KOPER (Slovenia) - The winners of FIBA EuroBasket 2017 are back for another shot at gold. Slovenia earned a dramatic win over Portugal on Gameday 4 were able to advance to the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Final Round.
They went 9-0 seven years ago to claim their maiden title in this competition, introducing the rest of the continent to a young superstar called Luka Doncic. They looked to make it back-to-back titles in 2022, but were upset by Poland in the Quarter-Finals in Germany.
Under coach Aleksander Sekulic, they entered the November 2024 window at 2-0, but lost their first matchup on the road in Portugal. The Portuguese almost made it a sweep over Slovenia in Koper, but Jaka Blazic and Klemen Prepelic inspired a comeback to send Slovenia to 3-1 and straight towards the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Final Round,
Their spot was confirmed following Israel's second victory over Ukraine.
How they qualified
Gameday 1: SLO 87-73 UKR Gameday 2: SLO 88-79 ISR Gameday 3: POR 82-74 SLO Gameday 4: SLO 83-82 POR
Remaining fixtures
Gameday 5: UKR vs SLO Gameday 6: ISR vs SLO
Qualifiers heroes
Coach Sekulic always knows he can rely on his experienced core to guide the ship home. Klemen Prepelic averaged 24.7 points per game heading into Gameday 4, and then eclipsed it when it was needed the most, getting 31 points including the game winning free throws at home against Portugal.
Jaka Blazic was also a double digit scorer in all four games for Slovenia, and the second half against Portugal in Koper looked like prime Jaka was back - the 34-year-old went for 15 points, all in the second half, and also had 8 rebounds and 2 steals.
Leon Stergar was the only other player to appear in all four games, and the November 2024 window brought some new faces to the lineup. The 18-year-old guard Mark Padjen looked impressive in his first two games for the national team, while 22-year-olds Ziga Daneu and Luka Scuka could be the frontcourt tandem for another decade or so for Slovenia.
History
While the 2017 run remain one of the most impressive of all time in FIBA EuroBasket history, it wasn't the only time Slovenia reached the knockout stages of this competition.
They were fourth back in 2009, losing the Semi-Finals to Serbia in overtime, and the Third-Place Game by a single point to Greece. Slovenia were also fifth at home in 2013, and have a pair of sixth place finishes, including in the last edition in 2022.
Champions: 2017
Tickets
FIBA