SLO – Nesterovic considers Slovenia squad selection

LJUBLJANA (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Slovenia captain Rasho Nesterovic knows there is a delicate balance to maintain in the make-up of the national squad if his country is to build on last summer and qualify for the Beijing Games.

The Slovenians were without several big-name players at EuroBasket 2007 yet at times still looked like one of the best teams in Europe in grabbing a spot at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Some of the players absent last year have expressed the desire to come back into the team.

“The players that played at the EuroBasket in Spain did a very good thing and I think they should get the chance to finish their job,” said Nesterovic, who is coming off a strong season with the Toronto Raptors.

“The core of the national team must stay the same, if you ask me. Maybe we need two, maybe three reinforcements, but not more.”

National team coach Ales Pipan will give an indication as to which players will travel to Athens when he names his squad on Thursday.

Beno Udrih, Bostjan Nachbar, Marko Milic, Primoz Brezec and Sani Becirovic did not take part last summer.

Milic was injured while Brezec and Becirovic were in dire need of a rest.

That opened the door for youngsters like Domen Lorbek and Goran Dragic to not only break into the team but have a major impact.

Brezec has said he does not want to play this year, either, while Milic has retired from the national team.

Slovenia are in Group C with Canada and Korea. If they finish in the top two, Pipan’s men will advance to a quarter-final against Croatia, Puerto Rico or Cameroon.

“I think that the chances of all the teams participating in the Olympic Games’ extra-qualifiers are similar,” Nesterovic said.

“We – Slovenia – must stay firmly on the ground but at the same time, we must be very optimistic.

“We must go step by step, game by game.

“We must not get euphoric if we win a game but we shouldn't be too disappointed if we don't succeed.”

Slovenia are not the biggest country in Europe, but they are certainly becoming one of the best in basketball.

In 2006, they played at the FIBA World Championship in Japan and advanced to the last 16.

“After all we are still only a country with two million inhabitants,” Nesterovic said.

“Too bad that in basketball and sport as a whole, bigger and richer countries are worth more. I hope reasons that have no connections with the basketball court will not be decisive in Athens.”

FIBA