ATHENS (Greece) - Consider them the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament specialists. Croatia already booked their Olympic ticket in events like these back in 2008 and 2016, with the former happening in Athens, albeit in the OAKA arena, not the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus.
The heroes from 2008 are all retired, and most of the 2016 team is long gone, too. But Mario Hezonja and Dario Saric are back for another run, ready to lead this new generation of Croatian players back to the global stage.
The Roster
Mario Hezonja is making all the headlines everywhere he shows up, and this summer is no different. The sharpshooting forward is the biggest star on this roster, coach Josip Sesar will hand him the reins in similar fashion to last summer, when Hezonja led the charge at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament which Croatia won in Türkiye.
Dario Saric is right next to him, already a 30-year-old, and the Golden State Warrior is easily the most beloved figure in this locker room. Ivica Zubac is adding more star power in the middle, firmly in his prime, coming off a fine season with the LA Clippers in the NBA.
Jaleen Smith will provide the backbone of the offense in the backcourt, with another 2016 team member making his return. Filip Kruslin is 35 now, and established himself as one of the best 3&D specialists in the Italian League over the past four seasons with Dinamo BDS Sassari.
The rest of the names are well known in the Adriatic League circuit, and have no issues in leaving their egos outside of the locker room and putting their bodies on the line.
The Question
Is there life beyond Bojan Bogdanovic? For the past 14 years, he has been the leader for Croatia, and without him in the lineup somebody needs to make up for all the points he was scoring day in, day out.
He was the top scorer of the 2016 Olympics with 25.3 points per game. Losing such a talisman figure to an injury could be a gigantic blow for Croatia.
The Hope
These guys know how to win a FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In 2008, Greece hosted the event, and Croatia weren't exactly the talk of the town with a rather young roster revolving around Marko Tomas, Marko Popovic, Zoran Planinic and Roko Ukic. But, with a bit of help from veterans Niksa Prkacin and Sandro Nicevic, and thanks to Jasmin Repesa's elite coaching, Croatia stunned Dirk Nowitzki and Germany to reach the Beijing Olympics.
Fast forward to 2016, the scenery was pretty similar. Croatia came in as underdogs, but edged out Greece and Italy to fly to Brazil, where they reached the Quarter-Finals and finished fifth at the Olympics.
They did lose out in 2021 as hosts of this event, but this feels much more like 2008 and 2016, as not a lot of people see Croatia stealing the show in Piraeus in 2024.
The Fear
That aforementioned run in 2016 was actually the last global event Croatia played. They have loads of FIBA EuroBasket experience, but in a short tournament such as this, the way they adjust to different styles of basketball could prove crucial to their chances. Eight years without a global event appearance could be troubling.
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