Bogdanovic rekindles national team love affair, hopes Serbia can lock up China 2019 spot soon

SACRAMENTO (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Bogdan Bogdanovic felt back at home last month with his teammates at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers and the star guard hopes Serbia can soon lock up a World Cup spot in the next window.

Bogdanovic played for the first time in the European Qualifiers in September as Serbia went 1-1 with a 70-63 loss in Greece and a 91-65 win at home against Estonia. Those results give Serbia a 5-3 record for third place in Group L - three games behind co-leaders Germany and Greece and two wins ahead of both Israel and Georgia.

"We had a tough game in Greece and we lost by a small margin, which was a bit disappointing for us. It’s always hard to win there but we felt we could have won in Greece. They played very well and they wanted to win to get closer to qualifying, so they had an amazing game," said Bogdanovic, who collected 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals  and 2 assists against the Greeks.

In the second game in September, Serbia took care of business in rolling past Estonia at home by 26 points.

"We were able to bounce back against Estonia a couple of days later, and it was important to do so. We couldn't lose that second game in order to stay in third place in the group," said Bogdanovic, who was dealing with a physical issue and played just 3 minutes against Estonia and had 3 points and 1 rebound.

"IT FELT GOOD TO BE PLAYING WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM THIS SUMMER. IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO BE WITH THE GUYS AND PLAY IN THE SEPTEMBER WINDOW."- Bogdanovic

The 26-year-old guard loved being back with his teammates who reached the Finals of the World Cup in the 2014, the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament two years later and last year's FIBA EuroBasket.

"It felt good to be playing with the national team this summer," he said. "It was important for me to be with the guys and play in the September window. I love to be with my teammates, wearing the jersey and sharing all those moments with the fans and my fellow compatriots. We are a family and we are united. It is such a great feeling to play with my country and I am looking forward to the years to come as we have a lot of great things to achieve."

Another of the Serbian stars who made his European Qualifiers debut in September was Nemanja Bjelica, who is Bogdanovic's teammate with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA.

"He is one of the pillars of the team, one of the most experienced guys and a player that loves playing for the national team," Bogdanovic said of the 30-year-old Bjelica, who averaged 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals in the two games.

"Nemanja had two great games in September and he showed that he is super important for us. He knows how to be impactful for the team in so many ways and we all learn from him. He is an amazing team player, and he puts the team above everything. He loves to be with us and to represent his country and we were happy to have him back with us this summer. He has been playing at a very high level for so long now and I am looking forward to have him playing with me for the years to come."

Nemanja Bjelica had two big games for Serbia in the September window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers.

Bogdanovic hopes he can play with Bjelica at the 2019 World Cup in China. But first, Serbia must qualify for the global spectacle. And the next step in that journey comes later this year when Serbia play in Israel on November 30 and then host Greece on December 3.

"The goal is to secure the third spot and to qualify for next year's world tournament as soon as possible, that means in the next window," Bogdanovic said. "The game in Israel is going to be a tough one as they also want to win to keep their hopes alive to reach a spot for China 2019."

Bogdanovic is aware he might not be available for those games but he has faith in the team that will be playing in the window.

"The guys will have to play very well and give their best to get the win, so we can get closer to qualifying and push Israel and Georgia a bit away from third place," he said. "We have to keep it no matter what and qualify for China 2019. The second game at home against Greece is going to be a great test for us. We want to win both of them and qualify. There are no other options."

FIBA