TUZLA (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Have you seen that kid?
The point forward, or the big guard if you will, sneaky with his low dribble crossovers, deadly with his shots, both pull ups or spot ups, jersey somehow always ending up untucked, and a smile sneaking in on his face.
Of course you've seen him.
That's Edin Atic. The heart and soul of Bosnia and Herzegovina's national team. Has been for years; will be in years to come. It's difficult to explain, but when Atic scores, it makes the whole team that much more happier than when others do it.
That's exactly why the last game of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in France will be incredibly difficult for BIH.
Edin Atic will not be there. Neither will Dzanan Musa.
Both of them will attend Nihad Atic's funeral, after the devastating news that Edin's father passed away just hours after together with the team celebrating having clinched the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 ticket with a win over Cyprus in Tuzla.
"Dzanan is like Edin's brother, I allowed him to be next to Edin at the funeral," BIH coach Adis Beciragic told N1.
"Our Nihad was a man we all loved, a man who made us happy and was never in bad mood. He's in a better place now. Look after us from above, we love you," Musa wrote a message on behalf of the entire team.
All the other players wanted to be there for Edin, too, but it was impossible to arrange it with their game in France set on Monday. Bosnia and Herzegovina arrived in Orleans with 11 men, playing for all the pride in the world.
Playing together, once more.
It's been their motto throughout all the difficulties over the past few years, especially since Beciragic - also known as Aziz Bekir from his playing and coaching days in Türkiye - took over in 2022.
They had financial troubles ahead of FIBA EuroBasket 2022; they stuck together and were desperately unlucky not to make the Round of 16 in a loaded group with Slovenia, France, Germany and Lithuania.
That heartbreak only brought them closer together, setting their sights on another qualification in 2025. When Croatia defeated them by 13 in Zagreb in November 2024, one would've assumed it was going to be another dark chapter.
One would've been wrong.
Their togetherness reached the next level at the legendary Mirza Delibasic Arena, where Atic, Musa and other put on a show, scoring an incredible 110 points, blowing out Croatia by 20, claiming the head-to-head tie-breaker and getting to within one step of a spot in the main draw.
Then Musa delivered the hard truth about the circumstances of the win:
"Now I have to tell you something, the truth about this national team. Thank god we won, so I can say this: Vrabac's mom is in the hospital right now, she was literally fighting for her life, but he went out on the court, and did his best. I came from Madrid although they told me not to come. The size of Kamenjas' leg is like two balls, Gegic has a problem with his heel... We achieved an unbelievable victory. I don't need to tell you anything more about this national team. I love you Bosnia!"
You could understand if a team fell apart with all the unlucky draws, lost tie-breakers or devastating news off the court.
But not Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Every setback just brings them closer together, and with years going by, they are becoming tougher and tougher, to the point where it's almost time to start considering them unbreakable.
It's hard not to be a fan of theirs when you witness everything they've been through recently. It's not even about results, records or chasing medals. What they got in that family called the BIH national team is bigger than basketball.
That's why Bosnia and Herzegovina players are winners in our books, no matter what the scoreboard says in November, February or September.
FIBA