SLO – Erazem Lorbek out for Slovenia but Pipan optimistic

LJUBLJANA (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Slovenia will be without their Lottomatica Roma center Erazem Lorbek for this summer at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Greece.

Lorbek, one of the keys to their great run to the quarter-finals at last year’s EuroBasket where they eventually finished seventh to stay alive in the hunt for a place at the Beijing Games, was left off the 14-man preliminary squad announced by national team coach Ales Pipan on Thursday.

“Erazem is tired,” Pipan said. “His season still hasn't finished and he has some back problems.

“Erazem will be without a contract at Roma and he may even leave the club.

“He said he will maybe go to the USA during the summer and play for Indiana in the NBA summer league and perhaps get a contract there.”

Pipan will also be without NBA players Primoz Brezec, Beno Udrih and Bostjan Nachbar again, while Sani Becirovic is back in the fold after taking last summer off to rest his knee.

Lorbek’s absence places more importance on Uros Slokar, who showed signs of being a major contributor last year with his fighting qualities underneath and the basket and his ability to step outside and shoot jump shots.

Pipan, despite the loss of Lorbek, is optimistic.

“The criteria for participating was simple: the players who showed the best displays in the last season and are ready to give everything for Slovenia at this moment are here with us,” he said.

“The spine of the team is the same as in Spain. We will give it our best and hopefully that will be enough.

“The goal is to get among the three best teams and qualify for the Bejing Olympic Games.”

Slovenia are in Group C with Canada and Korea, and should they finish in the top two, Pipan’s team will take on Croatia, Puerto Rico or Cameroon in the quarter-finals.

The sides that reach the final, and the winner of the third-place game, advance to China.

Goran Dragic, the point guard who shone for Slovenia on numerous occasions in Spain, said: “We will do everything to reach the Olympic Games.

“If we play like we did in some games in Spain, we will go to Beijing. Our mission is now to train as hard as possible to be as well prepared as possible.”

Forward Goran Jagodnik, who was in last year’s team and had a prominent role, is in the 14-man group but he is still not fully recovered from a knee injury that he suffered this season while playing for Hemofarm.

“I am on the list, but I am aware that I will not be fully ready when the team preparation starts, but I will try to do my best,” he said.

“Our goal is clear – to reach the Olympic Games. If we have a bit more luck than we had in Spain, it is very possible for us to go there.”

Power forward Matjaz Smodis, center Rasho Nesterovic and guard Jaka Lakovic will be the leaders of the team after their performances last year.

Smodis has just won a Euroleague and Russia Superleague double with CSKA Moscow while Nesterovic, the Slovenia captain, had a strong season with Toronto. Lakovic has been excellent with Barcelona, helping them reach the finals of the ACB play-offs.

Because they are NBA players, some might have thought the team would have been strengthened with Nachbar and Udrih.

“Brezec said he wouldn't play even before I had to decide, while Beno Udrih and Nachbar would like to play, but looking at the circumstances, it was not really possible,” Pipan said.

“They are both free agents and because they can only sign contracts after July 1, they are worried about suffering an injury before then, as that would mean big problems for them.

“Because they are out of contract, we also can't insure them…”

Lorbek’s younger brother, Domen, who played last summer, is also included.

Because Slovenia can only take one naturalized player, either Aleksandar Capin or Emir Preldzic will be cut.

Capin originally hails from Serbia, Preldzic from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Slovenia preliminary squad: Sani Becirovic, Aleksandar Capin, Goran Dragic, Nebojsa Joksimovic, Jaka Klobucar, Jaka Lakovic; Domen Lorbek, Goran Jagodnik, Emir Preldzic; Radoslav Nesterovic, Uros Slokar, Matjaz Smodis, Gasper Vidmar, Miha Zupan.

On stand-by: Sandi Cebular, Samo Udrih, Zeljko Zagorac.

FIBA