Diego Ocampo, the Spanish coach guiding the Czech Republic basketball team, isn’t about to label his squad as favorites. On Tuesday, he straight-up rejected that idea for Wednesday’s Eurobasket Group A opener against Portugal. He sees it as a “difficult” challenge ahead.
Ocampo, a 49-year-old from Ourense, Spain, clearly knows his opponent well. He reminded everyone that Portugal had recently pulled off a big upset. They beat the reigning European champions, Spain, with a score of 76-74 in a warm-up game in Málaga. “Portugal has a good team, as they proved against Spain,” Ocampo noted, adding that they “played well, competed hard, and won.” He also coaches BAXI Manresa, which finished 10th in the Spanish league in 2024/25.
The Czech coach broke down Portugal’s strengths. He mentioned how “many players are at their peak right now,” highlighting Neemias Queta and Travante Williams. He also praised their ball-handling skills and their group of “good shooters.” Ocampo summarized them as a “complete team” that can attack both inside and outside. He also gave credit to their “good coach who knows how to run the team.” Because of all this, he expects a tough fight for his own side.
Ocampo stuck to his guns about not being favorites. “It’s tough, especially since it’s the first game,” he explained. “That brings a lot of pressure.” His main goal for the match is to ensure his players settle in quickly. Getting comfortable in those opening minutes could really decide the game’s direction.
Before diving into the Portugal game, Ocampo shared his team’s broader feelings. Being in the Eurobasket finals is a real “source of pride” for the Czechs. He sees this as a new chapter for Czech basketball. The squad blends many young talents with some experienced players who have rejoined to help everyone gel. “We had good preparations,” he said. “We’ve been getting better every day, and we feel confident.”
The Spanish coach stressed a simple strategy for his team: one game at a time. Their full focus right now is solely on Portugal. Still, he recognized the strength of other teams in the competition, like Serbia, Latvia, and Turkey. Ocampo laid out their mission: “Our goal is to play with our own style, win or lose our way.” That means moving the ball, giving maximum effort all the time, and being aggressive on defense.
The Czech team heads into Riga without big names like Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely. Instead, their leader is Vit Krejci, a 25-year-old point guard from the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Krejci echoed his coach’s words about this “transition moment.” He believes the team is “improving every day.” He also pointed out how the older players are helping the younger ones feel more at home. “We have a good group, and that’s our biggest asset,” Krejci stated, emphasizing the need to play “fast and aggressively.”
Krejci also spoke about his personal drive. He enjoys “challenges” and is “very excited” to lead the Czech team. He highlighted the depth of his squad, saying they have “several players who can score 15 or 20 points in any given game.”
The Group A match between Portugal and the Czech Republic is set for Wednesday. It kicks off at 2:45 PM local time (12:45 PM in Lisbon) at Xiaomi Arena in Riga.