CRO - National team loses Tomas

CELJE (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Marko Tomas has often been a man for the big occasion when he donned the Croatia shirt.

No one will ever forget the moment he silenced all of Seville at EuroBasket 2007, when his long three-pointer just a few seconds from the death lifted Croatia into a 85-84 lead in the First Round encounter against hosts Spain.

The 2.06m shooting guard finished with 13 points and Croatia defeated that Spanish side - one that had captured the world title just a year before - thanks to Tomas' three-ball.

A lynchpin in the team in the years to follow, including sides that reached the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, Tomas has known nothing but frustration since with Croatia.

He missed the summers of 2011 and 2012 with the national side because of injuries and less than a week before the start of EuroBasket 2013, a qualifying event for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Tomas has gotten hurt again.

The 28-year-old picked up a muscular injury in training and needs a few weeks to recover.

Coach Jasmin Repesa has had to remove the player from his plans for the EuroBasket, where Croatia will open against Spain on Wednesday in Group C.

Tomas is disappointed, and his teammates feel awful for him.

"Marko is one of my best friends and I'm very sorry for him," said Croatia captain Roko Leni Ukic, "even more so because I know how much he wanted the championship."

In addition to Spain, Croatia will take on Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia and Slovenia in Round 1 at the EuroBasket. The top six sides will qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. If Spain are in the first six, then the top seven sides will clinch spots.

Croatia squad for EuroBasket 2013: Ante Tomic, Krunoslav Simon, Damjan Rudez, Dario Saric, Mario Delas, Damir Markota, Roko Leni Ukic, Ante Delas, Dontaye Draper, Bojan Bogdanovic, Luka Zoric and Luksa Andric.

FIBA