 |
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
 Jiri
Welsch was just a schoolboy when he won his first medal, leading
Pardubice to a third place finish in the national tournament and gaining
All-Star recognition in the process. Since that time he has been a
regular member of the Czech National Team, often playing with much older
teammates. Welsch began his professional career as a 16 year-old
teenager with Pardubice, where he stayed until 1998, at which time he
signed with Sparta Prague and played in his first European club games in
the Korac Cup and was named Czech League MVP following the 2001-02
campaign.He left Sparta for the
Slovenian Euroleague club Olimpija Ljubljana in the summer of 2000 and
signed a three-year contract with a one year option but when the NBA
came calling Welsch opted out of his third year and headed for the St Welsch was drafted by the Philadelphia
76ers with the 16th pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, but was immediately
traded to the Golden State Warriors. He spent one season in with Golden
State (1.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.7 apg in 37 games), before being traded to
the Dallas Mavericks in August 2003. Without ever playing a game for the
Mavs, Welsch was traded by Dallas to the Boston Celtics in October 2003,
in exchange for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk. New management started a rebuilding
process and Welsch was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for a 2006 second
round draft pic Welsch is a combo guard who likes to take the ball to the basket or to shoot off the dribble. He's got a sweet outside jumper, and is a solid decision-maker and floor leader. He likes to play the game at a fast pace and will push the ball up the floor whenever he gets the opportunity. He's extremely tough, but can be inconsistent from beyond the 3-point arch.
|
|||||||||||||||
|
ates.
k.
After just a few years in the NBA, Welsch started to feel bad about
being bounced around and made the decision to return to Europe. Last
summer, he signed a three-year contract with Unicaja Malaga, a team that
had just won their first ever championship title in the Spanish Liga ACB.
Welsch
has been voted the Best Czech
basketball player each of the last
six years. As a member of the
National Team he is indispensable, averaging 38 minutes per game and
18.6 points in EuroBasket 2007
qualifying games. He put forth a heroic effort in a key game against
Hungary (83-64), where he played the entire 40 minutes and scored a
game-high 23 points. More amazing, he had arrived just three hours
before the game after traveling all day from Malaga. Jiri Welsch is the
unquestioned leader of the Czech side and will no doubt show devotion
and a brave heart in Spain.
