Dario Saric on Croatian basketball's decline: 'We're not at the bottom' / News - Basketnews.com

Saric admitted that Croatian basketball is in decline but disagreed that it's at the lowest point ever.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Once one of the top squads in the world, the Croatian national team is currently experiencing a steep decline. For the first time ever, they played in EuroBasket Pre-Qualifiers. Now, they hope to qualify for one of the Olympic Games Qualifying Tournaments.

Dario Saric

Position:PFAge:29Height:208 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Šibenik, CroatiaProfileNewsStatistics

Dario Saric has been named team captain, a position he will hold for the first time as well. At 29 years old, he will lead the team in Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the 90s, Croatia captured four medals in three different international competitions - 2 EuroBasket bronzes, one World Cup bronze, and one Olympic Games silver. In 2013, they ended up four in EuroBasket. In 2016, Croatia placed 5th at the Rio Olympic Games. However, the achievements, or lack thereof, haven't been remotely similar recently.

"Such a situation happened, and it would be easiest to give up now," Saric said in an interview with Tvrtko Puljić from Jutarnji list. "When we arrive, we are not, as you say, at the bottom. But that's basketball today. There are a lot of good national teams, everyone plays basketball, but we also can't say that we haven't experienced a decline."

"That should be a lesson and motivation for all of us for everything that follows, starting with the tournament in Istanbul," Saric said.

For Croatia to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games, they will have to win the Pre-Qualifying Tournament this year and then win a subsequent Qualifying Tournament next summer. It's a tall task, and Saric knows it.

"We believe, that's for sure, because hope always exists. It's up to us to go one game at a time, and considering the situation we are in, we're not in a position to win one game, so that we are at the Olympic Games right away," he said.

"We have to get through this tournament and then the next one. It won't be easy, we know it will be difficult, but we have to fight. The easiest thing is to give up and not try. We will do our best," Saric concluded.

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