MARIUPOL (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Kyryl Natyazhko isn't going to be a player who loses his focus again.
When he was a highly-rated teenager and thought stardom was just around the corner, things didn't go as planned.
The Dnipropetrovsk-born center enrolled at Arizona and played American college basketball for the Wildcats but didn't use up all of his eligibility.
He turned pro early, yet didn't jump straight to the NBA but instead returned home to play for Azovmash Mariupol.
To play in the NBA is something that he does want to do, and his performances at EuroBasket 2013 suggest he may, but the 22-year-old isn't worried about that right now.
"I'm not going to be like I was when I was 18 and everyone saw my talent and said, 'Oh, you going to be like that, that and that' and I lost my concentration," he said to FIBA.com.
"I'm not going to lose my concentration any more.
"I'm going to take it step by step and do my best with Azovmash.
"I promise that I'm going to do my best."
One can only be optimistic about Natyazhko's future after watching him play for inspirational coach Mike Fratello in Slovenia.
He averaged 21 minutes per game and was vital for a side that qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup with a sixth-place finish.
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