A fan reminisces, rejoices before the World Cup Qualifiers
VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - There's a genuine love for the national team of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD), which is something we witnessed just over six years ago at the FIBA EuroBasket in Kaunas.
The Balkan nation were the sentimental pick as the team of the tournament after the shot heard all over the old continent, Vlado Ilievski's late three-pointer to stun hosts Lithuania, 67-65, in their Quarter-Finals.
With the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers tipping off in 12 days, a fan in Skopje has taken a stroll down memory lane and remembered when leagues took international breaks so national teams could play qualifiers for important tournaments. In a letter he penned to me and to FIBA.basketball, Nenad Krajchinovic gushed with delight about the Qualifiers coming in November.
Here it is (click on the letter to open it in a new tab):
Ukic used Croatia's national team as a springboard to success
"Summer competitions are great, but it's impossible to attract a lot of people to watch the National Team when these events take part only once a year. Now they will have the opportunity to support the country’s best from the first row during the cold winter months. That's how they do in other sports. Basketball should not be an exception."Krajchinovic
#ThisIsMyHouse: The Basketball World Cup Qualifiers are at your door
— FIBA 🏀 World Cup (@FIBAWC) October 23, 2017
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