Sekulic: “Edra, Antetokounmpo and… not only the problems of Greece’s opponents”

The coach of Slovenia, Alexander Sekulichsees Greece as a favorite in Pre-Olympic Tournament stressing that headquarters, Antetokounmpo and roster quality give her the first reason for qualifying for the Olympic Games. The synopsis is detailed on the EEC website:

-What are the first impressions from the preparation?

“Based on the schedule it was a bit difficult to start the preparation, but when Luca came we had to… run. Everything is good in the team and we are ready for this tournament. We are in the most difficult group of all the teams.”

-How much of a motivation is it for you to qualify for the second time in a row at the Olympics?

“We had excellent performances at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It was nice experience. For us, for our country. It’s a big thing for us. We are motivated and want to be present at the Olympics again. We know it will be difficult. We have before us the match against Croatia, which we respect.”

– Is the game against Croatia a small… final?

“It is the first match in the Pre-Olympics and it is the most important. Croatia has shown what it is worth. He made it in Turkey and passed here. We know what team we have and what we have to do.”

-In what condition is Luka Doncic?

“You’ll have to ask Luca himself about that. What I know is that he wanted to come and I saw him that he is 100% ready. The national team is important to him and we never had doubts about whether he would come.”

-What are the impressions of Josh Nimbo?

“I think he’s in good shape. That’s what I’ve seen from training. It’s something we needed. We needed the height and athleticism at the ‘5’. Obviously Nimbo can give different things than Toby.”

-Slovenia is having a beautiful sporting season watching the progress of the football team in the Euro…

“I’m proud of the football team, but it’s not just them. It is also volleyball which is doing great and will compete in the Olympics. It is also the handball that will play in the biggest sports event. We have pressure after them to make it as well, but overall I’m proud.”

-A comment about the Greek National Team?

“First of all she is playing at home, at home, but that is only the first of the problems for the rest of us. The next problem is that it has Giannis Antetokounmpo, but also completeness in all positions. Players competing at the highest level of competition. But I don’t want to think about Greece now. I want to think about… Slovenia so that we have a chance to play Greece afterwards. When and if the time comes, we’ll see.”