Slovenia NT for Eurobasket 2009

[rikhardur]

Slovenians Await New Coach





Slovenia are expected to announce Ales Pipan's replacement as national team coach in the next month, the basketball federation has confirmed to Basketball World News.



The federation will not reveal the candidates, but the Slovenian media is reporting that Memi Becirovic, Jure Zdovc, Aleksandar Dzikic and Sasa Filipovski are being considered for the post.



Tau Ceramica's ACB-title winning boss from last season, Neven Spahija, was a candidate until his recent appointment as coach of Pamesa Valencia in Spain.



Becirovic, the father of Lottomatica Roma playmaker and Slovenia national team star Sani Becirovic, has just parted with Azovmash in Ukraine while Zdovc, a former Slovenia player, is not leading a team.



Dzikic is at the helm of Euroleague strugglers Union Olimpija, a club he has coached since replacing Becirovic at the helm last season.



Filipovski is the coach of Poland outfit Turow.



Pipan didn't have numerous players at last year's EuroBasket in Spain but led the side to a seventh-place finish to earn a place at the Olympic qualifying event.



In Athens, they won twice but were knocked out of contention for a place at the Beijing Games by Puerto Rico.



At the EuroBasket 2009 draw last weekend in Warsaw, Slovenia discovered they would be in Group C and face Spain, Serbia and Great Britain.



Those games will be played in Poland.

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[brzi]

good news for them, pipan is realy bad coach

[Black Urum]

I wonder why Slovenia even bothers playing in International tournaments. Any coach coaching Slovenia NT knows he will fail, all players playing for Slovenia NT know their will fail and some get serious injuries in the meantime and Slovenian fans know that they will never make the final or the semifinal of a major tournament even if they are leading by 20 with 1 minute to go. It is beyond me.

[rikhardur]

[quote name='"Arkadios":33kdrqcq']I wonder why Slovenia even bothers playing in International tournaments. Any coach coaching Slovenia NT knows he will fail, all players playing for Slovenia NT know their will fail and some get serious injuries in the meantime and Slovenian fans know that they will never make the final or the semifinal of a major tournament even if they are leading by 20 with 1 minute to go. It is beyond me.[/quote]

Don't be mean Arkadios <!-- s -->[img]{SMILIES_PATH}/bag.gif[/img]<!-- s -->

[rikhardur]

Jure Zdovc is the new NT coach.

[rikhardur]

SLO - Zdovc arrives as clock ticks on "Golden Generation"



LJUBLJANA (EuroBasket 2009) - Slovenia have been within touching distance of a EuroBasket medal in recent years but always come up short.



The Basketball Federation of Slovenia president Dusan Sesok is hoping they can finally reach the podium in 2009 when the Final Round is staged in Poland following the appointment of former national team star Jure Zdovc as coach.



“We are in front of a very important era for our basketball,” Sesok said.



“We have great potential, but the clock is ticking. We want to achieve a result in Poland that Slovenia has deserved for some time.



“We don’t want to stay at just words. We don’t want to have a ‘golden’ generation that couldn’t reach its peak.”[/b]



Ales Pipan came ever so close last year to getting Slovenia into the semi-finals at EuroBasket 2007 in Spain but Greece mounted a late comeback and beat them in the final seconds to advance to the last four instead.



This summer, Slovenia lost power forward Matjaz Smodis in the build-up to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament but still posted a couple wins against Canada and Korea in Athens and looked to have a good shot at reaching the Beijing Games, only to fall to Puerto Rico in the first knockout game.



That defeat marked the end for Pipan.



“We started talking with the new national team coaching candidates right after the Beijing qualifications,” Sesok said.



“We talked with different foreign coaches and we wanted to see how they looked at our national team. When we started talking with Zdovc, we soon realized that he is the man for the job.”



Zdovc won a world title and Olympic silver medal as a member of the national team of the former Yugoslavia. He played with Slovenia at several EuroBaskets after the breakup of the Yugoslavia.



“He has the potential to take us another step further,” Sesok said.



“He has a great playing career behind him. He was a world champion, second at the Olympic games, a European champion, a European club champion.



“He couldn’t have achieved much more in his playing career.”



Zdovc knows he has his work cut out for him.



Some leading players in the NBA have stayed away in recent years, whether it was because of injuries, uncertainty over their club contracts or the desire to rest.



Slovenia will need to have all weapons available when they go up against world champions Spain, along with Serbia and Great Britain in Group C of the EuroBasket.



“I believe in the team and I am confident Slovenia can reach the top spots in Poland,” Zdovc said, “even first place.



“Although there is still a lot of time to go until the EuroBasket and a lot of things can happen, I will want to have all the best players in my team.



“For Slovenia’s success, individual ambitions will have to stay home and we will have to work together as a team.”

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[rikhardur]

Zdovc Raises Expectations For Slovenia





Slovenia's new boss Jure Zdovc has yet to lead the national side in a game on the court but he's been very hard at work already.



Zdovc, a member of Yugoslavia's gold-medal winning side at the 1990 FIBA World Championship, has been making loud noises ever since his appointment in November that his Slovenian side would be big medal contenders at this year's EuroBasket.



His feeling is that a team that expects to do great things will indeed do great things.



"We must have this goal and maybe in one, two or three years - maybe we'll do it in the future," he said this week.



Luka Maselj of Basketball World News met with Zdovc inside his office in Ljubljana where he coaches club side Union Olimpija and interviewed him for FIBA Europe.



Among the hot topics was Sasa Vujcic of the Los Angeles Lakers.



Jure, do you think winning a medal in Poland is still a realistic goal for Slovenia?



Zdovc: Definitely. I made this goal because I believe in my team. We have a lot of experienced, high level players. I definitely hope that all of the players will join us to make this dream come true. I put this goal for one reason, even though I know for some people it's unrealistic, because I know that the players who will come and join me for the preparations will share the same opinion. This makes it much easier for me in the practice sessions of the preparations, when we all have this goal in mind.



Of the 13 players who have already been visited by the Slovenian Basketball Federation, no one declined when asked if they wanted to fight for Slovenia. How would you comment on that?



Zdovc: I'm really happy about this. If I'm honest, I expect this kind of answer from the players because they are players who are on high level teams and they know what I am talking about.



Sasa Vuja?i?, who plays in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and has been very important for them the last two seasons, has settled some disputes with the federation and is ready to be a part of the national team. How important is this decision for your plans?



Zdovc: A lot. Every player is very important. Sasa is a great player, a great person and it will be a real joy for me to work with him and I also believe that he will be very motivated to prove his ability on the court in front of the Slovenian fans.



How important is it for the players to be visited in person when asking them about their availability for tournaments like the EuroBasket?



Zdovc: Communication is very important. Definitely in this kind of visit, they can say some kind of things that maybe they will not say to me or when they talk to me, they will not tallk to the federation about the personal problems. In the end, they feel more comfortable when they see that people in the national team set-up care about them.



Spain, Serbia and Great Britain are Slovenia's group opponents in the EuroBasket. How much do you know about them?



Zdovc: Definitely Great Britain is a team that has grown up. They have great players with NBA experience and in Europe. Winning is back and especially because they have the Olympic Games (in 2012) and they have really enjoyed a great improvement in the last few years with a great coach. Spain and Serbia? We know almost everything about these two teams. They have great history behind them, and this group is really, really a tough group. Each game will be a war.



Apart from being the national team coach, you are now also a club coach at Union Olimpija. Are there any problems combining those two jobs?



Zdovc: Right now, no. I'm concentrating on the club programs. We have a good team in the national basketball federation, the director and the secretary - they go all over the world to visit the players. I don't see any problems. A lot of coaches have both jobs together. In my mind, before I took the national team job before Olimpija, I felt it was for me and the best for the federation that I can work as a professional (focus exclusively on national team job). Unfortunately, the federation doesn't have this kind of a budget and that's it.



One final question. You already have medals from all the big competitions as a player. How much of an advantage is this for you as a coach?



Zdovc: It is an advantage, but not a big advantage. But I know how to deal with all of this stress. I'm not afraid of any opponent because I have already passed all these things. I am really optimistic about the future of the national team and we must have this goal, even if we don't take a medal. We must have this goal and maybe in one, two or three years - maybe we'll do it in the future.

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[Black Urum]

24-men pre-selection:





Guards:



Sani Becirovic - Roma - 194 cm - 1981

Goran Dragić - Phoenix Suns - 190 cm - 1986

NebojÅ¡a Joksimovič - Hemofarm - 193 cm - 1981

Jaka Klobučar - Union Olimpija - 198 cm - 1987

Jaka Lakovič - Barcelona - 186 cm - 1978

Domen Lorbek - Benetton - 198 cm - 1985

Sašo Ožbolt - Union Olimpija - 188 cm - 1981

Beno Udrih - Sacramento Kings - 191 cm - 1982

Samo Udrih - Estudiantes Madrid - 195 cm - 1979

SaÅ¡o Vujačič - Los Angeles Lakers - 200 cm - 1984



Small Forwards:



Goran Jagodnik - Nymburg - 201 cm - 1974

Marko Maravič - Union Olimpija - 201 cm - 1979

Boštjan Nachbar - Dinamo Moskva - 206 cm - 1980

Emir Preldžić - Fenerbahče Ãœlker - 204 cm - 1987





Power Forwards & Centers:



Mirza Begić - Union Olimpija - 218 cm - 1985

Primož Brezec - Roma - 216 cm - 1979

Jurica Golemac - Roma - 209 cm - 1977

Matej KruÅ¡ič - Helios Domžale - 211 cm - 1987

Erazem Lorbek - CSKA Moskva - 210 cm - 1984

Uroš Slokar - GMAC Bologna - 210 cm - 1983

Matjaž Smodiš - CSKA Moskva - 205 cm - 1979

GaÅ¡per Vidmar - Fenerbahče Ãœlker - 209 cm - 1987

Marko Tušek - Avelino - 203 cm - 1975

Miha Zupan - Union Olimpija - 206 cm - 1982

[zwbgr]

This year KZS (basketball association of slovenia) took another step in communiction with the players, they personally visited all the main guys and results are here - everybody confirmed their participation, except Nesterović who retired (he said his utlimate goal were Olimpic Games, but they couldn't reach it). Question mark is Bečirović, who might have a minor surgery and want to train with special program.



Vujačič will made his first appearance in NT (he had a dispute with KZS but with their visit in LA tehy settled all this), after 2 WC in Japan Nachbar and Udrih are back, Lorbek is back after missing last years qualifications for OG. NT is really strong, especially if having in mind that majority of other NTs have to deal with absences of main players. And first time in history the NT coach (Jure Zdovc) said that the goal is a medal. Nice change after years of Pipan and his "we made a great success with reaching quartefinales". Players like that and this is one of reasons nobody turned down the invitation.

[Black Urum]

I totally agree and that is why I will bet on them for the gold medal, not for any other reason that theyir price will drop soon.

[Black Urum]

Sani Becirovic is having some problems with his knees and will decide whether he will play in Eurobasket, or not, in two weeks' time.

[Black Urum]

[quote name='Black Urum' post='16345' date='Jun 8 2009, 08:50 PM']Sani Becirovic is having some problems with his knees and will decide whether he will play in Eurobasket, or not, in two weeks' time.[/quote]

via [url="http://www.talkbasket.net"]www.talkbasket.net[/url]

And when everyone thought that for once Slovenia will compete in an International tournament will all their stars things didn't turn out to be as planned.



After Rasho Nesterovic who decided to retire from the National Team after the 2008 Olympics, it was now Sani Becirovic' turn to miss Eurobasket due to an injury.



The Lottomatica Roma player, who was included in Zdovc' preliminary list, will have to undergo an operative arthroscopy to heal his injured knee which has troubles him in the past years.



That leaves the Slovenian National Team coach Yure Zdovc with just 15 players and 3 reserves to choose from, which are the following:



Goran Dragić (Phoenix Sunset)

Jaka Klobucar (Union Olimpija)

Jaka Lakovič (Barcelona)

Domen Lorbek (Benetton)

Beno Udrih (Sacramento Kings)

Just Udrih (Estudiantes Madrid)

SaÅ¡o Vujačić (Los Angeles Lakers)

Goran Jagodnik (Nymburg)

Bostjan Nachbar (Dinamo Moscow)

Emir Preldžić (Fenerbahče Ãœlker)

Primoz Brezec (Lottomatica Roma)

Erazem Lorbek (CSKA Moscow)

Uros Slokar (GMAC Bologna)

Matjaž Smodiš (CSKA Moscow)

GaÅ¡per Vidmar (Fenerbahče Ãœlker)



Reserves:



Mirza Begić (Union Olimpija)

Sašo Ožbolt (Union Olimpija)

Miha Zupan (Union Olimpija)

[Black Urum]

[url="http://www.talkbasket.net/news/preldzic-says-no-to-slovenia-chooses-bosnia-and-herzegovina.html"]http://www.talkbasket.net/news/preldzic-sa...erzegovina.html[/url]

Emir Preldzic, the Slovenian star of Fenerbhace Ulker has turned down the call to Slovenia National Team he got by Juri Zdovc and decided to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina instead.



Preldzic decided to take the summer off to shake off all the minor injury problems he has been facing during the entire last season.



According to the Bosnian newspaper "Dnevni Avaz" which quoted the player himself, Preldzic will be issued a Bosnian passport shortly, something which will allow him to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the future.



That means he will have to sit out of any international competitions until FIBA gives him the green light to change National Teams, and play for Bosnia and Herzegovina, instead of Slovenia for which he played in 2007 in their U20 National Team.



The Slovenian Basketball Federation commented on the situation through their spokesman Matej Avanzo:



"We are very surprised to hear this. We had a lot of discussions with him so far and he had assured us he would play for us. I don't know why he made such statements to the Bosnian media.



Nevertheless it is a decision that should be made by the player himself and we have never forced anyone to play for Slovenia. For the moment we have not received an application for a citizenship change, so typically for us Preldzic is still a member of Slovenian National Team.



In any case we don't want any troubles or scandals."

cefur...

[suricata]

rofl

[Black Urum]

[url="http://www.talkbasket.net/news/shocker-for-slovenia-1932.html"]Beno Udrih out of Eurobasket 2009[/url]