Mateusz Ponitka praises Olympiacos, recounts how he went from zero to hero / News - Basketnews.com

Mateusz Ponitka referred to the consequences of his decision to stay and play in Russia when the war in Ukraine broke out. He also weighed in on the Greek rivalry, Zeljko Obradovic's reactions and Nikola Mirotic's case.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

After a turbulent season with Panathinaikos, Mateusz Ponitka is currently in Belgrade. Having signed with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade for the next campaign, making himself available to coach Zeljko Obradovic.

Mateusz Ponitka

Position:SFAge:29Height:197 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Ostrow, PolandProfileNewsStatistics

However, the reason Ponitka, 29, is in the Serbian capital has nothing to do with Partizan, but rather with the Polish national team which he captains. Following a scrimmage behind closed doors against Serbia on Wednesday night, Poland will play some more friendly prep games in Serbia and Mozzart Sport took the chance to interview him.

"Really good team, really good team. A few NBA players, a few EuroLeague players. As a team, they look just fine," Ponitka toldNikola Stojkovic and Bojan Brezovac.

The experienced forward recalled the time when he was the target of criticism for his decision to stay and play in Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg when the war in Ukraine broke out.

"I was the biggest enemy in Poland at the time. People hated me and my family. We got threats, crazy messages. I personally expected some people from basketball to protect me, but they added fuel to the fire," the player stressed.

"I was really close to finishing my career. At the end of the day, I spoke to my wife, my agent and the national team. They told me they wanted me on the team, they knew what I had given to the national team. Eventually we found a common language.

I joined the team and we were fourth in Europe. Crazy story. I'm usually of a calm nature and hard to get excited, but my story from last year... I think a movie can be made. From zero to hero. In fact, from hero to enemy and finally hero again," Ponitka said.

Following his sensational EuroBasket run with Poland that went along with capturing 4th place after beating Luka Doncic's Slovenia in the quarter-finals, Ponitka joined Panathinaikos and got to experience the Greek rivalry first-hand.

"Olympiacos was a fantastic team," he admitted.

"They wanted to win the EuroLeague. They are one of the best teams in Europe. We only won one game against them, which of course wasn't enough.

Now the story is different. [Kostas] Sloukas and [Sasha] Vezenkov left, of course Olympiacos will be strong, but also Panathinaikos completely changed the team, brought new players and coaches. It will be interesting to see what the rivalry will look like next season. As for life in Athens, it was perfect. Too bad basketball wasn't a little bit better," Ponitka reflected on his one-year term in the Greek capital.

The Polish forward admitted he had alwaysdreamed of playing under coach Zeljko Obradovic, "just to see what kind of person he is on and off the court."

"The big thing for me is that I can learn basketball from him. That was the main thing for me, not money, not even life in the city, but that I could learn something new from the best coaching mind. He has a special sense of basketball, great basketball knowledge.

Sometimes it doesn't seem like the right decision or it doesn't make sense. See the result of each move you make in advance. I'll tell you at the end of the season whether I was right or not."

Ponitka is also curious to see what kind of relationship Obradovic has with his players. "How he talks to them and how he works, how he reacts... It will be an extraordinary experience for me".

Regardless of whether Partizan have kept players like James Nunnally, Zach LeDay and Kevin Punter on their roster, the biggest summer story was about Nikola Mirotic's next destination. Eventually, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan won the battle, however the Montenegrin forward had talked to several teams before making his decision. One of them was Partizan, with the two sides reaching an agreement in principle that never materialized.

"Yeah, I heard something about it. I read some articles about Mirotic and Partizan, as well as some other clubs, I saw that there was a lot of interest in him," Ponitka said.

"Which is normal, because he is a great player, one of the best in the EuroLeague. I don't know exactly what happened to Partizan, why he didn't come. He chose Milan, there will be a lot of strong players, with great potential. It's his decision, I don't know him personally, but Milan will be a pretty strong team."

Ponitka is planning on returning to Belgrade on August 26 or 27. Since Poland won't be at the upcoming World Cup, he's rooting for Serbia.

"I'm part of this country now. I believe that Serbia has a chance for a medal, they look good as a team," he concluded.

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