ZAGREB (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - There is no shortage of motivation for Croatia's players and coaching staff as they near the end of the first week of their preparations for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Turin.

The desire to put things right after last year's disappointing ninth-place finish at EuroBasket and to achieve a great moment in Croatian basketball this summer is certainly easy to see on the face of Bojan Bogdanovic, a player that was a fan of the national team eight years ago when it claimed one of three places on offer at the OQT in Athens for the Beijing Games.

We respect every opponent, but at the moment we only have two games guaranteed. These are the games on 5 and 6 July and this is what we have for now. We believe in reaching this Semi-Final, I hope the Final, but we have to respect all, be fully prepared. - Petrovic

Croatia's aim had been to reach the Final of last year's EuroBasket and clinch a place in the Rio de Janeiro Games but everything went wrong in the Round of 16 when the Czech Republic thumped the team led by coach Velimir Perasovic, 80-59.

After a second season in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets, Bogdanovic is glad to be back on the court with his national side. In an interview with sportske novosti, the 27-year-old shooting guard made his thoughts very clear about the importance of 2016.

"When I first started playing," he said, "my goal was to play for the Croatian national team. My goal was not to play in Brooklyn, Cibona or Fenerbahce. I never had any thoughts on any club, but my goal was to play for Croatia. It is an honor that every summer to be able to represent Croatia."

If fans did not see the best of Bogdanovic last year, it was because of the injuries that he had to cope with. He had a concussion and also persistent ankle problems. The year before at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Bogdanovic had put his talent on display, shooting 36 percent (13-of-36) from 3-point range and averaging more than 21 points per contest. He was his team's best player at the competition.

Croatia will need Bogdanovic to be in his 2014 form if they are going to win the OQT in Turin and reach Rio. They will take on Tunisia and Italy in Group B and then, if they finish in the top two, go up against a Group A side, Greece, Mexico or Iran, in a Semi-Final. The Semi-Final winners will ultimately meet with a spot at the Olympics on the line.

Making it to Rio is what Bogdanovic is firmly focused on.

"The (Olympic) Games themselves are sufficient motivation, a great motivation," Bogdanovic said. "And that's why we're here."

Coach Aleksandar Petrovic says the start of the build-up has been as he had expected, although club commitments have prevented Justin Hamilton, Leon Radosevic, Krunoslav Simon and Dario Saric from being with the team from the very start.

"We must be aware that the preparations from all these past years were very different from those of today for one reason, which is that here, there is a lot less time," Petrovic said.

"We respect every opponent, but at the moment we only have two games guaranteed. These are the games on 5 and 6 July and this is what we have for now. We believe in reaching this Semi-Final, I hope the Final, but we have to respect all and be fully prepared."

FIBA