Aleksander Sekulic illustrates Luka Doncic's uniqueness, names World Cup favorites / News - Basketnews.com

Aleksander Sekulic discusses with BasketNews Slovenia's progress ahead of the FIBA World Cup 2023. The team's head coach comments on Luka Doncic's availability, the adjustments made because of Goran Dragic's absence, and the choice of naturalized player.

Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall Credit AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

After an offensive showdown that grabbed the attention of 11,500 Slovenian fans at the Arena Stozice on Tuesday night, Slovenia and Greece lock horns in Athens just two days later.

Goran Dragic

Position:PG, SGAge:37Height:191 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Ljubljana, SloveniaProfileNewsStatistics

The packed schedule ahead of the FIBA World Cup 2023 leaves little, if any, room for rest, which means that both squads had to leave almost immediately after their first encounter on a joint charter flight. On the eve of the second friendly matchup between the two former EuroBasket winners, the guests had their only practice session in the OAKA arena that's expected to be packed way before tipoff.

This time around, Giannis Antetokounmpo won't be there to steal the show for the home side, as he did in the games leading up to last year's EuroBasket. That doesn't mean local fans will be spared of thrills on Friday evening.

Not only will they get to witness NBA star Luka Doncic in action, but they will also watch the retirement of Greece's jersey No. 4, which was worn by Nikos Galis. A mythical figure for Greek basketball, Galis, now 66, had a career that transcended borders and rendered him a member of both the FIBA and the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Interestingly, Luka Doncic is maybe the perfect reincarnation of Galis' genius. The Dallas Mavericks star is the ultimate go-to guy for his national team and one of the most prolific scorers in the modern era.

His 47 points in Slovenia's win over France in the 2022 EuroBasket group stage topped Galis' 46-point tally from the 1983 tournament. It was alsothe best individual scoring display at a EuroBasket in the last 65 years.

However, Slovenia was eliminated by Poland in the quarter-finals and kept out of the medal race. It's precisely that place on the podium that somehow keeps escaping them since they won the 2017 continental crown.

One year earlier, they found themselves one Nicolas Batum block away from the gold medal game at the 2021 Olympics, where the French NT was beaten by Team USA.

When Slovenia lifted the trophy, Doncic was only 18. Now, he's 24 and is carrying an entire nation on his back. For Slovenia, it has been tough to replicate or live up to the 2017 EuroBasket glory. In the last World Cup, held in 2019, they didn't even participate, even though they were the European champs.

"Now, when we look back, we can see how amazing that success really was," recalls Aleksander Sekulic, who was an assistant coach to Igor Kokoskov at the time.

Sekulic, 45, took over the head coaching position in 2020. He knows that it's hard for almost any team to get to the podium, not to mention go all the way. But if you want to beat the best, you need to show it on the court.

Credit Vid Ponikvar/Sportida/SIPA

"For us, the biggest challenge in the last EuroBasket was that many people saw us as the No.1 favorite. I respect other teams also, but it's hard to be the champion. It was the first time we were in that situation. We weren't as successful as we wanted to be," Sekulic concedes.

Despite the disappointment and the rumors about his future with the team, Sekulic will fulfill his contract that expires at the end of the year. During the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Slovenia will play in Group F in Okinawa, Japan, and face Cape Verde, Georgia, and Venezuela. If they advance, they'll play two teams from the group featuring Australia, Japan, Germany, and Finland.

It's a task for champions, given the fact that Australia and Germany are the current Olympic and EuroBasket bronze medalists, respectively. Sekulic remains optimistic that the group at his disposal is made up of players who're willing to work hard.

"If we can make this team compact, using each other's qualities and protecting our weaknesses, we're going to be fine," he says.

So far, Slovenia has played two prep matches against China (a narrow 75-73 win) and Greece at home (a 91-98 loss). From Greece, the squad will return to Stozice, where they will meet Montenegro on August 8, followed by an appearance at the tournament in Malaga to honor the 100th anniversary of the Spanish Basketball Federation.

Sekulic and his men will face European champions Spain and Olympic gold medalists USA on August 11 and 13, before wrapping up their prep schedule in Tokyo with a game against the home team on the 19th.

Sekulic thinks it's a little bit early to talk about what shape Slovenia NT is right now.

"We're getting where we want to be, step by step," he adds. "We've only been together for just one week. Physically, we're ahead of schedule. Players came very well prepared for training camp. They were already on a good physical level, and that made our conditioning coach's job easier."

Credit Vid Ponikvar / Sportida/SIPA

Following the loss to Greece, Sekulic stressed his team's offensive talent, which didn't suffice since the guest scored 55 points in the second half.

Greece lacks some considerable firepower this summer, as, apart from Giannis, guards Kostas Sloukas and Nick Calathes are also missing. Still, they made many assisted baskets, including several open 3-point shots, and broke the game open in the last stretch.

"Greece played very physical defense, and we need to adapt to that," Sekulic thinks. "But I don't think the offense was a big issue since we scored 91 points. The issue is defense -- how to stop their offensive rebounding and open three-point shooting. We need to challenge Greece and force them to take tougher shots," the Slovenian tactician points out ahead of the re-match.

One of the things Sekulic is least worried about is Luka Doncic's condition. The 2022-23 season ended rather prematurely for him. He played his last game on April 8, almost four months before his next one. Since then, all he could do was work individually and stay in shape.

The Dallas Mavericks superstar had 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.4 steals in 36.2 minutes per game in 66 regular-season appearances. His fifth NBA season was deprived of team achievements since the Mavs didn't make the playoffs.

Sekulic confirms that the long-time absence helped his player get some rest, but adds that he also needs to find a game rhythm.

"As I know him, he's going to find it pretty quickly," he notes.

Some of the biggest international NBA stars, like Domantas Sabonis, Nikola Jokic, and most probably Giannis Antetokounmpo, won't be present at the upcoming World Cup.

In every major tournament, one or several household names decide to sit out. The rule doesn't seem to apply to Doncic, who has been present in every tournament, from the Olympic Qualifiers to the EuroBasket.

On the one end, it's the player who gets to decide what he wants to do. Sekulic highlights that Doncic is always willing to be there for his national team, regardless of the competition and the circumstances.

"We do nothing to persuade him or force him to come," he underlines.

"It's mostly up to him. We're very fortunate to have such a player, not only because of his superb quality but also because of his mindset. He's always ready to help his country and national team. He wants to return something back to basketball when he plays for this team. He plays for pride and joy," Sekulic stresses.

Credit FIBA

On the other end, there's an NBA franchise with a proven track of being skeptical (at best) when it comes to allowing its players to join their national teams. In past years, Mark Cuban had been openly opposed to NBA players in international competitions that the NBA doesn't control or profit from. The Mavs' owner even advised Dirk Nowitzki to skip the 2009 EuroBasket.

In this regard, Sekulic doesn't deny that the cooperation and understanding between the franchise and the Slovenian federation is crucial.

"Of course, our federation is doing a good job also," he admits.

"But it's Luka's choice. I think his status as an NBA star matters. It's important what he thinks and how he sees everything. He commits every time to play for the national team. He shows what kind of personality he has. He can be a role model for younger generations for how he acts and reacts on and off the court, and how he shows his patriotism," Slovenia's head coach says.

Credit AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez

Sekulic is also proud and fortunate to have an NBA champion at his disposal. Even though he tallied only six minutes of post-season play, Vlatko Cancar went all the way with the Denver Nuggets and became the fourth Slovenian player after Beno Udrih, Rasho Nesterovic, and Sasha Vujacic to win a ring.

"It's a big thing for him and the country. He doesn't have big minutes there, but he still shows his quality and has a great mindset," he comments.

In early June, Goran Dragic confirmed he's not planning to participate in the upcoming World Cup, admitting he had his share of play for the national team.

"I'll be at home," the 37-year-old point guard told Bojan Brezovac from MozzartSport. "I'm not going to play. I had enough. I played for 16 years [for the national team], plus the NBA and everything else. Maybe I will go to Japan to support the national team, but I will hardly play."

Dragic postponed his retirement from the national team last year when he changed his decision and went to the EuroBasket. With Slovenia's national team, Dragic became the EuroBasket champion in 2017 and played in six EuroBaskets and three FIBA Basketball World Cups.

Credit Klansek Velej / Sportida/SIPA

Sekulic calls the veteran player "irreplaceable" and says it's difficult to prepare for a big tournament without the team's natural leader.

"You can adjust, but it's not the same. We have Luka now, but not a player like Goran, who's an NBA All-Star. He was the 2017 EuroBasket MVP, and he almost single-handedly brought us the title," he reflects.

Sekulic expects to be able to announce Slovenia's final roster just before the squad departs for Japan, somewhere between August 14-15. Regardless of the cuts left to be made, another important decision lies ahead.

The coach must choose who will cover the naturalized player's position between Jordan Morgan, who played against Greece, and Mike Tobey, who's expected to join the team just before the game against Montenegro.

Tobey, a player with bunches of EuroLeague experience, has played with Slovenia in the last two tournaments. He did exceptionally well, blending in with the rest of the squad in an almost ideal way. He's a classic big man (2.13 m) who can shoot the ball from a distance.

On the other hand, Morgan is an undersized center with no long-range shooting skills and a style of play based on athleticism. He may lack Tobey's experience, but he was able to substantially help the team in the EuroBasket and the World Cup Qualifiers.

Sekulic will wait and see in what kind of shape Tobey will be and then decide who he's going to take as the naturalized player.

"For now, there's no clear frontrunner," he clarifies. "Jordan is a great player, and so is Mike Tobey. They're different players, and we have to make the right choice according to who's going to fit better. Jordan hasn't played in big tournaments."

Sekulic's main goal is for his team to build chemistry on and off the court.

"We don't possess amazing individual quality, but if we play as a team, we can play good and competitive basketball," he reckons.

Credit FIBA

"As long as we have Luka, we have high goals. We want to compete for the medals, but a big number of teams want to do the same, and they have the quality to make it. We have high hopes," he maintains.

Slovenia got the short end of the stick in the EuroBasket, and that's another reason why Sekulic thinks it's pointless to name a couple of teams as favorites to win the World Cup. In fact, he doesn't only mention a couple but a whole lineup.

"There's France, Spain, and Lithuania, which is a great team for me. The USA, for sure, is the No. 1 contender for the gold medal. I think Finland is the most underrated national team.

Greece has great players with a lot of experience and one of the best coaches in Europe. Even though they disappointed in the last EuroBasket, as we did, they are medal contenders," he concludes.

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