CRO - Draper feeling right at home with Croatia

LONDON (EuroBasket 2011) - It's been a memorable few months for Croatia guard Dontaye Draper.

In his first season with Cedevita Zagreb, he helped the Croatian club beat the odds to qualify for the Eurocup and then led them all the way to the semi-final stages.

Not surprisingly, he was named Eurocup MVP for his mammoth efforts and inspiring play.

The 1.80m guard also helped the club reach the A-1 Liga Finals where they lost to KK Zagreb.

Draper did not have much time to contemplate those results as he joined the Croatian national team after being granted citizenship, becoming the first naturalised player the country has ever called upon.

Earlier this month, regular starting point guard Roko Ukic broke his foot and was ruled out of EuroBasket, opening the door for Draper to stake a claim for his place.

The 27-year-old native of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, has taken part in the Olympic Test Event in London and is set to make his EuroBasket debut in Lithuania, where Croatia  will bid to qualify for next year's Olympics.

Draper knows that the task at hand will be a difficult one.

"It's going to be really tough to qualify for the Olympics," he said.

"It's going to take a lot of really work hard and we'll have to be locked in, compete every night, not take a night off."

As for the fact of having to fill in for Ukic, the graduate of College of Charleston doesn't believe in there being added pressure on him.

"It's not pressure, I just play. The way that I was raised, I don't see basketball as pressure. I just go out there and play hard. If I give 100 percent, then I'm ok with my results," he reasoned.

Draper has proved a perfect fit in the Croatian side and was made to feel welcome by fans and team-mates alike.

"When I played my first game, a friendly in Croatia, I got the loudest ovation. That was so cool," he recalled.

Veteran guard Marko Popovic, who will share the minutes with Draper, welcomed him with open arms.

"It's the first time that Croatia has a naturalised player in the national team," he pointed out.

"Dontaye brings great energy and great vision on the court. He's a real strength of our team and he will be even better when EuroBasket starts.

"Also, he's a great guy off the court, a little quiet but great as a person. We accepted him with no problem."

As he sets about making his official competitive debut for Croatia, Draper welcomes the fact of having a coach that has been there in former Croatia international Josip Vrankovic.

"He helps a lot because he's experienced, he knows what it takes to win," he explained.

"He's going to tells us what he feels. He doesn't sugarcoat it. He tells it how it is and that helps in a good way."

Confidence is high in Croatia's camp and Draper has a lot of belief in his team-mates.

"We have a very talented team. Our main goal is to compete every game and play hard every time out on the court," he said.

"As a team, everybody is confident and feeling high. We had five preparation games before coming here (to London) and we played well in most of them. Everybody is ready for EuroBasket to start.

"Everybody wants to play and everybody wants to prove themselves."

While it's taken him some time to adjust, Draper would not trade his European experience for anything in the world.

"I'm very happy to be a part of this," he said with a smile. "There's talent everywhere.

"Coming from the States, you think most of the talent is in Italy or France or those type countries. But when you come you see a lot of good players are from the ex Yugoslavia, Croatia, Serbia. That's one thing Americans don't really know.

"Now I look at things totally different because I've been here for four years. It's kind of good."

While the road to London for next year's Olympic Basketball Tournament is a long one, Draper does allow himself to dream about what it would be like.

"It would be a good feeling to play in the Olympics and if I were here next year, I'd go and watch the other great athletes in the world and that would be cool to see."

FIBA