By Josh Cohen
Aug. 31, 2016
The 2016 Olympics may have already ended but for many European countries international basketball is just heating up.
While Mario Hezonja and Croatia had an impressive run to the quarterfinals in Rio, Nikola Vucevic and Montenegro hope to have their own success in the EuroBasket Qualifying Tournament.
Vucevic and his countrymen got off to a terrific start in their opener against Slovakia on Wednesday. In 19 minutes, Vucevic shot 5-of-8 from the floor and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two assists in a 97-65 victory at the Moraca Sports Centre in Podgorica.
Part of Group F, Montenegro is looking to compete in EuroBasket 2017 after failing to qualify in 2015. The first place teams from each of the seven groups along with four second-place finishers will advance to next summer’s competition.
The countries that have already earned a spot in the 2017 event include the five teams that played in the Olympics (Spain, Lithuania, Serbia, France, Croatia), the four teams that participated and lost in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Italy, Greece, Latvia, Czech Republic) and the four host nations (Finland, Romania, Israel, Turkey).
Montenegro’s round-robin field includes Slovakia, Albania and Georgia. They each play one another twice during the tournament in a home-and-away format. Montenegro’s next game is Saturday, Sept. 3 against Albania in Tirana.
Vucevic last played for his country during EuroBasket 2013. He averaged seven points and four rebounds in limited minutes.
Now, with far more professional experience, confidence and leadership abilities, Vucevic envisions a bright future for Montenegro’s national team. Since 2013’s disappointing finish, they have a new head coach, Bogdan Tanjevic, and promising talent around the Orlando Magic center.
Vucevic came into the qualifying tournament with several outstanding performances in exhibition contests. He nearly had a triple-double against Slovenia earlier this week with 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Last year with the Magic, Vucevic became a far better playmaker out of the post. He had seven games with at least five assists and averaged a career-best 2.8 dimes per game. He also shot a league-best 50.3 percent from 15-19 feet from the basket.