FIBA Basketball

Basketball-lifer Cizmic out to prove Croatia can be better

SEVILLE (FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B) - Leo Cizmic has been around basketball his whole life. Now, it's that experience that he hopes to use to get Croatia back to Division A.

SEVILLE (FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B) - Leo Cizmic has been around basketball his whole life. Now, it's that experience that he hopes to use to get Croatia back to Division A at the FIBA U20 European Championship - and at least partially righting a wrong from last summer.

Cizmic and his teammates were unable to keep Croatia from being relegated at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016 - the first time in history that the storied hoops nation went down at U18 men's level.

"It felt like letting down your country and not showing the world how good of a basketball country Croatia is," said Cizmic, who averaged 9.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists as Croatia lost in the game for 13th place to Latvia. "But now we have a chance to prove that we can be much better."

For those who follow international basketball, it's unheard of that Croatia have their U18 and U20 teams at the Division B level. Cizmic can change the U20 portion of that in Oradea where Croatia are drawn into Group D with Hungary, Ireland, Kosovo, Moldova and Portugal with the top two teams reaching the Quarter-Finals.

...

"I feel that you should never underestimate any team good or bad, but I believe we are going to pass to the next stage of the competition and in the end win the whole tournament," said Cizmic, who is playing for the third time for his country after also playing at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2014. "Our objective is very clear - Division A."

The 6ft 8in (2.04m) forward said the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016 in Samsun was a learning experience.

"Every game you play you learn something new. I gained a lot of experience that will hopefully help me help the team not repeat the same mistakes we made in Turkey," Cizmic said.

Learning from past mistakes is something Cizmic has been doing his whole life in basketball since his father Teo Cizmic played a number of years professionally around Europe including Israel - which is where Leo was born in December 1998 - Turkey, Belgium and Croatia. He also played with Dejan Bodiroga and Zeljko Rebraca on the Yugoslavia national team at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 1991.

"I just followed in his footsteps since an early age," Leo says of his father. Things indeed come early for Leo - in December 2015 became the youngest player in Sevilla history to play an ACB game, three days after his 17th birthday.

...

When asked who his role models were early on, Leo answered: "Growing up you could say that my role model was basketball in general. I just loved the way the game was played and all the diversity in it."

Now, it's time for Cizmic to give back to Croatia and get the country back to Division A at U20 level after the country just missed out last summer as they lost in the 3rd Place Game to hosts Greece.

"It's very important for us because Croatian basketball has always been at the top in Europe. That's why we need to make it back to Division A not only with the U20 team but also with the U18 generation."

Cizmic's sole mindset now is righting a wrong and getting a great basketball nation back on the right track.

FIBA