Players and coaches interviews

[TalkBasket]

http://www.fibaeurope.com

Croatia coach Jasmin Repesa's biggest battle so far this summer is not on the court but off it.

Maccabi Tel Aviv center Nikola Vujcic, the team's most important player, recently announced he would not play at the EuroBasket because he intends to leave Europe after next season for the NBA.

Repesa isn't listening.

"This team needs Vujcic today, not tomorrow or the day after," Repesa said at a press conference.

"Giving the reason that he cannot participate due to the preparations for the 2008-2009 NBA season is not justifiable to me.

"I will accept everything that's justifiable and objective. We're here to discuss everything and to compromise and find solutions."

Vujcic, and everyone in the Croatia set-up, still feel the sting of EuroBasket 2005 in Belgrade.

Croatia looked like gold medal contenders before getting derailed by Spain in a controversial quarter-final.

Vujcic captained that team and was in tears after the overtime defeat, which saw a huge disparity in fouls called in favour of Spain.

He indicated then that his National Team days were over.

Vujcic claims he can only play so much basketball before he needs to rest, and with an attempt at the NBA coming up in 2008, he simply cannot play for Croatia this year.

"I'm not giving up on the National Team," he insisted.

"I have years of basketball in front of me, but I admit that some of my priorities have changed after Belgrade and I'm not willing to risk the NBA for the European Championship.

"The National Team is one of my goals, but the NBA can't wait. That is my only reason."