The Croatian national basketball team is preparing in Opatija for qualifying matches against Latvia in Zadar and the Netherlands away, with the head coach emphasizing that every win is crucial for securing a spot at the World Cup in Italy.
In Opatija, the Croatian basketball team is preparing for the continuation of the World Cup qualifying cycle, and head coach Tomislav Mijatović stated in an interview with Radio Rijeka that full focus is on the upcoming match against Latvia. The team will remain in Kvarner until Thursday, followed by two qualifying games: against Latvia in Zadar and away against the Netherlands.
Mijatović emphasized that the goal in each window is clear: the next game and winning it. "In every window, we set a goal, and that is the next game and winning it. It's the same now. We will try to do everything in our power to close this window in the most positive way possible. First and foremost, all focus is on Latvia. We want to keep collecting points because we know that every win is extremely important for our ultimate goal, which is the World Cup in Italy," said the coach.
Good results from the previous qualifying cycle have raised expectations, but the Croatian coach says that's exactly what the team wants. "I said last summer that our desire is to play against the best, try to beat the best, and be in a position to compete with everyone. This team and this national team have that capacity. We will do absolutely everything to continue raising the standard we set. That's not pressure; on the contrary, we want it," Mijatović said.
Mijatović currently has 15 players at his disposal, with Jaleen Smith and Danko Branković expected to join. The coach explained that there is a broader pool he counts on. "We have a broader pool of 24, 25 players. That doesn't include our young players, whom we seriously count on for the future and who are currently in America. We have a broad pool of quality players. We want to integrate them as best and as quickly as possible, but step by step and window by window toward our goals," he said.
The first opponent will be Latvia, a team that Mijatović notes is heavily oriented around its guards. "They are a team that relies heavily on their guards, and we will need to be fully prepared for various and quick defensive changes, which we will have to adapt to well. We have our options A, B, and C, our adjustments and individual strengths, both inside and on the perimeter," said the coach.
After Latvia, there's an away game against the Netherlands, which the coach describes as a very unpleasant team, athletic and experienced. "The Netherlands is a very unpleasant team, athletic and experienced. Their playmaker is the team's top scorer and passer. We know we have two very serious games ahead. We are preparing for them, and we know that we can, want to, and must show our best face against every next opponent," Mijatović emphasized.
The coach also expects great support from Croatian fans in Zadar, recalling the fantastic atmosphere the players felt across Croatia. "Wherever we played, we felt a great and positive atmosphere from our fans, from Opatija, Zagreb to Osijek. It will be the same now in Zadar. We look forward to that atmosphere because I think our players deserve it, and the Croatian crowd has always known how to reward that," Mijatović concluded.
