Samanic trusting the process with Olimpija

LJUBLJANA (Slovenia) - Trust the process may be bordering on an over-used phrase in basketball. But that is exactly what Luka Samanic is doing now in his first season with Petrol Olimpija.

The 18-year-old Samanic is slowly starting to showcase his impressive set of skills in the Basketball Champions League, averaging 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists while shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range in 14.7 minutes in seven games. In his most recent game, Samanic picked up 11 points with 2 three-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 24 minutes against SIG Strasbourg.

"For me, it's been a good chance to get as much experience as possible and to be able to play against great teams and compete," said Samanic, who joined Olimpija this past off-season from Spanish powers Barcelona. "It’s physical and fast, so I try to be stronger and faster and smarter."

Luka Samanic has had plenty of chances to learn about playing at the senior level at Petrol Olimpija.

The Zagreb native spent two seasons with the club in Catalonia and he learned a lot in Spain.

"I think it’s important to listen and learn from everybody - even from someone you think is not important or my ‘mentor’," said Samanic, who singled out former EuroLeague champion and Czech Republic international Lubos Barton - one of the coaches at Barcelona - as someone from whom he really learned a lot. "I learned many things from living alone, playing faster with much more contact. Everything really."

Samanic’s two seasons at Barcelona were two very different years. The first one in 2016-17 was admittedly difficult as he adapted to a new culture and new language not to mention the new basketball style and system in Spain. Things were that much smoother in the second season as he was much more settled into his surroundings - in a city he grew to really love.

"Barcelona will always stay with me. It’s an amazing city as much as the club, and I am so happy I was there and learned so many things such as the language, people and basketball things. Yes, the first year was tough with no family or friends, but as soon as I got used to it, things came to their place," Samanic said.

The 17-time Slovenia champions is a big step up from Barcelona for Samanic in terms of playing time and level of play. He played in 22 games for Barcelona’s second team in the LEB Gold, averaging 5.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 12.3 minutes. And he has already played 24 games before Christmas with Olimpija in the Basketball Champions League, the ABA League and the Slovenian Liga Nova KBM.

"It’s been great so far. Some games have been great and some games not so good. But it’s part of getting experience and adapting to the senior level," Samanic said. "I work hard and trust the process."

Playing in Barcelona’s second team meant playing with some of the top young players from Spain and around the rest of Europe, including players such as Sergi Martinez, Nedim Djedovic, Arnas Velicka, Aleix Font, Pol Figueras, Nikola Zizic and Tom Digbeu.

There is much of the same feeling of playing alongside young talents at Olimpija though as Issuf Sanon and Marko Simonovic are both just one year older than Samanic at 19 while Blaz Mesicek and Roko Badzim are both just 21 years old.

"It’s great, we push each other every day to get better and we are such good friends already - amazing," said Samanic.

Still the move from Barcelona’s second team to the Basketball Champions League, ABA League and the Slovenian Liga Nova KBM is a big adjustment.

"It’s tough, just like for any young player," he said. "It’s different basketball, a more physical game and everything. But it’s all good. I am learning and getting better."

Samanic actually has not been playing basketball as long as many other top talents in the game. Actually, he came to the game kind of late, growing up playing football and then handball and tennis before getting into basketball at 11 years of age.

"All of my friends were playing football, and that's the main reason why I also started football," Samanic said. "Football helped me a lot in co-ordination."

Once basketball did finally grab Samanic’s heart, the player he looked up to was the Croatian legend Toni Kukoc.

"He passes and he's a big guy who can spread the floor. He can run and play low post. He can shoot and make his team better. That's why he's my role model," Samanic said.

Another player who shaped his game was Marko Samanic, Luka's father who played basketball for 19 years in Croatia, Belgium, Slovenia, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina and France among other places.

“FOR ME, IT'S BEEN A GOOD CHANCE TO GET AS MUCH EXPERIENCE AS POSSIBLE AND TO BE ABLE TO PLAY AGAINST GREAT TEAMS AND COMPETE. IT'S PHYSICAL AND FAST, SO I TRY TO BE STRONGER AND FASTER AND SMARTER.”- Samanic

"Sometimes we would go with him and sometimes we would stay in Zagreb where I spent almost all of my childhood," said Samanic, whose father played until 2010 - when Luka was 10 years old.

The father is still involved in the game, serving as a general manager of second division Croatian club Kvarner 2010 in Rijeka.

"He gives me some advice, but he likes to stay out of my basketball if I don’t ask for help," Luka said.

Coming to Slovenia was almost like a home-coming for Samanic as his father played in the country three times.

“IT'S BEEN GREAT SO FAR. SOME GAMES HAVE BEEN GREAT AND SOME GAME NOT SO GOOD. BUT IT'S PART OF GETTING EXPERIENCE AND ADAPTING TO THE SENIOR LEVEL. I WORK HARD AND TRUST THE PROCESS.”- Samanic

"It’s great to be part of that, and I love the fact that I am playing where my father played so many times so," he said. "Now I have chance to be better than my father when he was here."

The elder Samanic was with Slovenian clubs Polzena (1996-98), KRKA Novo Mesto (2001-02, 2004) and Hopsi Polzela (2008-09), playing in the EuroLeague with Novo Mesto in 2001-02 and the EuroCup with Croatian side Zadar in 2002-03.

"I’ve been (to Slovenia) many times and it is a beautiful country. It’s not so big, but the people are good there is an amazing tradition with sport," Samanic said.

He also enjoys living in the Slovenian capital - a city of 280,000 people.

"Ljubljana is great, it’s beautiful and not so big. So it’s simple to get from one place to another," said Samanic, who enjoys going to the movies, the city center, playing video games, studying and hanging out with his friends.

One thing that observers can sense about Samanic when they see him perform is that he is even keel. Sure, the 2.10m forward will wow fans with a big dunk or a big block. But what you won’t see is a lot of emotions coming from him.

"I respect the opponent, and it’s enough that I dunk or block.  I don’t have to show anything more," he said.

Samanic also doesn’t worry about pressure from the outside, adding: "I don’t look at it as pressure. It is more like motivation."

Basketball is clearly not the only thing in his life as he showed when he answered what has been his biggest success, saying: “Finishing school, playing and doing what I love. Traveling, and I have big family. That’s the most important thing in my life.”

That’s not to say that Samanic has not excelled in the game.

Even though he could not get Barcelona the title at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament L’Hospitalet in 2018, he was named the Most Valuable Player as he averaged 23.3 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 blocks, 6.8 fouls drawn and an index rating of 33.

He was also crowned MVP of the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017, Division B as he guided Croatia back to the Division A with an undefeated run to the title. Samanic this past summer had hoped to get Croatia back to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup for the first time since 2015. But the team slumped to a 11th-placed finish - only the top five teams reached the U19 World Cup. Samanic however went into the competition saying the number one goal was keeping the team in Division A. And that was accomplished.

Upon his move from Barcelona to Olimpija, Samanic’s main goal was getting wins.

“I came to Ljubljana with only one expectation, and that was to win as much as possible and get ready for my big dream,” he said, referring to his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.

Petrol Olimpija celebrated their only win in the Basketball Champions League in late October at Filou Oostende. 

Samanic and the rest of the team has not been able to celebrate that many victories though, with a 1-8 record in Group D of the Basketball Champions League while going 4-8 in the ABA League and 6-4 in the Liga Novo KBM.

The 11-20 record might not show a lot of wins, but it is all part of the process - the process that Luka Samanic is trusting.

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