solid. Most players are well-known for the fans as they still play in the Polish league. Lukasz Koszarek will still be the starting point guard. He's a guaranty of consistency as he doesn't turn the ball over and is a precious playmaker.

But the most exciting player of the team plays at the shooting guard position. It's David Logan. He got his passport in July and he could be one of the stars of the competition. He's a true scoring machine. Like Ibrahim Jaaber in Bulgaria, Henry Domercant in Bosnia or J.R. Holden in Russia before him, he can bring a serious gain. "I think Logan can bring many new elements to our game and he may be very useful for our team", Muli Katzurin said.

He is even more important as two important players won't play in the selection. "There are two other competitors that I would have liked to see in my team", Coach Katzurin said. "They are Przemyslaw Zamojski (Sopot), who sustained an injury, and Andrzej Pluta (Wloclawek), who unfortunately didn't change his mind about ending his sport's career." But the team-spirit and the support of the fans can compensate for these absences.

The Poles have the potential to reach the second round this year. In Group D in Wroclaw, they will face Lithuania, Bulgaria and Turkey. If Lithuania looks a notch above, the two other teams are beatable. There is no reason to have an inferiority complex. They will have an opportunity to have a good start in the competition as they play their first game against Bulgaria. But if they fail in this first game, it could make things much more complicated. They should therefore not miss the first step.