THEY GOT NEXT
Why Slovenia is the Next Basketball Powerhouse
Coming Out Party
Many would probably recall their first encounter with the Slovenians was in 2017, when they burst into the scene by winning the FIBA EuroBasket and all of their nine games, upsetting former EuroBasket champions, Spain and France, and even 2016 Olympic runner-up, Serbia. It was at this moment this team showed promise and glimpses of becoming the next basketball Superpower.
Despite coming off two straight defeats, their most recent against the ever-determined Australians in the bronze medal match at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Slovenia has nothing to be but proud of, considering this is their first Olympic debut in basketball since joining in 1992.
Before falling to the Boomers, they ended up losing to eventual runner-up, France, by a single point. We would be having an entirely different conversation if Nicolas Batum’s wingspan wasn’t seven feet long.
All things aside, they basically bulldozed the preliminary round with an average winning margin of 21.25 points, and the teams they went up against weren’t a bunch of nobodies. World number seven, Argentina was led by Olympic legend Luis Scola and Nuggets point guard Facundo Campazzo. Host country, Japan, had versatile NBA forwards in Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe. Spain will always be Spain with Ricky Rubio and whatever’s left with the Gasol brothers, Marc and Pau. And Germany, having NBA players, Issac Bonga and Mo Wagner, and Johannes Voigtmann along with Maodo Lô from the EuroLeague who led the team in rebounding and scoring, respectively.
Now how did Slovenia overcome all that? Simple. Similar to what Tony Stark uttered to Loki in the first Avengers movie, ‘“We have a Hulk.” In Slovenia’s case, they have a Luka, a pick-and-roll maestro who controls the pace of every game.
With Olympic averages of 23.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists, barely notching a triple-double, Slovenia went on a 17-game winning streak whenever Luka Doncic suited up before their loss to France, where he inherited a wrist injury. He even set a record with his 48-point Olympic debut, the most for any debut, and second all-time behind Oscar Schmidt’s single-game record of 55. Slovenia was also the only remaining team in the semi-finals who had to qualify for an Olympic berth in the first place, in their case the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Lithuania which they swept just a month before heading to Japan. In other words, they are battle-tested.
Locked and Reloaded
It’s not just Luka because they have a solid core that will just about enter their prime come 2023 for the World Cup in the Philippines. Luka’s pick-and-roll partner in seven-foot 26-year-old Mike Tobey posted averages of 13.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and a solid 2.5 assists for a big man. The Robin to Luka’s Batman is 28-year-old guard Klemen Prepelic, a sparkplug off the bench who averaged 15.5 points and 2.7 assists which were both second on the team. The only chink in their armor now is at the forward position, and they fill that void too with Nuggets 6’8” stretch four Vlakto Cancar, who at just 24 years of age exhibits efficiency when it comes to scoring the basket. His percentages of 57.8 FG%, 48 3pt%, and 92.9 FT% exceed the elite 50–40–90 club. All three can space the floor and knock down perimeter shots, giving Luka all the leeway to create his magic.
They also have five more players including Luka, that played both in the 2017 EuroBasket and in the 2021 Olympics in Aleksej Nikolic who is 26, Edo Muric who is 29, Jaka Blazic who is 31, and Ziga Dimec at 28. What’s crazy to think is that Luka possibly still has four more Olympic tournaments in him being only 22 years of age.
Though they will be missing the ever-reliable Goran Dragic and his leadership that brought poise, who also scored 35 points in the 2017 championship game, they will be having his younger brother, Zoran, and Jaka Blazic who will both serve as glue guys and veteran presence this young team is in dire need of.
Looking Ahead
But before that, Slovenia’s next task? EuroBasket 2022, where they will be defending their 2017 crown against possibly revamped rosters as they attempt to keep their core intact.
Michael Jordan couldn’t have put it any better after winning his fifth NBA championship and gunning for his sixth, “We are entitled to defend what we have, until we lose it.” Winning it all in 2017 and finishing fourth among the best teams in the world will definitely be in Slovenia’s favor when they match up against Europe’s best next year in Berlin, and the world’s best two years from now in Manila.
With the inevitable decline of long-time powerhouses, Argentina and Spain, as seen through the retirement of legends Luis Scola, Pau Gasol, and Marc Gasol, the undisputed world number two spot will be up for grabs between Slovenia, France, Australia, and possibly even Serbia if the Joker decides to play. Undoubtedly, the Americans will remain kings until someone dethrones them, which is still unlikely.
Of course, Slovenia’s success is heavily reliant on the commitment of wunderkind, Luka Doncic. “As long as you have Luka, you have a chance,” is what many of today’s analysts would say because he is that special. But every Slovenian may sleep well at night knowing Luka’s candor response to a reporter that asked what would mean more to him, a gold medal with Slovenia or an NBA championship; he replied, “I’d say gold medal with Slovenia. You play for your country and that’s something… but I wouldn’t mind both.”
