Q&A with Men's Basketball Olympian Patrik Auda '14
7/20/2021 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Olympics tip off later this week, and Czech Republic Olympian and Seton Hall alumnus Patrik Auda '14 spoke to SHUPirates.com about the upcoming experience. He and his Czech Republic teammates will face Iran and fellow Seton Hall alumnus and Olympian Aaron Geramipoor '14 Friday night at 9 p.m., streaming on NBCOlympics.com.
SHUPirates.com: How did you get involved with the Czech National Team?
Patrik Auda: I first joined the Men's National team in 2014 when we played Qualification for the following year's European Championship. Since then, I have been with the team at two European Championships (one time 7th place), one World Cup (2019 China - 6th place) and now we are going to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.Â
SH: Can you take us through the Olympic Qualifying Tournament you just went through? You had some tight games against Uruguay and Canada before facing Greece in the final. Was it a bit of a roller coaster for you and your teammates?
PA:Â It was a crazy tournament. We knew from the beginning it would be extremely hard for us there and that the preparation for it was really short. We didn't know what to expect and we lost our first game against Turkey. I think it was a great lesson for us though. Games against Uruguay and Canada were close until the last seconds but no matter what was happening on the court, ups and downs, we never stopped fighting and were able to win both games. Last game against Greece, we knew we could beat them and we had great confidence from the games before. We started the game really well, with a lot of energy. And the other team just couldn't keep up with us and we won that game with a pretty solid difference in the score.Â
SH: Are you attending the opening ceremonies & have you thought about what that moment is going to feel like? Has it sunk in yet that you're representing the Czech Republic on the biggest international athletic stage?
PA: I don't know how it is going to be with the Ceremonies there because of the COVID-19 situation, but I hope we will be able to see it. For me it is still unbelievable. I have always thought about going to the European Championships and World Cup but the Olympics was always more like a dream. It felt like it is so far from our reach. And now it is real. We are going to be there. I think I still have not realized what we have accomplished. This is a big moment for the Czech basketball.Â
SH: Your first game at the Olympics is going to be against Iran and on the other side is going to be your Pirates teammate Aaron Geramipoor. Have you competed against Aaron anywhere since you two graduated? What's it going to be like playing in the Olympics against a former teammate?
PA: I was little bit jealous of Aaron because he knew since the World Cup in 2019 that they are going to be at the Olympics. I wished we could go there as well. I did not have a chance to play against him anywhere after we graduated. We still keep in close touch because we are really good friends. We were both at the World Cup but did not have a chance to see or play each other. I am really happy to see him in Tokyo and face his team. I believe it is a great honor for us to be there and I hope we make Seton Hall proud as well.
SH: Is there any advice or a skill that you learned in your time at Seton Hall that still helps you today?
PA: It is difficult to say one thing. I definitely became a much better player once I got to Seton Hall. But for me I believe the most important thing was the mindset. At Seton Hall, I realized that if I want to be better at something, I have to work really hard for it. And I did not have that mindset before. I always played basketball because it was fun for me. I never thought of playing professional; it was never the goal for me. But at Seton Hall I realized that I can do that. And more importantly, if I want to do that, I have to put the work in...a lot. It is the only way.Â
SH: Can you give us a scouting report on the Czech Republic? What do you and your teammates need to do to be successful and move on to the knockout stage?
PA:Â You know, we have two great players Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely. We are not a team full of superstars. We have solid players but we have great chemistry in the team. We trust each other and play for each other. Every game someone else steps up and has a big game. That is really good because we don't have to depend on one or two players. And I think the chemistry in the team is what brought us so far. In a lot of the games we play, we are the underdog. And that is our advantage. We have nothing to lose so we fight and give everything. We play simple basketball, nothing too complicated. We can win and we can lose. But as long as we keep the fighting spirit, we can play even game with anybody.
SHUPirates.com: How did you get involved with the Czech National Team?
Patrik Auda: I first joined the Men's National team in 2014 when we played Qualification for the following year's European Championship. Since then, I have been with the team at two European Championships (one time 7th place), one World Cup (2019 China - 6th place) and now we are going to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.Â
SH: Can you take us through the Olympic Qualifying Tournament you just went through? You had some tight games against Uruguay and Canada before facing Greece in the final. Was it a bit of a roller coaster for you and your teammates?
PA:Â It was a crazy tournament. We knew from the beginning it would be extremely hard for us there and that the preparation for it was really short. We didn't know what to expect and we lost our first game against Turkey. I think it was a great lesson for us though. Games against Uruguay and Canada were close until the last seconds but no matter what was happening on the court, ups and downs, we never stopped fighting and were able to win both games. Last game against Greece, we knew we could beat them and we had great confidence from the games before. We started the game really well, with a lot of energy. And the other team just couldn't keep up with us and we won that game with a pretty solid difference in the score.Â
SH: Are you attending the opening ceremonies & have you thought about what that moment is going to feel like? Has it sunk in yet that you're representing the Czech Republic on the biggest international athletic stage?
PA: I don't know how it is going to be with the Ceremonies there because of the COVID-19 situation, but I hope we will be able to see it. For me it is still unbelievable. I have always thought about going to the European Championships and World Cup but the Olympics was always more like a dream. It felt like it is so far from our reach. And now it is real. We are going to be there. I think I still have not realized what we have accomplished. This is a big moment for the Czech basketball.Â
SH: Your first game at the Olympics is going to be against Iran and on the other side is going to be your Pirates teammate Aaron Geramipoor. Have you competed against Aaron anywhere since you two graduated? What's it going to be like playing in the Olympics against a former teammate?
PA: I was little bit jealous of Aaron because he knew since the World Cup in 2019 that they are going to be at the Olympics. I wished we could go there as well. I did not have a chance to play against him anywhere after we graduated. We still keep in close touch because we are really good friends. We were both at the World Cup but did not have a chance to see or play each other. I am really happy to see him in Tokyo and face his team. I believe it is a great honor for us to be there and I hope we make Seton Hall proud as well.
SH: Is there any advice or a skill that you learned in your time at Seton Hall that still helps you today?
PA: It is difficult to say one thing. I definitely became a much better player once I got to Seton Hall. But for me I believe the most important thing was the mindset. At Seton Hall, I realized that if I want to be better at something, I have to work really hard for it. And I did not have that mindset before. I always played basketball because it was fun for me. I never thought of playing professional; it was never the goal for me. But at Seton Hall I realized that I can do that. And more importantly, if I want to do that, I have to put the work in...a lot. It is the only way.Â
SH: Can you give us a scouting report on the Czech Republic? What do you and your teammates need to do to be successful and move on to the knockout stage?
PA:Â You know, we have two great players Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely. We are not a team full of superstars. We have solid players but we have great chemistry in the team. We trust each other and play for each other. Every game someone else steps up and has a big game. That is really good because we don't have to depend on one or two players. And I think the chemistry in the team is what brought us so far. In a lot of the games we play, we are the underdog. And that is our advantage. We have nothing to lose so we fight and give everything. We play simple basketball, nothing too complicated. We can win and we can lose. But as long as we keep the fighting spirit, we can play even game with anybody.
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