SLO - Baric and Slovenia ready to make history

Puerto Montt (FIBA U19 World Championship for Women) - The various coaches for the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women were asked who they expect to be the best players at the tournament.

Many names were mentioned – Ksenia Tikhonenko, Laura Gil, Ariel Massengale, Elizabeth Williams, Queralt Casas, Mariona Ortiz, Adja Konteh, Svetlana Efimova, Damiris Dantas, Melisa Greter, Meng Li and Tjasa Gortner.

Only one name was repeated on every occasion though, and that was Nika Baric. The 169cm point guard was a runaway MVP at last year’s U18 European Championship in Slovakia after averaging 19.0 ppg, 5.5 apg and 3.8 rpg to lead Slovenia to their first ever U19 women’s European final four.

"Nika is just brilliant," Slovenian coach Damir Grgic said. "She can draw plays on the court by herself in some situations, she sees the floor very well and that results in some great passes.

"Maybe that’s why they gave her name The Wizard last year in Slovakia!"

Just two years ago Slovenia was playing in Division B of the European championship, but with heart, belief, teamwork and their very special point guard, they are now ready to challenge the world’s big guns. "We are a small country so we will fight with a big heart," coach Damir Grgic said.

"Every player from our team has to go all out on the championship even though we have two special players in Baric and Tjasa Gortnar, who will play in college next year for Georiga Tech."

Even with Baric’s brilliance, is Grgic surprised with his team’s rise from Division B to the world championship? "As I look back now, it was hard work every year, because we finished in third place two times before we even qualified for Division A," he said.

"But we never stopped fighting and we did it. Then our first year with all the best teams in Division A was something special."

Grgic also believes his players will have learned a lesson from last year’s journey that will help them take the world championship one game at a time. "When we came in the second group it became clear that everything is possible, because in the quarter final you are one win away from making history for our small country."

While the Slovenians did make history by making the top four and becoming the first women’s team from their country to qualify for a world championship, a medal eluded them as they were thrashed by Spain and France in the final four.

Has anything changed this year to turn these results around? "Last year it was the first time for us to play such a team like France and Spain, but we were without our post player Gortnar who injured her knee against Lithuania in the quarter final," Grgic said.

"(Last week’s friendly) win against Italy, the European champs, gives us more confidence and shows that we can fight all the big basketball countries."

Grgic knows that a number of wins against the world’s best, and another history making performance will make an impact in Slovenia.

"It would mean a lot, because no Slovenian (women’s) team has ever made it to the world championship, and that would show we should put more work and energy into Slovenian women’s basketball."

FIBA