By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
It’s one of the biggest “What Ifs” in the post-1990 history of European Basketball. A looming question that has teased the brains of basketball scholars, coaches, journalists, and fans.
How would Yugoslavia fare in international competitions if not for the country’s breakup back in the early 90s? What form and shape would such a team possess? And how would its roster be compiled when picking from an enormous pool of sensational basketball talents?
What would a EuroBasket 2017 Yugoslavian national team look like?
The ingredients are all of gourmet-quality and if we stirred them in a pot we’d probably create a dish that looks deliciously unbeatable. At least on paper.
(I take this moment to confess that I might be a little biased on this since I already considered a fully manned Serbia the indisputable favorite for the gold in the EuroBasket).
The list excludes, of course, the many absent players of Serbia (Milos Teodosic, Nemanja Bjelica, Marko Simonovic, Stefan Markovic, Nikola Jokic, Nikola Kalinic, Nemanja Nedovic) and Croatia (Ante Zizic, Ivica Zubac, Mario Hezonja) that could potentially own a spot in this glittering squad.
(Photo credit: FIBA.basketball)
Goran Dragic – Slovenia
Team record: 5-0
Tournament Stats: 24.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game.
Remember that episode 4 in the latest Game of Thrones season? Where Drogon makes a flambe out of Lannister army with sheer flesh-melting force?
That’s a pretty accurate picture of Goran Dragic’s actions in the EuroBasket so far where Slovenians closed the first round with a perfect 5-0 record.
Small wonder. It’s the “Dragon’s” last tourney with his country’s national team and he wants to go out with a serious bang. His performances so far have been nothing less than a powerful statement of his burning desire to lead Slovenia to the podium for the first time ever.
The Miami Heat guard entered the tournament setting a new international career-high and has been virtually unstoppable ever since. The real test is at hand of course with the knockout phase starting tomorrow.