Jaka Blazic, in an interview with “Mozzart Sport,” discussed his return to the Cedevita Olimpija team and all the upcoming challenges on the doorstep of the new season.
In addition to injuries and his participation in the FIBA World Cup, the Slovenian basketball player touched on topics such as the ABA League Super Cup, favorites in the regional competition, discussions about the Serbian national team, and the new coach in the Slovenian team.
Serbia at the FIBA World Cup
“Serbia had an excellent tournament, the guys did a fantastic job, and in the end, they finished second. With a bit of luck, we could have made it to the semifinals as well, but in the end, we ended up seventh.
The injuries to Vlatko Cancar, and before him Edo Muric, had a significant impact on us. We practically played without our two main power forwards. We don’t have many players, and each one of them is crucial for us. In the end, we played good basketball, had an excellent game against Australia, which guaranteed us a spot further, and in the end, we played against Canada, which has outstanding players, and we couldn’t do more,” Jaka Blazic said.
ABA Supercup
“Straight from the national team to the club. That’s how it goes these days, in these times. We have such a rhythm; you have to go straight from the national team to the club because the season starts in practically ten days. It’s not difficult for me at all; I’m glad to be back in Ljubljana after a year and have the motivation for the start of the new season.
We’re a new team; another player and I joined last week. We’re still at the beginning of preparations and the season. We’ll play the best we can; this will serve as good training before the start of the season.”
Crvena zvezda and Partizan in ABA League
“Ambitions are always high. We know who the favorite is in the ABA League, we won’t talk about that. Igokea, Buducnost, and we will fight for third and fourth place, which is realistic. I’m sure they are the favorites; they have strengthened even more compared to last season. They have teams for the top of the EuroLeague, not just the ABA. There’s us, Buducnost, and Igokea; we’ll see how it all plays out in the end,” said the Slovenian basketball player.
Simone Pianigiani
“We have good players and an excellent coach. We can achieve good results in the ABA League and the EuroCup, but it’s still a long way to go; we’re just at the beginning. We need to train well, take it one game at a time, and see where that leads us,” he added.
Longest tenure in the league
“Nemanja Gordic, Branko Lazic, and all the others. They have extensive experience, adding a special charm to the competition,” concluded Jaka Blazic.