Drazen Petrovic

Biggest EuroBasket Success
The glorious days of Croatian basketball came right after the country’s independence with two EuroBasket bronze medals: one in 1993 and another two years later.  But all that success appeared to be a false indication about the future for Croatian basketball.  Those glorious times were marked by the leadership of stars like three-time NBA champ Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, Velimir Perasovic, Stojko Vrankovic and Arijan Komazec.  At the time, medals were something everyone expected from them in every tournament they took part. Today this sounds almost unbelievable, but those two bronze medals in 1993 and 1995 were considered by everyone in Croatia as failures. This paradox is illustrated by the fact that both times the head coach that led Croatia to the podium did not keep his job! Well, things have changed a bit as today a bronze medal would be worth its weight in gold for Croatian fans.

Biggest EuroBasket Disaster
Sticking strictly to standings and results, then EuroBasket 1997 was the low point for Croatian basketball.  Playing for the first time without their stars they finished a surprising 11th.  But the biggest disappointment emotionally came in 2005, when Croatia appeared ready to get back into the medal hunt, possibly even for gold. But in the end, the National Team came back home depressed and humiliated. The minimum goal set for them was to gain a berth for the 2006 World Championship. The last ticket available was given to the team finishing in sixth place – which they somehow managed to lose out on in the semifinal game (for 5th to 8th place) against Slovenia.  Before that, in the quarterfinal against Spain, two of Croatia’s key players (Mario Kasun and Zoran Planinic) were injured which spelled the beginning of the end. To be honest, it can be said that between 1993 (the year the late Drazen Petrovic was killed in car accident) and 2005, the Croatian team has never been 100 % ready and healthy.  The best Croatian players who played in the NBA and Europe in those years like Kukoc, Vrankovic, Radja and Komazec skipped European tournaments and Croatia was forced to rely on the younger generations. Kukoc tried to help and make it easier for the youngsters by coming back for EuroBasket 1999, but it just didn’t work out. They did win a great game against eventual title winner, Italy, but that was about all Croatia had to offer.

Best Individual Performance/Best Player of All-Time
There is no doubt the best in history is Drazen Petrovic. But Petrovic would never play for Croatia at a EuroBasket. After helping his team qualify for EuroBasket 1993 with a performance that included 46 points against Estonia, Petrovic was travelling through Germany when his car hit a truck which had crashed through the highway median.  Just a few months shy of his 29th birthday, Drazen Petrovic died and left the entire basketball world in mourning.

In the absence of Petrovic it’s fair to say that the best Croatian player at EuroBasket was Dino Radja, who always played 100% when wearing a Croatian uniform and was one of the key players when Croatia won those two bronze medals. You may be asking, well how about Toni Kukoc? Kukoc played a limited role for Croatia over the years, tending to decline playing at EuroBasket.

Scouting report
With Jasmin Repesa on the bench, one thing is for sure: you can expect aggressive defense for 40 minutes and battling on the court for every loose ball. This team doesn’t have a superstar like the late Petrovic or Kukoc. Players that can almost single-handedly lead the team to victory, so it’s pretty sure that all 12 players selected will have a role and a chance to be on the floor. Repesa is known as a coach who scouts every detail of his opponent so expect him to always have some tricks up his sleeve. In the qualifying round Croatia played a controlled game with long offensive sets, lots of passing, and a real team-oriented mentality. Latvia managed just 56 points, Denmark 67, and Estonia only 47 against the Croatians. In the last game against Estonia, Croatia lost 78-77 but only because they played without some key players.

Prediction
With Gordan Giricek and Nikola Vujcic on the roster, Croatia could have a good chance to fight for a medal. But if both players, as it seems they will, choose to skip EuroBasket, the hope will have to be to rely on Repesa and his warrior style of play. Will that be enough do reach at least the quarter-finals?  However, they do have a goal and that is a spot in the 2008 Olympics.  Though the Croatians look like they will almost certainly be working short handed anything less then Olympic qualification will be considered a disaster. Despite the great potential of the players in the roster, fans have been used to dark scenarios like this one. Maybe it’s time for some more optimistic expectations and to have faith in Repesa and his squad.

Likely Squad
Marko Popovic and Zoran Planinic are both 25 years old, while Mario Kasun is just two years older. So the three most potent Croatian players are all in their prime. Planinic and Kasun are really hungry for playing time because they didn’t see much of it in NBA or Liga ACB during the past few seasons. The biggest problem remains at the shooting guard position where there is no high level substitute for Giricek. That could be Marko Tomas, Branimir Longin or Marino Bazdaric, but will that be enough to compete with the best?