By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Aleksander Sekulic is preparing to begin a new chapter after officially taking over Barcelona, while retaining his position as head coach of the Slovenian national team.
In his first interview since accepting the job, the 48-year-old told Sportklub that Barcelona did not ask him to step away from international basketball. The two sides discussed his dual role openly, although additional coordination will be required during the November and February FIBA windows.
Sekulic, who signed his contract remotely and is expected to arrive in Barcelona at the beginning of August, also revealed that the Catalan club plans to complete its reconstructed roster with two more additions.
“We are still missing a little,” Sekulic said. “I believe we will complete the roster with two more players.”
One of Barcelona’s new frontcourt pieces will be Josh Nebo, who plays internationally for Slovenia. Sekulic dismissed any suggestion of lingering resentment after the center missed last summer’s national team campaign.
“I do not want to go back to last summer. What happened, happened,” Sekulic explained. “I had a very open conversation with him at the time, during which he explained the reasons for withdrawing from the national team. He was in a very difficult position because his club had taken a clearly negative stance toward his participation with the national team. For me, the matter was closed. There are no hard feelings. Now I will have another conversation with him.”
Asked whether his position with Slovenia had been questioned during negotiations with Barcelona, Sekulic stressed that the club was aware of his commitment from the beginning.
“We discussed it openly. Barcelona obviously knows about my involvement with the national team, and they are proud of it,” he said. “I do not see any obstacle next month, when we continue the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers. The next two FIBA windows, in November and February, will be a bigger challenge, and we will have to coordinate.”
Sekulic added that Barcelona never asked him to consider leaving the Slovenian bench. He also acknowledged that coaching Luka Doncic and the national team played an important role in raising his international profile.
“It never came to that. Of course, I was not going to force the issue, but we had an open conversation,” Sekulic said. “I can honestly say that working with the Slovenian national team has greatly helped my recognition on the international stage. I also know that Slovenia is far more visible because of Luka Doncic. I am part of that story.”
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