Heart of a champion, how many players today can claim that they have it?

In the modern game of basketball, with all of the pressures on the players to perform, many are putting money, club interests and agents above the national team.

Managing someone’s professional career is big business, involving a whole network of coaches, managers, administrators, doctors and physiotherapists.

The players’ personal life is often dictated by the commitments in their basketball career with very little time left for rest, to go on holiday or spend time with family.

Playing in a high level event is very positive for the image and the market value of every basketball player. Participating in the Eurobasket, World Championship and Olympic Games is very prestigious and definitely contributes towards better contract opportunities and exposure.

But many will say it is not the same for the players competing in the Division B events where they do not receive the same media coverage or exposure. Why would they do it?

Why would they give their whole summer preparing for a few “low level” games which will not even be shown on TV?

The reason is because they love their country, their national team, and their fellow team-mates and would give anything to win. Because they are the real role models who are not there for any commercial reasons, but purely for the love of the sport and their country.

Who is Raziya Mujanovic? She is one of the most successful female players in the world in the past 20 years. She is a medallist from European and Olympic tournaments with the famous team of Yugoslavia, a European Cup winner with many different clubs and a player who has achieved everything in basketball.

And who is Andrea Congreaves? She is the only British player to ever play in the WNBA, a national champion of five different countries, a bronze medalist from the Commonwealth Games and a player-coach with Rhondda Rebels.

She has also achieved almost everything a player can dream about.

Both, Raziya and Andrea, one at the age of 40 and the other 37, have given their summer to come back and support their younger team-mates in their battle for promotion to the top flight of European basketball.

It is not easy for a player at the end of their career, carrying many old injuries, to motivate themselves and to give up their entire summer break to practice and prepare for a few games.

It is even harder for players like Andrea and Raziya who have achieved everything already and have nothing to prove.

But they have committed themselves and have helped both of their teams to get promotion- Great Britain and Bosnia & Herzegovina will play in Division A from 2008. A fantastic result taking into account that both national teams are changing generations and building up for the future.

A fantastic example for all young players who can learn from their experience on and off the court. They can learn not just how to become better basketball players, they will learn the most important thing in sport – to achieve success at the top level, a player needs to have the HEART OF A CHAMPION!

Congratulations Raziya and Andrea, you have proved one more time that you have the hearts of a champion!