Kondratavičs: Rīgas Zeļļi Ready for Eurocup Debut After Two League Wins

Rīgas Zeļļi have made a strong start to the new basketball season, winning their first two league games — a convincing 94:71 victory over Estonia's Keila, followed by a tighter 79:73 win against TalTech. On Wednesday, the club will play its first-ever ULEB Eurocup match, away against Italian side Tortona Derthona.

Head coach Kondratavičs said the start of the season has served as a kind of adaptation period. During preseason the team faced Lithuanian opponents, while its first competitive games were against Estonian clubs with a very different playing style. He said this variety of opposition should help the team prepare for the Eurocup, since Italian basketball tends to combine fast-paced play with tactical discipline.

According to Kondratavičs, the most important thing in the opening two games was simply winning, given that the roster includes many new players and he himself is a new head coach introducing a different style of play. He acknowledged that adapting to the new approach has not been easy for the players in such a short time, but said he is satisfied with progress so far. The main priority, he added, is to be ready for the season's most important matches, including the fight for the title.

The coach also defended the standard of the Latvian-Estonian league, saying many assessments of its quality are inaccurate and that it features several strong teams with varied playing styles. He noted that a number of players have moved on to major clubs after strong seasons in the league, citing Dominiks Steņonis as an example. Kondratavičs said he is trying to instill in his players the importance of not overlooking domestic league opponents, warning that underestimating any rival will be punished.

On the Eurocup campaign, Kondratavičs acknowledged that Rīgas Zeļļi will not enter as favorites, but said this also brings an advantage, since expectations will fall on opponents to win. The team's goal, he said, is to become an uncomfortable opponent — physical, competitive for every rebound, and capable of adapting to different styles of play. He also pointed out that several Eurocup rivals compete in very strong domestic championships, meaning a league match can sometimes matter more to them than the European fixture — moments Rīgas Zeļļi intend to exploit.