The Slovenian national team finalized its 12-man roster ahead of the Greece pre-Olympic qualifier tournament in Piraeus. Leading the squad is Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. Joining him are Vlatko Cancar, Ziga Dimec, Zoran Dragic, Gregor Hrovat, Edo Muric, Josh Nebo, Aleksej Nikolic, Klemen Prepelic, Leon Stergar, Luka Scuka, and Miha Cerkvenik.
Slovenia’s head coach, Aleksander Sekulic, expressed confidence in his team ahead of their match against Croatia, the team’s first in the Group Phase. He noted satisfaction with their preparation, despite limited opportunities for full-team practice, mentioning that Luka Doncic only joined 5-on-5 sessions the day before their victory over Brazil on Friday.
“Everyone who has trained and competed with dedication over the past three weeks deserves a spot in the national team, but unfortunately, we can only accommodate twelve players,” Sekulic stated. “Our preparations have been excellent, though we may have missed a few training days. I believe similar challenges are faced by other national teams. We need to maximize our resources, and I think we’ve achieved that.”
Sekulic discussed the challenges Slovenia faces in their upcoming matches, particularly highlighting Croatia with NBA talents Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric, and their subsequent matchup against New Zealand. Looking ahead, a potential championship game could see them facing Greece, with Giannis Antetokounmpo performing in front of their home crowd.
“We’re up against a tough group. Croatia has been performing excellently recently and rightfully has high expectations. New Zealand is also a strong opponent, and then there’s Greece, whose home advantage shouldn’t be underestimated,” Sekulic remarked. “Our goal is to qualify for the Olympics for the second time in a row. We understand it’s a challenging path, but we’re fully committed to giving our best.”
Slovenia participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, which were postponed due to COVID-19. They narrowly lost 90-89 to France in a competitive match, leading to a bronze medal game loss against Australia. Last year, Slovenia achieved their highest-ever finish in the FIBA World Cup, securing seventh place.
Be the first to comment