Chicago Bulls: Tomas Satoransky leads Czech to qualify for Olympics

This was a big weekend for the Chicago Bulls 6-foot-7 and 210-pound 29-year-old combo guard Tomas Satoransky. Captaining the Czech Republic squad to try and make it through Olympic qualifiers north of the border this week, Sato came through in the clutch on multiple occasions to lead his team to Tokyo.

The Czech Republic came up with some big wins over the holiday weekend to become the last country to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Two of the biggest wins came over Canada and Greece on July 3 and 4.

In a nailbiting came where Sato hit a clutch shot in overtime to win by the final score of 103-101, the Czech Republic stunned Canada by knocking them out of Olympic contention on their home turf. Sato then led the Czech Republic to a very convincing 97-72 win over Greece on July 4. That game wasn’t nearly as close as the overtime win over Canada to keep the Czech side alive in their quest to qualify for the Summer Olympics later this month.

Sato wasn’t needed to shoulder the load as much for the Czech Republic in their meeting with Greece as they did against Canada. In the 25-point win over Greece during the weekend, Sato registered a dozen points, three rebounds, three assists, three turnovers, and two steals. And he shot 4-of-7 from the field, 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line.

Chicago Bulls G Tomas Satoransky pushes the Czech Republic to officially qualify for the Summer Olympics

The Czech Republic will now end up in a gauntlet of a preliminary round grouping for the Summer Olympics. The three other teams that are in Group A with the Czech Republic for the preliminary round are the United States, France, and Iran.

On July 31, Sato and the Czech side will get to face his Bulls’ teammate and star shooting guard Zach LaVine in a meeting with the United States.

But the run in Tokyo will start out for the Czech side on July 25 against Iran. The lone Iranian player ever to play in the NBA is the 7-foot-2 big man Hamed Haddadi, who spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns. He could be one of the names to watch once Iran releases their finalized roster for the Olympics.

Sato usually plays really well in leading the Czech Republic team in international play. Following a surprise sixth-place finish for Sato and the Czech side in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, this team could be one to watch in Tokyo during the Summer Olympics.