Oblak: Family inspiration keeps feet on ground, Final Four dreams and Slovenia ready to strike

PRAGUE (Czech Republic) - While the surname of Teja Oblak means cloud in her native language, the Slovenian and ZVVZ USK Praha ace is renowned for keeping her feet planted firmly on the ground and appreciating her humble roots.

It's a characteristic that ensures she's a hugely popular figure in the locker room with club and country, and especially in her capacity as a leader with both. Now the guard has a crunch few months ahead of her. In fact, it is likely to be the biggest chapters of her career to date.

WHEN THAT MOMENT ARRIVES

First on the menu for Oblak is ending a long journey which will finally see her pull into the lay-by marked EuroLeague Women Final Four. It's an action which will instigate a heady cocktail of emotions, following on from when it first dawned that she would finally get to step out at the prestigious event.

She explained: "When I signed the contract with Praha, I told myself I was going to get to the EuroLeague Women Final Four, since I wanted to reach something bigger in my career.

"Right after the Fenerbahce game (in the Quarter-Finals), I actually told my teammates that I had never been to the Final Four and how I was extremely happy. Then after that, on the way back to the hotel, I had so many different feelings running through my mind.

"I started to realize that I had been through a lot of things in my career and finally, the moment I had been waiting so long for, had actually arrived."

 
While rookie Alyssa Thomas has deservedly put her name up in lights for the Czech giants, a first season wearing Praha colors has also proven highly productive for Oblak too. It has been an eye-catching campaign for the team in general, who, despite losing all of their top scorers and creators from last year, have leaned on newcomers like Thomas, Valeriane Ayayi and Oblak to fill the gap.

While many predicted a season of potential struggle after being prescribed some post roster-surgery recovery time, observers couldn't have been more wrong. Praha caught fire from the get-go and chemistry proved instant as veteran playcaller and new FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Natalia Hejkova masterminded a brilliant campaign.

 
"Our team wasn't complete until the middle of October, so I didn't really know what to expect in the first game," recalled Oblak.

"I remember when we talked about how it would be difficult to play the first two games on the road. But, looking back, I think having those games meant we could break the ice together and I quickly started to see that our game was working very well. And, with taking two early wins, we gained a lot of confidence.

 
"The most important thing is that all the girls and their heads are down to earth and I think this is a main reason why we have played so well. It looks like our coach has put some good characters together."

DAILY HAUNTING LEAVES A SLOVENIAN SCORE TO SETTLE

While things could barely have gone better in EuroLeague Women, there was one downside for Oblak being located in Prague. It was the scene of a near-famous moment for Slovenian women's basketball two years ago, when at their first ever FIBA Women's EuroBasket Final Round appearance, they almost made it to the second phase. But, a memorable win over eventual Finalists, France wasn't to be and the agony simply won't evaporate for Oblak.

"Do you know how many times since the beginning of the season I have stepped into our gym and saw the corner where I missed a three-pointer for a win against France?" she mused.

"It is a pity that we couldn't make something more at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2017. At that time, maybe we had not yet grown enough. I mean it was a very big thing for our country to be there, so we still have to be proud of it. But, I am sure that this year, it will be different."

Oblak's assessment of what is to come looks accurate. Indeed, some of the ghosts of Prague 2017 were laid to rest when Slovenia did ironically beat France during one of the Qualifiers for this year's edition. With other leading lights such as Nika Baric, Zala Frsikovec,  Eva Lisec and Shante Evans to utilize, Slovenia could be ready to make more history and make it past the initial group stage. They also won't have to travel too far either.

"I am already excited to play in Serbia and I am sure that we will have huge support from our fans - this also could be our additional weapon," insisted Oblak.

"We have a young team, but our younger players have already shown themselves and what they are capable of doing at the European youth championships.

"We know that in Slovenia we don't have that many players compared with most other countries. Yet this just means that whoever will be in our team, will know it is necessary to work and hustle hard for each other, since this is the only way we can achieve something more together."

CALLING ALL ASPIRING COMBO GUARDS

Whether it is treading the boards at the Final Round or continuing to fulfill her role impressively with Praha when it comes to the Final Four, the versatility, composure and smarts of Oblak remain her greatest strengths.

Although rather than the technical demands of switching from a primary creator to scorer, it is more the mental challenge that is the key to success, stated the player.

"It's true, I have found myself as a combo guard and I think my good thing is that I can adjust myself quickly in whatever situation, depending on what the coach wants from me - whether it is about being an organizer or being more of a scorer," she reflected.

 
"Sometimes it's difficult if you are switching positions during the game, because as a playmaker, you have to do a lot more things. But if I am playing in the two position, I always make sure that I do not switch off in my head and try to think about things like I would if I was the point guard. In basketball, we always need to use the brain and try to be smart, but of course, with confidence it's much easier."

"My advice to younger players is to always try to do things on the court which, in that moment, mean you are the best possible player. This might mean scoring, passing or just playing defense and helping your teammates. When you start to think this way, you will become a better player," stressed Oblak.

FAMILY ROOTS KEEP OBLAK STRONG AND GROUNDED

While it is not unusual for athletes and indeed people in general to take inspiration from their family, the reverence afforded by Oblak to her upbringing and the continued work ethic of those she loves dearly, is particularly absorbing. Bursting with pride, it is not necessarily her brother Jan, the first-choice goalkeeper at Atletico Madrid who is the first name on her lips.

"My parents are my role models," stated Oblak with a smile.

"I hope that when I become a parent, that my kids will be raised up in the same way that me and my brother were. They stay humble and are going to work in the same way as they did before we both had our success. They are still giving us support every single day.

"They put the thought in our minds that you never give up and you have to work hard if you want to achieve more success."

That is of course not to say that Oblak is not proud of her brother. The love and respect flows freely when she opens up about their younger days before becoming professional athletes.

 
She said: "For me and my brother, ever since childhood, everything was based around sport. I can simply say that we always believe in each other and we help each other out - just like how our parents taught us.

"I have the best memories with my brother whenever we were playing something at the playground, since both of us wanted to win so badly. But, someone had to lose and then one of us got angry," she laughed.

What is also palpable is that after years of being relentlessly asked about her so-called 'famous brother’ by anyone she meets and particularly journalists, Oblak is now regularly writing major headlines of her own.

TEJA SAVING PENALTIES AND JAN TAKING FREE THROWS?

With that in mind, it makes a nice change for her brother to be talking about her - and giving an insight into just how proud he is of what she is doing in her chosen sport of basketball.

"Our relationship now is much different than when we were growing up," declared Jan.

 
"Now we don't see each other so often, but we are always in contact and when there is an opportunity to spend some time together, we do everything to ensure that this happens.

"When we were growing up, we were always playing around, we were outside every day playing with other friends and doing all kind of sports activities. I think there is no sport we didn't do. We were really competitive, and probably because of this, we were always fighting often - but I only have good memories about our childhood."

He added: "She has everything that a professional athlete needs to be successful. She has a strong mentality and she wants to improve and be better every day. When you are thinking like that, it is impossible to not reach the goals and dreams you have.

"She also didn't have an easy way to reach the level where she is now, but she was stronger than all the problems and injuries she had. I admire her and I am really proud to be her brother," he added.

 
Of course, the real burning question is whether Teja is better at football than he is at basketball?

"That's a difficult question to answer, so probably the only way to find out is to do a tournament of some kind," laughed Oblak.

Now that would be quite something - even if it was just free throws and penalty kicks. So, can we all look forward to enjoying the highlights later this summer on social media?

Over to you guys.

FIBA