SLO - Coach Pipan names 24 national team candidates

LJUBLJANA (EuroBasket 2007) - Slovenian National Team coach Ales Pipan named 24 candidates for this year's EuroBasket in Spain.

The candidates list is not yet official, as the deadline for submission of the 24-members lists to FIBA Europe is set for July 27th. Changes are thus possible, but Basketball federation officers say major changes are not expected.

Pipan named nine guards: Sani Becirovic (Panathinaikos, Greece), Aleksandar Capin (Varese, Italy), Goran Dragic (Tau Ceramica, Spain), Nebojsa Joksimovic (Hemofarm Vrsac, Serbia), Jaka Lakovic (Barcelona, Spain), Domen Lorbek (Union Olimpija, Slovenia), Beno Udrih (San Antonio Spurs, NBA), Samo Udrih (Granada, Spain), and Sasa Vujacic (Los Angeles Lakers, NBA).

The four invited forwards are Sasa Doncic (Helios Domzale, Slovenia), Goran Jagodnik (Anwil, Poland), Marko Maravic BC Kyiv, Ukraine), and Bostjan Nachbar (New Jersey Nets, NBA).

The tall-men line-up features eleven names: Dragisa Drobnjak (Turow, Poland), Goran Jurak (Climamio Bologna, Italy), Erazem Lorbek (Roma, Italy),Radoslav Nesterovic (Toronto Raptors, NBA), Smiljan Pavic (Helios Domzale, Slovenia), Hasan Rizvic (Bosna, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Uros Slokar (Toronto Raptors, NBA), Matjaz Smodis (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Marko Tusek (Unicaja Malaga, Spain), Zeljko Zagorac (Ural Great, Russia), and Miha Zupan (Union Olimpija, Slovenia).

Missing members of the team that competed at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan are Marko Milic, Primoz Brezec, and Saso Ozbolt.

Milic suffered a foot injury soon after his mid-season arrival in Real Madrid and has not yet fully recovered.

Brezec said coach Pipan he plans on returning to the States in the beginning of August to prepare for next season. At the moment it is still unclear whether he will remain with the Charlotte Bobcats. Furthermore, he is scheduled to appear at the Basketball without Borders Africa camp in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the beginning of September.

Saso Ozbolt has been sidelined since November after renewing his knee injury.

Among the 24 candidates, five of them play in the NBA and only four play for Slovenian teams.

Pipan said he has yet to talk to some of the players he included on his list. Within three weeks he will reduce the candidates' list to 15 players and three back-ups.

Preparations will start on July 21st. The team's first international test will be the Stankovic Cup in Macao (China), where Slovenia will face China, Angola, New Zealand, Venezuela and an NBA Development team.

The next test will be the tournament in Strasbourg on August 10-12, where Slovenia will play against France, Greece, and Serbia. The final test before the championship will be the Acropolis Eurobank tournament in Athens on August 20-22, where Slovenia will meet Greece, Lithuania, and Italy.

At the EuroBasket preliminary round, Slovenia will play in Group D. Their opponents in Alicante will be Italy, Poland, and France.

Simon Licen
FIBA