Ondrej Hustak was already two years into his basketball journey in Spain when the chance arose to return to his native Czech Republic and work with one of the country's best retired players.
Work with EuroLeague champ Barton brings Hustak back home
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He made the move and the opportunity also landed him in the spotlight of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Istanbul.
Hustak shined at the ANGT Istanbul as he averaged 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 blocks and 4.8 fouls received for an average index rating of 20.0 for U18 Basket Brno, which was making its debut in the ANGT competition. He ranked seventh in the tournament in scoring, tied for third in rebounds and fifth in index rating.
"For me, the most important thing about attending this event is the experience I can gain, since we play against really good teams," said Hustak, who got to test himself against U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul, U18 Casademont Zaragoza and U18 Stellazzurra Rome in the group stage and then U18 Tofas Bursa in the seventh-place game. "I believe the experience of playing against teams that good itself is something that will teach me a lot."
The 17-year-old Hustak has not played much this season. He practices with Brno's professional team in the Czech League as well as the Next Generation youth squad. But Czech Republic COVID-19 protocols have not allowed the youth team to play games, so Hustak has only gone through scrimmages with that team. And he has appeared in five games in the Czech pro league.
"I would say I have improved a lot. I see a huge impact of training with the A-team," said Hustak, who is averaging 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in those games including getting 8 points and 9 rebounds against Ostrava.
Hustak is playing alongside Czech internationals Viktor Pulpan, Simon Pursl and Radek Farsky as well as Bulgarian national team forward Aleksandar Yanev for a Brno club that is co-owned by former EuroLeague-winning head coach David Blatt.
"I like Brno and the Czech Republic in general. I have a chance to be part of a great club and also have the best coaches. I am very satisfied here," Hustak said.
Ondrej's best characteristic, besides being 212 centimeters tall, is his relentless work ethic and love for the game.
It was a EuroLeague connection that brought the 2.12-meter center back to his homeland. Hustak's coach in the youth team is Lubos Barton, who helped FC Barcelona to the 2010 EuroLeague title and Joventut Badalona to the ULEB Cup crown in 2006. Barton also played for the Czech Republic senior team for more than 15 years, appearing in the 2007, 2013 and 2015 FIBA EuroBaskets.
"He was one of the best Czech players, and I am sure playing in his team is going to have a huge impact on me," said Hustak.
"Ondrej's best characteristic, besides being 212 centimeters tall, is his relentless work ethic and love for the game. He became student of the game," said Barton, who served as an assistant coach in Barcelona's youth ranks before joining Brno. "He moves well on the court and has a very nice touch. He improved his body, his strength and now he is able to play faster and more physical basketball."
Despite not turning 18 until November, Hustak has already gone through a major maturing process as well. He and his twin brother Adam left the Czech Republic in 2018 when they were still 14 to join Spanish club TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
"We left without family so we were on our own, but we still had each other there as a support," said Ondrej, who is 7 minutes younger than Adam. The older brother also made the move to Brno and is also at the ANGT Istanbul. "We wanted to try moving to a foreign country and get familiar with their game philosophy and strategy."
There were a lot of non-basketball adjustments to go through as well. "One of the main things was learning a new language for sure. I also had the opportunity to meet guys from different cultures," said Hustak, who also played with his brother for Czech Republic at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2019, Division B.
Hustak has opened the eyes of a lot of scouts watching the ANGT Istanbul, who believe the big man with good moves inside and some range to the outside could be a high-level prospect down the road. And he was able to show that thanks to him taking the opportunity of returning home to play for a former EuroLeague champion.