Bosnia and Herzegovina's Kikanovic: 'It's not surprising to me that gyms are packed during World Cup Qualifiers'

MONACO (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Beating Belgium next month on home soil is vital for Bosnia and Herzegovina to stay in the hunt for a World Cup berth.

That is the opinion of Tuzla-born Elmedin Kikanovic, the Bosnia and Herzegovina center. Kikanovic played 25 minutes when the Balkan country won 81-76 over Russia in their first Qualifier in Sarajevo on November 24.

He was also in the line-up a few days later in Rouen when Bosnia and Herzegovina fell 84-65 to France.

Now comes a Belgium side that on February 23 in Sarajevo will pull out all stops to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole in Group E. After that, Bosnia and Herzegovina will play at Russia on February 25.

The Russians, who rebounded from their defeat in Sarajevo with a 76-69 come-from-behind win over the Belgians in Nizhny Novgorod, will play France in Strasbourg on February 23.

It's nice to go back home and play for our fans. They love basketball a lot and it's unbelievable for them to watch games against Russia, against France, big teams coming to our country. They're hungry and want to support us.KikanovicKikanovic

"We look at this February window as being the key for us," Kikanovic said to FIBA.basketball. "We play at home against Belgium and of course, we have a tough road game against Russia. So it will be very important to play well in February and to try and at least beat Belgium. That is our first goal."

Because Bosnia and Herzegovina didn't make it to FIBA EuroBasket 2017, they had to go through the World Cup Pre-Qualifiers under their new coach, veteran playcaller Dusko Vujosevic. Only several of the players that took part in those games over the summer were on the roster for the November Qualifiers so there was an adjustment for others. The team nevertheless found some chemistry in time to overcome Russia. Kikanovic says continuity is important.

"We have a great combination of experienced guys and younger players," he said. "But some players, including me, didn't play in the pre-qualification for the coach so for half of our team, it was the first time to be with coach Vujosevic. "It's not easy. But now, and in February, we've already played two games so from that standpoint, it will be easier."

Bosnia and Herzegovina fans crave the opportunity to see their national team

Kikanovic admitted it felt strange to link up with the national team during the club season but also said it was a huge success because of not only the victory over Russia, but because of what it meant to the fans.

"It's nice to go back home and play for our fans," he said. "They love basketball a lot and it's unbelievable for them to watch games against Russia, against France, big teams coming to our country. They're hungry and want to support us.

"They didn't have a chance to support us during the year (in the past) and most of them are at home. They can see us in November, in February, so it's easier to support us now than in July, August when they're on vacation.

"Our fans really like basketball and other sports. The whole country waits for those games for months. They love sports and it's not surprising to me that gyms are packed. They're crazy for basketball."

FIBA