Hezonja turns gaze to Olympic qualifying games

ORLANDO (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Mario Hezonja claims he feels no pressure when he puts on the Croatia jersey. There is, however, a sense of duty. It's something he embraces.

The Dubrovnik-born star played for Croatia's youth teams and for the past two years, he's competed with the senior team. He turned out at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain and in 2015, Hezonja was with Croatia when his country hosted EuroBasket Group Phase games in Zagreb.

There is an extra bounce in his step when he plays international basketball. There is joy.

It's different, something more than sport, especially for our country, to be Croatian. It's something glorious, something you can't express with words. I guess you have to be Croatian to understand. - Hezonja

With that in mind, the 21-year-old small forward will play with a lot of pride and exuberance when he shows up in Turin for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT). With his rookie NBA season in Orlando in the books, he admits he is "already" looking forward to the OQT, which tips off on 4 July.

Croatia will not play until the following day against hosts Italy. They will then take on Tunisia in their other Group B game on Day 3 of the competition.

Should Croatia finish in the top two after those clashes, they would face one of the Group A sides - Greece, Mexico or Iran - in a Semi-Final. The winners of the Semi-Finals will then square off with the team that prevails advancing to the Olympics.

Saying he is "already" thinking about the possibility of the Rio de Janeiro Games, Hezonja accepts that his team is not the favorite to win the OQT based on last year's performance. The team had a disappointing EuroBasket, losing 80-59 in the Round of 16 in Lille, France, to the Czech Republic.

Mario Hezonja (CRO) and Croatia lost to the Czechs at EuroBasket 2015

It was a nightmare ending to the tournament, one that had begun well for Hezonja and his team just several days before in an 80-73 triumph over Slovenia.

"I think our people deserve that we represent them in the best way," Hezonja said to FIBA.com. The aim of bringing success to his homeland does not, he says, make him uncomfortable.

"I've never had pressure," he said, "but it's motivation to push me to a higher level. It's a joy. It's basketball, it's what I do."

What I feel is responsibility for the whole Croatian people. They really deserve it and we have to start doing something. - Hezonja

FIBA