Croatian national basketball team head coach Tomislav Mijatović speaks to Index in a major interview about World Cup qualifiers, his career at Efes, working with great coaches, and the painful loss to Partizan.
The Croatian national basketball team, led by head coach Tomislav Mijatović (50), has been posting excellent results in the World Cup qualifiers. With a 5:1 win-loss record, they secured first place in Group E, with their only official defeat coming in overtime against the world champions, Germany. In an interview with Index.hr Sport, Mijatović discussed the challenges of leading the national team, his rich coaching career, and his ambitions.
The head coach is particularly pleased with the players' approach, who have embraced his philosophy of maximum respect for every opponent. "For a year now, I've been emphasizing that we want to take every opponent seriously, regardless of who shows up or doesn't. If we play that way, we can achieve great things. Thanks to my players for buying into that idea," Mijatović told Index.
Despite the stellar results, the coach remains grounded. "There's no euphoria with me; I'm not part of the euphoric crowd. We need to maintain stability, humility, and dedication," he added. He is especially pleased that all players are answering the call, from NBA stars like Ivica Zubac, Dario Šarić, and Mario Hezonja to those from European leagues. According to Mijatović, Jaleen Smith practically lived in Zagreb to join the national team after the season, and Krešimir Radovčić made himself available immediately after the Croatian Championship finals against Zadar.
Mijatović also touched on the growing number of young Croatian players going to American universities. "I'm not one to complain or cry about things. It's a trend in basketball that allows players to go to America and offers them unprecedented earnings," he said. As an example, he cited a player who was selected in the second round of the draft and lost five and a half million dollars per year. The coach views the NCAA as an opportunity from which the national team can benefit, as players will return to the pool of national team candidates and EuroLeague clubs after college.
Mijatović also recalled one of the most painful moments of his career, the 2010 ABA League final, when, as head coach of Cibona, he lost to Partizan on a full-court three-pointer by Dušan Kecman. "That's the only moment in my life when I thought VAR was needed. Otherwise, I'm strongly against it. Definitely one of the toughest moments," the coach admitted to Index.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes that basketball has repaid him elsewhere. With Efes, he won the EuroLeague with a running shot in the final seconds, and there were similar situations in other competitions. "I realized that in basketball, things can change in a second," Mijatović said, adding that he believes sports luck can be provoked through hard work and dedication. "Sports luck is a significant factor; it exists, and we can provoke it to turn in our favor," he stressed.
He began his coaching career at 25 as an assistant to Neven Spahija at Cibona, which was then a serious EuroLeague team. Before that, he completed an internship at an American college. Throughout his career, he has been an assistant to great coaching names, Jasmin Repeša, Velimir Perasović, Josip Vranković, Dušan Ivković, and Ergin Ataman. "I had the great privilege of working with numerous world-class coaches," he noted.
In 2010, he was supposed to take over Cibona as head coach, but he chose to go to Turkish club Efes as an assistant to Velimir Perasović. "It was a coaching and human gesture from a senior colleague that I couldn't refuse," Mijatović explained. Although he had the support of then-sports director Mihovil Nakić, there was "hesitation" in the club that led him to leave. At Efes, he became a legend, winning two EuroLeagues (2021 and 2022) and three Turkish championships.
Known as one of the best scouts in the region, Mijatović speaks modestly about that part of his career. "I wouldn't say I did anything particularly better than others. I was hardworking and dedicated to analyzing opponents and preparing teams," he said. He added that he wanted to give back ten times more than he received and didn't want to disappoint colleagues who trusted him.
The Croatian national basketball team last appeared at the World Cup in 2014, finishing 10th. The coach emphasizes that the team has enough quality to follow modern basketball trends, and he is particularly pleased with the roster's athletic attributes. They have shifted playmaking to the wings, with Hezonja, Božić, and Šarić as primary passers, while praising guards like Jaleen Smith and Mavra for their specific qualities. As head coach, Mijatović highlights the challenges of working in short microcycles where games can come down to a single point. "As a coach, you prepare for options A, B, C, sometimes even D. It's not a Nintendo or PlayStation game where you can control everything," he concluded.
