Four games into preseason, it is time for an initial look at the 2024/2025 edition of BC Prievidza basketball. While friendly game results always have to be taken with a grain or even a full bag of salt, it seems safe to say that the new team will give our fans plenty of reasons to fill Športová hala again this year.
After a successful 2023/2024 that culminated in a 2nd place finish in the regular season and a bronze medal after reaching the playoff semifinals, the organization managed to retain key components of last year's squad. American floor general C.J. Jackson bucked the trend of “import players” leaving for greener pastures after a good showing and bought into the club’s plans for steady improvement. Head Coach Saša Jankovič stayed at the helm and important Slovak contributors like Lukáš Bolek, Patrik Lukáč or Samuel Kincel continue to wear the Black and White, as well. Others such as league topscorer Kevion Taylor or shotblocking center Lukas Milner would have been welcomed back with open arms but understandably opted for offers too lucrative to pass on.
Reload, not Rebuild
To make up for these losses and to further strengthen in particular the Slovakian core of the roster, the club reeled in a number of intriguing signings. National team point guard Dalibor Hlivák bolstered the backcourt rotation and allrounder Tomas Mrviš added valuable experience and competitiveness. Local legend Marek Jass returned from a lengthy injury absence, so he basically counts as a new signing, as well.
Help from outside of the Slovakian borders was quickly on the way, as well: Daishon Smith, whom the Prievidza faithful surely remember from his high-scoring days in an Inter Bratislava jersey, came on board as the new shooting guard. Sharpshooting Finnish national team regular Remu Raitanen was brought in from Spain’s 2nd division to space the floor at the power forward position. Uber-athletic wing Keith Jordan arrived from Iceland to bring physicality and an all-around skillset. Center Hunter Dean, the only “rookie” to join, was penciled in to replace Milner’s impact as a rim protector and finisher.
Last but certainly not least, the coaching staff welcomed the additions of Michal Suriak (Assistant Coach), Will Barnes (Skills & Player Development, former player in ProA Germany) and Enric Orozco (Strength & Conditioning), moves that will also help the ever-growing academy.
Living Czech to Czech in Preseason
This newfound depth and experience immediately shone through in the first preseason contests. Three wins in three games versus Czech NBL opposition (Ostrava, Opava and Brno) may sound promising, but even more importantly, our new squad showed an ability to produce a “grown-up” brand of quality basketball from the get-go, even with Daishon Smith still out injured. And managed to cope with the Czechs’ physicality, as C.J. Jackson pointed out: “It was good to experience their style of play and physicality because we usually do not get to see that given that the Slovakian league teams normally do not play that way.”
But not only that: the home opener against Brno provided a glimpse of the spectacle Prievidza fans might get to enjoy this season. A ridiculous alley-oop tomahawk throwdown by Dean, assisted by Jackson, and a LeBron-esque chase-down block by Jordan were the first two of hopefully many highlights to come. Both made it to the national TV evening news.
Hungary for more
While the encouraging start that was capped off by an away win at Hungarian vice-champions Szolnoki Olajbányász certainly creates excitement, the real tests will come once the results start to count. The Slovakian SBL has seen an overall increase in teams, budgets and quality. FIBA Europe Cup qualifiers will be approached as an underdog trying to upset the highly favored team from Székesfehérvár in Hungary. However, the first impressions have shown one thing for sure already – no matter what happens, it will definitely be worth watching.
Playmaker C.J. Jackson agrees: “I think the preseason has gone really well so far. We have been able to add some depth to the roster this year and outside of the games, from day one of conditioning, all the guys came to work, and you can tell we all have a goal in mind.
I also want to give a huge credit to last years’ team because the success of those guys allowed us to keep and get good players and it gave the club a taste of what we can be so I understand that even though we did not reach our ultimate goal last year, it was a great stepping stone for this season.
And with the different skill sets we have this year, the sky is the limit. The team just has to understand that it is a marathon and not a sprint and there will be bumps in the road, also. I am very excited for this season and the town of Prievidza.”
Photo: Vladimír Králik
If you want to be a part of our 2024/25 experience, you can get more info about season tickets here.