Goran Dragic headlines youthful but mighty Slovenian squad
LJUBLJANA (FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers) - Miami Heat star Goran Dragic is not only the marquee name but also the second-oldest player on Slovenia's extensive list of candidates
LJUBLJANA (FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers) - Miami Heat star Goran Dragic is not only the marquee name but also the second-oldest player on the extensive list of candidates for this summer's FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers which recently-appointed Slovenia head coach Igor Kokoskov announced on Thursday. Only 16 of the 27 players on this list will eventually be invited to training camp, which is scheduled to get under way on 20 July.
| Slovenia 27-player preliminary squad for FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers | |||
| Jan Barbaric | Jaka Blazic | Tomaz Bolcina | Domen Bratoz |
| Vlatko Cancar | Ziga Dimec | Luka Doncic | Goran Dragic |
| Zoran Dragic | Erjon Kastrati | Jaka Klobucar | Luka Kraljevic |
| Luka Lapornik | Miha Lapornik | Blaz Mahkovic | Blaz Mesicek |
| Gezim Morina | Edo Muric | Aleksej Nikolic | Mitja Nikolic |
| Alen Omic | Klemen Prepelic | Matic Rebec | Zan Mark Sisko |
| Miha Vasl | Gasper Vidmar | Sasa Zagorac | |
Center Sasa Zagorac and Goran Dragic, who just turned 30 in May, are the only two players on the squad in the third decade of their life, as a big part of the list reads like an impressive collection of some of the best young basketball talent in Europe. Real Madrid's 17-year-old prodigy Luka Doncic leads the contingent of young up-starters which also includes 19-year-old wingers Blaz Mesicek and Vlatko Cancar along with 21-year-old guards Matic Rebec and Aleksej Nikolic. The latter, who plays for 2015 German champions Brose Baskets Bamberg, is the only one among these young players to have already debuted with the senior national team, stepping out at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.
My aim is that we prepare well and qualify to FIBA EuroBasket 2017. This is a very important competition for the future of Slovenian basketball - Igor Kokoskov
The 27-strong list also includes players who are still to reach the peak of their career but already form part of the Slovenian team's main core, such as the younger of the Dragic brothers, Zoran, 24-year-old big man Alen Omic who had a break-out season in Spain with Herbalife Gran Canaria, as well as the likes of Jaka Klobucar, Jaka Blazic and Klemen Prepelic. On the other hand, coach Kokoskov chose not to invite veterans such as 34-year-olds Nebojsa Joksimovic and Miha Zupan and 36-year-old Jure Balazic, who was Slovenia's captain at FIBA EuroBasket 2015.
Kokoskov also presented on Thursday his staff which consists of Radovan Trifunovic, Aleksander Sekulic and legend Jaka Lakovic. The recently retired point guard, who is now taking his first steps into coaching, holds the record for most international caps with the Slovenian national team.
V reprezentanci, ki se bo v kval. borila za #EuroBasket2017, bo vlogo pomočnika selektorja opravljal tudi nekdanji kapetan @LakovicJaka.
— Košarkarska zveza SI (@kzs_si) June 9, 2016
"I have taken all these decisions, as well as those which I will make in the future, with the best interest of the Slovenian national team in mind," said Kokoskov. "I compiled a mix of experienced and young players and I expect from them to show me this summer that they can assume the responsibility of the national team. My main aim is for us to prepare well and qualify to FIBA EuroBasket 2017. This is a very important competition for the future of Slovenian basketball. As a coach, there are a lot of things you have no control over, but you can control the preparation of your team. I might be new here but I assure you nobody wants this team to succeed more than I do."
Slovenia were drawn in Group E of the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers, together with Bulgaria, newcomers Kosovo and Ukraine.
FIBA