Swiss basketball team start 2003 campaign with loss
Switzerland's basketball team began its campaign to qualify for the 2003 European Championships with a 69-62 loss against the Ukraine.
The game, played in Kiev on Wednesday, was the first of ten qualifying matches which the Swiss players hope will lead them towards a place in the 2003 tournament.
Top-scorer for the Swiss was Norbert Valis with 22 points, ahead of team capitain Patrick Koller with 10. The visitors shot at the basket more often than the locals, but the points scored percentage was only 36 per cent, versus over 50 per cent for the Ukrainians.
Following the match against the Ukraine, the Swiss team will now play Turkey at home on Saturday before preparing to leave the country again to face Lithuania on November 28.
“These three matches should allow us to get up to speed before we face Bulgaria and Holland in January,” said Renato Carettoni, the team’s coach.
The Swiss team faced the Ukraine without two key players Harold Mrazek and Marco Sassella, both of whom are injured.
Carettoni had insisted their absence would not deter the rest of the team from setting their sights on victory.
“The fact that certain players are out of action means the match will be a unique opportunity for our young players to get a feel for what it is like to play against big teams and to show us what they are made of.”
swissinfo with agencies
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