By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Limassol, Cyprus – “I never expected it. But you know, my God is incredible. He makes the impossible possible. It’s an honor and a blessing to have this opportunity”.
And God truly works in mysterious ways.
From Georgia, USA, to the country of Georgia in the Black Sea, the trip of Kamar Baldwin is improbable, but more than satisfying, especially after the historic win in the EuroBasket opener against defending champions Spain.
Baldwin, who ironically spent last season in Spain with Baskonia, ended up beating the national team of the country that hosted him for one season, having teammates in the EuroBasket like Toko Shengelia, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Aleksandar Dzikic as his coach.
“It’s a great feeling. We won the first game. Nobody expected us to do it. But you know, everyone in our group believes, and we just went out and played our game and everything took its course,” the Bayern Munich guard told Eurohoops.
The naturalized guard praised team captain Toko Shengelia, who, despite all odds, was in the court: “It was tough. Toko is the heart and soul of the team. But we stuck together, he told us that he would be with us, both on and off the court, throughout the process. Just having him out there, even with limited minutes, was great”.
So what’s it like for a foreigner to join a team like Georgia? “It’s beautiful. They’ve accepted me as one of their own. I want to contribute, play my game, help everyone on the floor, and fit in as best I can.”
Photo credit: FIBA