Olek Balcerowski: "My idol is my father, who is in a wheelchair"

Marcin Balcerowski was a semi-professional Polish player who, after suffering a serious accident, became a star of wheelchair basketball. His example of overcoming adversity is an inspiration to his son, Olek Balcerowski (Poland, 2000). The new Barça center will play this Saturday in the Endesa Super Cup semifinal against Valencia Basket at the Pavelló Olímpic in Badalona (9 PM, DAZN). Asisa Joventut plays the other semifinal match against Kosner Baskonia (6 PM, DAZN).If you are here it is, in part, thanks to the figure of your father. What importance has he had in your life?

— My idol is my father, who is in a wheelchair. I was born when he had already had the accident and, therefore, I have always seen him and remember him that way. His figure is an example of overcoming for me. He, who used to play basketball, did not give up and always fought for his dreams. This has always impressed me. I try to use his lessons as inspiration.

How much weight do their opinions carry?

— Talking to a father who knows basketball is very easy. After every game, we analyze how it went and he gives me his opinion. We don't always agree and, from time to time, we have a little argument, but that's what it's all about. He has always been the most critical and the first person I ask for an opinion.

His body is full of tattoos. What meaning do they have?

— I have always liked tattoos and all the ones I have help to explain my way of being. I do not analyze them one by one, but rather as a whole. It is not about choosing isolated tattoos. The style of all of them is very similar. There is a part that is Renaissance because it is an era that I like a lot. There are references to Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci. It is a cultural and artistic movement that seduces me a lot.

What was it that seduced you about the Barça project?

— First of all, the interest that such a big club showed in me. That was decisive when it came to convincing me. They are building a project practically from scratch and I understood that it was a good time to go to Barcelona.

You are the ceiling of the team. How do you fit into a style of play that aspires to run a lot?

— I fit in well. I have already been on teams that had similar ideas, like Unicaja, which played at a very high pace and bet on counterattacks. I am familiar with this style of play. The key is for all the pieces to end up fitting well, which is the process we are currently in. What matters is not how I feel, but the collective performance.

At what point does the team arrive at the Badalona challenge?

— We are many new players and we are still getting to know each other. We are improving and taking steps forward. I feel very good and very proud to wear the Barça jersey. The type of basketball we want to play is very physical and with a great pace. We have to work a lot on defense to be able to accentuate the transition game. We arrive at the Supercopa Endesa with a good mentality, but aware that we still need time. Every joint training session is gold for us.

The demand at Can Barça is high.

— When you sign for a big team, you have to be prepared. The first challenge is victories and titles. Our mentality is ambitious and we want to have the best season possible. We still have to get to know each other better on the court, but we are very hungry and ambitious. Wearing the Barça crest carries a responsibility and we are all aware of it. We must be prepared to fight hard and bring back the excitement to the fans.