30 years ago, Croatia won the silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics, beaten only by the Dream Team of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The unique, the true. A young country from the former Yugoslavia, Croatia will then impose itself among the best nations in the world, whether at the club level with the domination of Split, but also internationally with several bronze medals at the World Cup and European Championship.
But 30 years later, Croatia is no longer a basketball stronghold. Already eliminated in the race for the 2023 World Cup, the team is going through a period of transition, and it can count on Bojan Bogdanovic to pass the torch, and try to bring this country back to the top.
” We had our best years when Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Dino [Radja] were playing. Basketball was almost the number 1 sport in Croatia. That was quite a while ago…” smiles the Jazz winger. ” I would like to leave something behind me, and this EuroBasket is an ideal opportunity for my teammates and me to achieve something unique.“
“I hope we can create a surprise”
Placed in Group C, Croatia is one of the underdogs of the competition with the presence of some NBAers. In addition to Bogdanovic, Dario Saric and Ivica Zubac have made the trip, and they are surrounded by the new generation with Lovro Gnjidic (21), the explosive Karlo Matkovic (21) and Roko Prkacin (19).
” This EuroBasket is one of the toughest in history with all these players playing for their national team. It will be difficult to win any game. It will be very difficult, but I try to help my young teammates to progress quickly, while having an impact on the game. We have a lot of talent, and I hope we can create an upset.“
All while thinking of his legends of the game and his glorious elders like Drazen Petrovic or Toni Kukoc, capable of carrying an entire country on their shoulders.
” Just following in their footsteps with all the medals they have won is very difficult for us. But we have a very good young generation, with Zubac, Saric and a few other young people. So I hope we will achieve something special. I’m just trying to be a big brother, talk to everyone and keep them together on and off the field. “
