Since Ukrainian crisis started few years ago unfortunately the level of basketball competition did not remain unaffected by political and econominal situtation. Less and less foreigners decide to continue career in SuperLeague which is 1st tier level in this country. On the other hand it means a lot of playing time for domestic talents which is a rare opportunity elsewhere.
Ilya Tyrtyshnyk made a debut in BC Kiev very early at the age of 16 and could now play substantial minutes in probably every team.
“I really love my country and hope that the level of basketball will get back where it was or get even better. But about 2 years ago, during my junior year of high school I decided with my family that I want to play in the NCAA. It seemed like a better opportunity to improve.”
To pursue collegiate career Ilya took his talents to Arizona where he played for Hillcrest Prep. He was even supposed to go back there for senior year but after succesful FIBA U18s where he averaged 14.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 3.7 apg he changed his mind.
“I met Julian (Betko) in Kiev and we had a really good talk. That’s when I decided to play for him, I’m really happy that i did that.”
However it was not only the coach behind his proficient year in academy based in Prague.
“In GBA I got a huge amount of new experience, I’ve met new friends and great players. We had a great coaching staff that cared about us and tried to help on and off the court. We didn’t win Czech U19 championship and that was the most disappointing thing of the season, because we had the best team. But it’s just a game – no one knows what will happen.”
Ilya displays great athleticism and his playing style fits well college uptempo game. When asked about origins of his abilities he remains very humble.
“I wouldn’t say that I am super athletic. I have my strenghts in this regard but I played with a lot of guys and I am not the most athletic one on the court.”
He also claimed that some of his point guard skills are still work in progress:
“I played lots of shooting guard and I’m already really confident on that position. Now I’m working on my dribbling and passing mostly to become more of true PG.”
After commitment to Ole Miss, Ukrainian talent will be fourth European player in this program. Also recent Rebels alumnis come from this continent and have a chance for career on a high level – Sebastian Saiz or Tomasz Gielo. Was that a factor behind his decision?
“I wasn’t picking the school which I will attend by looking at how many Europeans they had. I had the conversation with the head coach of the team, his assistant and I really enjoyed their message. After that I talked with my parents and we decided that OleMiss is a great place for me. I had other schools recruiting me but I liked University of Mississippi the most and want to help this team.”
Ilya decided to sign without visiting the campus since he already started the camp with Ukrainian U20 team which is preparing for upcoming Division A FIBA U20 European Championship.
“Our team is really good this year, we have great players on every position. The coaching staff is putting the highest goals possible for us. No one is leaving the gym not tired or exhausted. As I said before, basketball is a game and anything can happen on the court so when the Euro starts we will fight to win every game one by one.”
