ZAGREB (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - When you hail from a country of basketball legends, there is never a shortage of inspiration to draw from. That's the case for Croatia's latest crop of ultra-talented basketball players, including 21-year-old Ivica Zubac.

The Los Angeles Lakers center is well versed in the accomplishments and brilliance of the superstars of yesteryear like Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja. And he's intent on doing special things with the new generation.

"THE LOVE AND PASSION FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM IS HUGE IN OUR COUNTRY. I LOVE TO PLAY WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM."- Zubac

"We have a lot of respect for the legacy built by the other generations and the players that made great achievements for Croatian basketball, such as Drazen Petrovic, Dino Radja and Toni Kukoc. We took a lot of inspiration from them, but we want to write our own story," Zubac said. "We have great potential and we want to win, to try to build our own legacy and keep showing the world that Croatia is a very good country of basketball."

Part of Croatia's story with Zubac is his debut with the senior national team in the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers. The team's hopes of reaching the tournament were on a respirator after just a single win in its first four games. However, the return of leaders Bojan Bogdanovic and Dario Saric and the inclusion of Zubac led to wins over Italy and Romania on June 28 and July 1 respectively. With those triumphs came a spot in the Second Round of the Qualifiers.

"I feel so happy that we were able to get to the next round after winning those last two games," Zubac said to FIBA.basketball. "It was a tough mission, but we played as a team and we did it. That was such a great satisfaction and relief for all of us."

The 7ft 1in (2.16m) center had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in the 78-72 triumph at Italy.

"We had a tough battle in Italy, and we had to keep our defense strong to get the win," he said.

Next came a 90-63 victory at Romania.

"In Romania, we wanted to win and showcase what we are capable of," he said. "After the first quarter, we stepped up our game and they couldn’t catch us so we got the win that we wanted to. It’s a great thing for the national team as we reached our first goal, which was turning things around and qualifying for the next round."

Zubac had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in that triumph.

So what did he think of his performances in the third window?

"I'm a team player and I did exactly what the coach asked me to do - help my teammates on both sides of the court and defend the rim, and that is what I did," he said. "I really like playing for the national team and with my teammates. We have a great chemistry as a group.

"WE'RE ON A MISSION. WE WANT TO BE ONE OF THE TEAMS TO COMPETE IN CHINA. LITHUANIA IS ON TOP OF THE GROUP AND IT IS GOING TO BE HARD TO REACH THEM, SO THE FIGHT IS TIGHT BETWEEN EVERY OTHER TEAM OF THIS GROUP."- Zubac

"I took advantage of the opportunity and when I had the ball close to the rim I tried to score but my main focus was on the defensive end and I think I did a solid job. I was excited to come play for the national team and I really loved being with the guys for those two games. I'm really looking forward for the future and to wear the national team jersey again soon.

Now that he's had his senior national team debut, Zubac says the feeling is second to none.

"So much pride. It's an amazing feeling every time I wear the national team jersey," he said. "You know that you compete for the entire country and you got to give your best every time. The love and passion for the national team is huge in our country. I love to play with the national team.

"Wearing this white and red jersey, with Croatia written on your chest and your name on the back is so great, I really love it. We all play for each other, we play as one and you want to make the fans happy and proud of having you representing them and the whole nation. I'm still young and I'm looking forward to play for the national team, and help them win, for plenty more years to come."

Zubac had this dunk in Croatia's win at Italy on June 28

Croatia will tip off their Group J campaign in the Second Round of the Qualifiers on September 14, when they host Lithuania. Three days later, they will play at Poland. Also in the group are Hungary, and the sides that advanced with Croatia from the First Round, Italy and the Netherlands.

With all of the results carrying over from the First Round, Lithuania are top at 6-0 while Italy are second at 4-2. The rest of the teams are 3-3.

"It’s a very interesting group and every team can qualify for the World Cup," Zubac warned. "There are a lot of talented guys in each team and it's going to be tough for all of us to get into the first three places of the group.

"We're on a mission; we want to be one of the teams that is going to compete in China next summer. Lithuania is on top of the group and it is going to be hard to reach them, so the fight is tight between every other team of this group.

"We're ready to have a great Second Round and we're going to give our best to win the most games we can."

FIBA