Sensational Slovenia set the tone for Final Round
NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – The historic achievement of Slovenia in Celje last Saturday was exhilarating in so many ways if you love women’s basketball.
NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – The historic achievement of Slovenia in Celje last Saturday was exhilarating in so many ways if you love women’s basketball.
After sealing their first ever spot at a Final Round, Slovenia punched their maiden ticket for the big table and I am confident they will be a breath of fresh air at EuroBasket Women 2017. In fact [and without getting too carried away] there is absolutely no reason why they can’t actually make a good run in the competition when they step out in Prague and Hradec Kralove.
A few years ago and with some hugely exciting players in Teja Oblak and Nika Baric beginning to make their mark alongside veterans such as Maja Erkic and Sandra Pirsic, they were well placed to get to Final Round. However, fate dished out a cruel hand and they were left cursing their luck as a string of inures denied them their special moment.
That was addressed last weekend as they comfortably racked up a big win against Lithuania to get the party started. Now I hope they can replicate the buzz which women’s basketball has caused elsewhere in the region and notably in Serbia.
What is particularly important is that this is not likely to be a one-off. It could and indeed should, be the start of Slovenia becoming a nation that regular challenges to make Final Round. That's because behind their main participants, they have a crop of young players who can continue to carry the torch.
The real beauty is that the current big-hitters are in the backcourt and the wings, with their rising stars coming more in the forward spots and that is very much needed to build the kind of balanced team that can thrive in the senior international Arena.
They have two top-class playmakers in Baric and Oblak which is such a solid foundation. The former is a EuroLeague Women champion of course, who for so many years was the teenage phenomenon producing eye-bulging scores at youth level. Now she is quite the veteran ahead of her time. And when you have played for your country since you were 12 and 13 years old, it’s a label that is accurate. Meanwhile for me, Oblak has continued to make purposeful strides up the ladder in recent seasons and makes Good Angels Kosice tick. I like her game a lot.
And what about Erkic? She has been there from the beginning when Slovenia were scratching around in the old Division B, or falling at the qualification hurdle time and time again. I am delighted for her and it is that priceless leadership and scoring ability which has kept her country on course to etch this new landmark in their history. The same can be applied to Pirsic who continues to be an anchor under the basket.
Of those younger players, forward Eva Lisec is also continuing her development and it seems like she has been around for so long and yet is still only 21-years-old and making some telling contributions for the seniors now.
Yet behind the headlines, hugs, tears of joy, patriotism and sheer elation, lay something hugely significant. It was the four minutes played by the 1997-born Annamaria Prezelj who is one of the very best prospects of her generation due to her scoring ability which led to her being crowned MVP of the 2016 FIBA European Women’s Championship Division B. She is actually one of the main reasons why it was such a thrill to see Slovenia advance. They have several gifted players coming through their ranks and lighting up the youth scene each summer. I also like the look of Alma Potocnik and especially forward Larisa Ocvirk.
Now all of these players have something even greater to aspire to and that is making the final roster next summer – or future ones. I also love the fact that senior head coach Damir Grgic was the play-caller overseeing so many of these players at youth level and that is also a great fit for the future.
There is a sting in the tail though!
A new bar has been set and the hard work is only just beginning for the Slovenian Basketball Federation. They have to do their best to make sure it is the beginning of something amazing and they can break into the mainstream media in the next six months and persuade more people in the country to get behind women’s basketball. They have to make sure that Slovenia don’t remain a nation where it’s all about the men.
They had a great and passionate crowd in Celje which is a beacon for the women’s game and now it’s time that the women’s basketball footprint is enlarged and strengthened in Slovenia, so their full potential is to be realised.
Well done to everyone who has played their part – both on and off the court. I really can’t wait to see history when they hit the Final Round hardwood next year.
Paul Nilsen
FIBA
FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.