Sesar: I called Božić all the time, but previously there was no possibility for us to cooperate

The tournament in Athens showed that Croatia came off the bottom where it stayed for a while and gave everyone a breath of optimism for the future, but in order for it to remain in the bright forecasts and for progress to continue, our basketball players must play big competitions.

This is exactly why the two games against Bosnia and Herzegovina are crucial in our ambitions to qualify for the European Championship that will be played next year, and this will also influence the answers to other doubts, such as the possible long-term absence of Dario Šarica. and Ivica Zupac from the national team, if we do not qualify for the EuroBasket and if some things coincide, will it be possible Bojan Bogdanovć do a farewell tournament…

Zagreb: Media conference on the occasion of the gathering of the basketball team |

Photo: Luka Batelic/PIXSELL

Menu Josip Sesar He is not available for the first match in Zagreb, which will be played on čThursday Marija Hezonja and Danko Brankovića who have Euroleague commitments, but he got a big boost. After numerous vicissitudes and dismissals due to a painful tooth, injuries, Luka Božić (28) here for the first time in six years.

– I called Božić all the time, but until now there was no possibility for us to cooperate. What I was saying is that we don’t have the right to give up any game. Luka has its own quality and we will try to take advantage of that – coach Sesar told us.

Zadar: FavBet Premier League playoff final, 1st match: KK Zadar – KK Split |

Photo: Sime Zelic/PIXSELL

For the selected type, play ćei Luka Shamanić (24) who has played in the NBA for Spurs and Utah Jazz for the past few years, but is currently without a club after breaking up with Fenerbahce at the beginning of the season. Although there is no match anymoreć seven months, it should be of help to us.

– Shamans? I had a conversation with him this summer as well, he was without a contract and was looking for a club. He went to Fener and we did not agree that he would join the national team. Now he is in training with Cibona, I was at several training sessions and I waited until the last one to see how he felt. The agreement is that you will come to train with us and we will see how it will look and whether it will be inside.

Photo: Rob Gray/REUTERS

What condition is it in?

– When you see his body and how he acts on the floor, he’s quite a figure. It is not a question of its quality, butć physical preparation. He did not train for one period, so the question is how long he can play the game. If we see that he can do the racing part through training, then there should be no problem. Its toy quality is unquestionable, the only question is how it will feel and then the owner and I will see how to use it.

Luka Božić in recent years, he dominated in the Zadar jersey and was twice the MVP of the ABA League, but Croatia could not count on him during that period. What was the reason?

– Someone can say that it is this or that. I was in contact with him the whole time. I don’t think it was a problem in Zadar, he had a problem with his knees, it’s obvious that he has problems, which is normal for that crowd, especially in a large number of games when he played 40 minutes in Zadar. I would not dissect and look for problems, the most important thing is that he is here today, I am looking forward to him being here. We know how he plays. I followed his matches in Lleida and Zadar, we will try to find the best way for him to give what he is best at.

The Italian basketball team beat Croatia in Zagreb with a score of 80:64

Photo: Goran Stanzl/PIXSELL

Will he play the role of Dario Šari?

– He can play 2, 3, 4, attacking and defensive. We have to determine the way we will play, we did individual and team scouting, but when you are not together, there are different ideas. Stožer and I have a meeting later, we will work on how to attack BiH and how to defend.

Hezonja will not play for Croatia in the first game, but Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot count on Dzcaronan Musa either.

– We knew that from the very beginning, we were in contact with Real and Bayern, we tried to agree to let them go, but it was hard to expect that Real would let Hezonja and not Musa. For Bayern, I expected Danko Brankovi because he has reduced minutes, I thought he would come out to meet. It would be good for them too if he came – said Sesar.

It is positive that ćei Branković and Hezonja to be available to the national team for the return match in Sarajevo, which will be played on Sunday.

List of 17 games for the qualifying cycle in November: Luka Božić, Danko Branković, Filip Bundović, Dario Drežnjak, Mateo Drežnjak, Mario Hezonja, Martin Junaković, Borna Kapusta, Filip Krušlin, Krešimir Ljubičić, Roko Prkačin, Marko Ramljak , Roko Rogić, Jaleen Smith, Luka Šamanić, David Škara and Ivan Vraneš.