SRB - Teodosic, Lucic to miss EuroBasket

BELGRADE (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Serbia are going to fight for a spot in the FIBA Basketball World Cup without their superstar point guard Milos Teodosic.

The CSKA Moscow playmaker still has not fully recovered from the calf injury that cut short his 2012-13 campaign with the Russian giants, so Dusan Ivkovic's squad are traveling to Slovenia for the EuroBasket without their talisman.

They will also be without the versatile Vladimir Lucic because of a back injury.

"We were waiting up until the last day to hear if there was any possibility for Lucic and Teodosic to play, could they actually join the team," Ivkovic said.

"But the last two days, we've heard only negative news.

"Lucic's back injury surprised us. It happened during the fourth week of our training camp.

"With Teodosic, it was something different, as he injured his leg in May.

"I must congratulate him (for trying to recover), despite the fact he won't play.

"We've wanted to have him in our team, our hopes were real and with a good possibility to be fulfilled, but after his visit to Russia, where a group of Russin doctors examined his leg, it was their decision that Tedososic could face huge risk (at this moment), so that he can't be allowed to play."

Ivkovic says a similar situation happened once with the former Yugoslavia, when they feared they may be without a key player at the 1998 FIBA World Championship in Greece.

"I've just spoken with Zeljko (Obradovic, now coach of Fenerbahce) and (Dejan) Bodiroga (now Vice-President of the Serbian Basketball Association), and we all agreed that this looked like 1998, when our star point guard Sasa Djordjevic, due to his knee surgery, missed the first phase and joined the team in the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals," said Ivkovic.

That Yugoslavia side was coached by Obradovic and Bodiroga was the top player in the tournament.

Djordjevic ended up being a key player as Yugoslavia finished top of the podium.

"Unfortunately, Milos didn't make it. And, I'm so sorry for him, as all of us will miss his spirit."

Yet, there was optimism in Ivkovic's voice at Sunday's press conference.

"Our team is the youngest at the EuroBasket, with average age of just 24. We are the team with most newcomers, rookies in the squad.

"We'll do our best, despite the fact that we're in a tough group, with so many quality teams, especially Lithuania, one of main contenders for gold in Slovenia. But, I'm an optimist. I believe we'll play modern basketball."

Ivkovic has had a myriad of problems with his squad, with a number of injuries afflicting the group before and during their training camp.

He had elected not to call six players who were on the team at EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania who finished eighth.

They were Milenko Tepic, Aleksandar Rasic, Ivan Paunic, Marko Keselj, Kosta Perovic and Boban Marjanovic, the 2.21m center who was the MVP of last season's Serbian Superleague.

Power forward Milan Macvan was a surprise no-show at the preparations and then Dusko Savanovic, Zoran Erceg and Novica Velickovic fell out of Ivkovic's preliminary list, due to injuries or poor health.

Another power forward, Stefan Bircevic, broke his leg at the national team training camp.

In addition to Lithuania, Serbia will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD), Latvia and Montenegro in Group B of the EuroBasket.

The team needs a top six finish to reach the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. If Spain are in the first six, then the top seven will clinch spots in next year's big event.

Serbia squad for EuroBasket 2013: Stefan Markovic, Vasilije Micic, Nemanja Nedovic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Andjusic, Nemanja Bjelica, Nikola Kalinic, Nemanja Krstic, Nenad Krstic, Rasko Katic, Vladimir Stimac and Djordje Gagic.

FIBA