Aleksander Sekulic, the head coach of the Slovenian national team, spoke to Basketball Sphere ahead of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens.
After Goran Dragic, Luka Doncic, and the rest of the squad conquered the Old Continent in 2017 by winning gold at the EuroBasket, and were just one possession away from reaching the finals at the 2020 Olympic Games, it is clear that they are a formidable threat for any opponent.
Following that, they finished sixth at the European Championship, and at the last major competition, the FIBA World Cup, they secured seventh place. It is evident that their ambitions have grown, and they are highly motivated to once again be among the teams participating in the Olympic tournament.
“Be the best…”
Aleksander Sekulic took over the Slovenian national team as head coach just before the last Olympic Games, where they also went after the qualifying tournament, as our interviewee recalled:
“A lot has changed. Each season has left its mark, both on the players and the coaches. We had an excellent Olympic Games, which we secured in Kaunas against Lithuania, and that was a boost for the competition itself where we played fantastic basketball. We were just short of reaching the final.
We are preparing in the same rhythm, once again through qualifications where even tougher opponents await us compared to last time. Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Greece – these are all excellent teams with exceptional players. We view this tournament in such a way that we have to be the best to deserve a place at the Olympic Games.”
Alpha and Omega – Luka Doncic
During the season, the million-dollar question was whether Luka Doncic would play for the Slovenian national team during the summer. It turned out later that Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison knew before everyone else that he would, provided he was healthy, as Aleksander Sekulić confirmed in our conversation:
“It’s not the same when you have Luka Doncic in the team or when you don’t. I think that’s evident in both the Dallas Mavericks and the Slovenian national team. With him, we always have the highest goals and aspirations. He is the reason why we brought in Josh Nebo, because we want to build the best possible team. If we expect a lot from Luka Doncic, who has played over 100 games averaging over 35 minutes, we must do everything at the highest possible level to make things easier for him.
Luka Doncic was never in question about whether he would play for Slovenia. The only condition for him being there is that he is healthy. He loves playing for Slovenia, and it’s a great honor for any player to play for their country. The pressure for us working in sports is a privilege. What does pressure mean? It’s different when we talk about life and life situations, but I think the pressure we have is a positive thing.”
Return after injuries
Vlatko Cancar and Edo Muric were major question marks for this qualifying tournament, primarily due to spending the past few months off the court recovering from serious injuries. The Slovenian national team coach is seriously counting on them:
“As for injuries, there are none; they are one hundred percent healthy. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be in the national team. They’ve been out for a long time, but we need to be patient for them to find their rhythm. From what I’ve seen in friendly gamees, we are on the right track. In terms of conditioning, they are not yet at their best, which is specific, but that’s why we had three friendly games and tailored training sessions to get them into their rhythm as quickly as possible.”
Top Betting Offers 2024:
Josh Nebo
Many names were mentioned when the topic of Slovenia’s naturalized player arose. At one point, the media speculated that Luka Doncic’s teammate, Daniel Gafford, could join the national team, but that didn’t materialize. The responsibility fell on one of the top centers in the EuroLeague last season, the new member of Milano, Josh Nebo.
“The recruitment process itself is not important at all. What matters is that Josh Nebo accepted to play for the Slovenian national team. Everything else is less important. We were looking for a player who would be compatible with the team and play alongside Luka Doncic, so we’ll see how well we’ve done that. I’ve watched him many times, and I believe he will be of great help to us.”
Croatia as the first opponent
At the Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Athens, the first opponent for the Slovenian national team will be Croatia. As Aleksander Sekulic himself tells us, as true as the theory is about the importance of the first match in any tournament, every game in Greece will carry the same label – win at all costs:
“Not only is the first game important, but every game is as if it’s the last. We only play two games in the group stage before the semifinals begin. Of course, it’s crucial how we will perform against the exceptionally quality Croatian national team. They are strong under the basket with Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric. Mario Hezonja is also there as an NBA caliber player.
These are the three key players for Croatia, and if we add Jaleen Smith as a naturalized player, they pose many threats. Besides them, they have quality individuals as they showed last summer when they defeated Turkey in Istanbul, earning the right to be part of these qualifiers.”
Dual Responsibilities
In addition to serving as the head coach of the Slovenian national team for the past four years, Aleksander Sekulic also holds a coaching position with Lokomotiv Kuban in the VTB League. His team finished fourth behind CSKA Moscow, UNICS Kazan, and Zenit. Just a few days after the season ended, the Slovenian coach joined the national team camp to fulfill his duties as Slovenia’s head coach. As he himself mentions, he watched a vast number of games throughout the previous season across various competitions.
“I’ve watched a ton of games, not just from the NBA, which is the most popular. Certainly, it’s not easy to work on two fronts. There’s a lot of sacrifice involved and very little free time. What suffers the most is family time. I have to say I have excellent collaborators both at the club and with the national team who help me a lot and make my job easier.
When you love what you do and do it with great pleasure, it’s not difficult to endure the lack of free time. Summer is actually very short; when everyone else is at the seaside, we’re working. However, working for the national team is a great honor and pleasure, and then nothing feels difficult. As long as I believe I’m capable of doing my job properly, I will continue to do so.
Of course, as long as I have the support of the leadership. It’s extremely satisfying to work with the players we have and in the conditions provided by the Slovenian Basketball Federation,” Aleksander Sekulic concluded at the end of interview for Basketball Sphere.
Top Betting Offers 2024: