The Slovenian fans are still waiting for the national team's coming out party. Indeed the selection has never exceeded sixth place. In Poland, Jure Zdovc will count on a very gifted squad which could be one of the main dark horses at EuroBasket 2009. To do so, they will have to show some mental toughness.
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| Matjaz Smodis |
Since its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the Slovenian national team has never been quite successful. Its best performances was a sixth place finish at EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia and Montenegro and a participation in the 2006 World Championship in Japan. During the last EuroBasket in Spain in 2007, Slovenia was very impressive during the first and second rounds, wining one-point games against France and against Italy, thanks to Lakovic's three-point buzzer beater. They had even beaten Germany very easily in a thirty-point game, but they choked in the Quarter-Finals against Greece, where their opponents overcame a twelve-point deficit in the final 2:30 to knock them off. Shocked by this unexpected defeat, the Slovenians then lost against the same Germany they had slain five days before. In the final game for the seventh place, they found the mental resources to rally past France, getting their ticket to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. However, this competition was very disappointing for the promising pair composed of Rasho Nesterovic and Jaka Lakovic.
This year, Nesterovic and Sani Becirovic won't participate in EuroBasket 2009, but still the national team shows a great potential. The new coach Jure Zdovc, who has replaced Ales Pipan, announced a selection composed of young talents like Goran Dragic, Jaka Klobucar or Emir Preldzic supervised by experienced leaders like Jaka Lakovic, Goran Jagodnik or Captain Matjaz Smodis. Almost all the players play or have played in EuroLeague. They are joined by an NBA champion in Sasha Vujacic,
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| Goran Dragic |
who could participate in his first international campaign. The aura of the Slovenian legend Jure Zdovc could finally lead the team to success.
To do so, the squad will have to count on its two major strengths which are its size and its shooting ability. Indeed Slovenia will be one of the biggest teams in Poland. Coach Zdovc can count on a half dozen players over 2.05! Plus almost all these big men have soft hands and can shoot the ball from long-range. It's especially the case of Uros Slokar and Erazem Lorbek who are lethal behind the three-point line. There are also very good snipers in Slovenia's backcourt, Lakovic, Vujacic and Beno Udrih among them. At last the Slovenian national team has shown during the last EuroBasket that they are able to be very tough defensively, as they allowed their opponents only 63.3 points per game, ending first in the category among all teams.
In September, the challenge won't be easy for the Slovenians, as they will face Olympic silver medallists Spain, a promising Great Britain and a motivated Serbia. They undoubtedly have the potential to qualify for the next round, but it would be a huge disappointment for the team if they do not reach at least the Quarter-Finals. This year, the national team has reached maturity and can claim the podium, if they do not stumble once again down the stretch.
