PRAGUE (FIBA) - Jiri Zidek was an NCAA champion at UCLA a decade ago and graduated to the NBA, so it's little wonder he draws plenty of stares and hellos when he returns home to the Czech Republic.
He gets that look. People's eyes light up, as they did at the Euroleague Final Four when big Zidek entered the Sazka Arena. It's respect.
"There he is, one of the best basketball players we've ever had," people were thinking.
Zidek reflected on his time in the game with PA Sport's Jeff Taylor on behalf of FIBA.
FIBA: Jiri, basketball ruled in Prague on the weekend of the Euroleague Final Four. There were a lot of supporters from Spain following Tau Ceramica and Winterthur Barcelona, from Russia for CSKA Moscow and, of course, Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv. What about the Czech people?
Zidek: It was certainly a big event for me and I understood the magnitude because I played in a Final Four and I understand the popularity of basketball in Europe. I think a lot of people here (in Prague) don't understand it and don't appreciate it. They view basketball as another second-rate sport and they just thought it was another basketball tournament.
FIBA: Was it not a gamble to stage the event in a city where there is not a big team?
Zidek: The reason was clear to me. We have the best arena for basketball right now. The Sazka Arena was, for sure, the best venue, so it was logical to give the Final Four to the Czech Republic. The country has a history of demonstrating that it can host big events, people who are good operators in sports.
FIBA: The event seemed to run very well, though. Were you pleased?
Zidek: The Euroleague brought between 60 and 90 people here (to work), the organisation was good and the number of fans, the media coverage - it was first class.
FIBA: How do you rate the level of competition in the Euroleague now compared to 1999 when you played for Zalgiris Kaunas and won the title?
Zidek: I didn't see much of this season, but I assume that we (Zalgiris) would have held our own. The Final Four that I was in we had a good team with players like Tyus (Edney), Anthony Bowie. It was a good year because there were a lot of players who did not want to wait out the NBA Lockout and instead went to play in Europe. The lockout was not lifted until January so, for me, it was a wise decision. I did not play much my last two seasons in the NBA and I really needed to get on the court.
FIBA: Is it true that you may be at the end of your career now?
Zidek: I played 10 professional seasons but the 10th was extremely difficult, mentally and physically, because I had problems with the cartilage in my knee. I finished the season, but I spent more time with the trainers and the doctors than I did on the court.
FIBA: So, no more from Jiri Zidek then?
Zidek: There is a 99.9% chance that I'm retiring. That's my feeling personally. Fortunately, the knee feels okay for normal life and recreational sports, but I'm not sure I can come back to professional sports.
FIBA: Looking back over your career, what were the highlights?
Zidek: In high school, I was here, and there were no highlights. First highlight probably would have been winning the NCAA Tournament (with UCLA in 1995), getting drafted in the NBA, my first game in Chicago Stadium going up against Michael Jordan and then winning the Euroleague title with Zalgiris (1999). Winning the NCAA Tournament and Euroleague were highlights, but I also remember my first game in the NBA and being drafted.
FIBA: Would your recommend to other players in Europe to follow your example and play college basketball before embarking on a professional career?
Zidek: It's a funny thing. My younger brother (Tomas) is 15 years old, and he will be facing the decision in two years. In my opinion, although I have not seen that much basketball (of late), the quality of college basketball has gone down. I was just talking to the coaches in Europe and, at this point, it's pretty hard to find a guy from college to step in for a good, quality club in Europe.
FIBA: So the level of the game has dropped in the US at collegiate level?
Zidek: There a lot of reasons why the basketball may have gone down, the Serbo-Montenegrin school of basketball and the Lithuanian school are really catching up to the college game. I think the unfortunate rule that the (college) coaches can't work with the young players for six months is really hurting college basketball.
FIBA: Sarunas Jasikevicius loved his NCAA experience several years ago but he admitted he may have developed quicker as a player in Europe.
Zidek: Players who are between 18 and 22 really need a coach for 11 months of the year. If you ask me if a player should go to the US, 10 years ago I would have said yes, without a doubt. At this point, they should consider if they should go to Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Croatia. Jiri Welsch, who is in the NBA now, went to Slovenia for two years before he went to the United States.
FIBA: What can you say about Nymburk, the last club you played for?
Zidek: It was a low budget team there and we managed, many times, to beat teams with much bigger budgets. It was a great satisfaction to be able to come home and give a chance to the Czech fans to see teams like Fenerbahce, Kyiv, Dynamo Moscow (Region), (Dynamo) St Petersburg - those were big teams with bigger budgets and we managed to beat them.
FIBA: Do you think Prague would be a good place to host the EuroBasket?
Zidek: For sure. I have not seen the rest of Europe, but it would be harder to imagine a nicer stadium than the Saska.
FIBA: Would you like to remain involved in basketball in the Czech Republic?
Zidek: For sure, but also on a European level because as I said, basketball here is a marginal sport. I would like to help basketball first in my country, but ideally I would like to be involved at European or NBA level.
PA Sport