The next goal for Luka Doncic and his team is the FIBA World Cup, where they will try to make up for the disappointing Eurobasket ending last year.
After they proved to everyone that they can play at the highest level by winning the Eurobasket 2017, Slovenia wants to repeat similar success in Asia this year.
FIBA World Cup – Slovenia: Previous editions and the best results of the national team
For the national team of Slovenia, this will be the fourth visit to Mundobasket. They made their debut in 2006. Four years ago, they missed the competition in China, and previously they were eliminated twice in a row in the quarter-finals. These are also their best results in this competition.
FIBA World Cup – Slovenia: Road to Mundobasket
In a group that also included Croatia, Sweden and Finland, Slovenia finished the qualifiers first round in second-place with a 4-2 record. Then, with triumphs against Israel at road, and Germany at home, they booked tickets for the Mundobasket two rounds before the end.
FIBA World Cup – Slovenia: Roster and focus on those who are expected the most
Main focus of all Slovenia’s rivals will be on what Luka Doncic will do. After an extremely good season in the Dallas Mavericks jersey, he is coming to the FIBA World Cup physically better than ever before. Past season, he had monstrous numbers in the NBA. 32 points, 8.2 rebounds and eight assists. When 50% of shots from the field are added to all that, it is clear that Slovenia leader can “destroy” absolutely every rival by himself.
It should be mentioned that one of the greatest basketball players in the history of this country, Goran Dragic, no longer plays for the national team. He had his farewell last September at Eurobasket.
After Anthony Randolph filled the position of a naturalized player during the Eurobasket 2017, he was replaced by Jordan Morgan and Mike Tobey, who are still competing with each other for one spot in the team.
Crvena Zvezda newcomer can be a significant factor in the paint, with the ability to hit from a distance. This time it can be in favor of Slovenia’s backcourt with potentially more free space inside than usual. That probably gives him an advantage over Morgan.
The next important member of this team is Klemen Prepelic. In Slovenia jersey, he used to shine more than once, and now he is coming to the World Cup after five appearances in the qualifiers. With 16.8 points and 42% of three-point shots, he justified his role. It is the one who could profit the most from Doncic’s assists.
Bad luck with injuries
Slovenia is one of the teams with the least luck in this period of the year. Edo Muric tore his ACL in the domestic championship final and will not be part of the team in Asia. However, the troubles did not end there.
During a friendly game against Greece, the same thing happened to Vlatko Cancar, for whom the season ended without de facto even starting. All this creates big problems in the rotation for Slovenia.
In Muric and Cancar absence, Jaka Blazic, Aleksej Nikolic and Zoran Dragic will have to take on an even bigger role. The aforementioned players led Slovenia in the qualifiers, and interestingly, each of them averaged between eight and nine points per game.
It is expected that the young Ziga Samar, who will compete in the EuroLeague with Alba Berlin next season, will also have an important role.
FIBA World Cup – Slovenia: More about head coach – Aleksandar Sekulic
The young Slovenian expert Aleksandar Sekulic started coaching in 1996. Five years on the Krka bench, both in the role of assistant and head coach, paved the way for him to greater challenges. By taking over the Slovenian national team in 2020, he did just that. Succeeding Igor Kokoskov after the Eurobasket title was certainly not easy.
In his debut appearance at the helm of Slovenia, Sekulic led the team to fourth place at the Olympic Games. A year later, they suffered a shocking defeat against Poland in the Eurobasket quarterfinals. The upcoming tournament will probably be the most important challenge in his career.
When it comes to clubs, he spent the previous season on Lokomotiv Kuban bench. With them he reached the VTB League finals, but there they were defeated by Unics Kazan. He was also the champion of the Czech Republic with Nymburk.
![FIBA World Cup Preview Slovenia Aleksander Sekulic](https://basketballsphere.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/FIBA-Svetsko-prvenstvo-Aleksandar-Sekulic.jpg)
FIBA World Cup – Slovenia: Expectations
Slovenia will play opening phase games in Okinawa, Japan. The draw for the World Cup placed them in the “F” quartet with Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela. It is clear that when it comes to their expectations, absolutely no one questions their advancing to the next stage of the competition.
However, Slovenia will not settle for anything less than 3-0 in Group F in order to make things easier for themselves in the next round. Teams like Australia and Germany could await them there, and the road to the quarterfinals will not be easy at all. And when you have Doncic in the team, it is logical to hope for a medal.