This weekend, Croatian basketball players qualified for the Olympic Games
Last weekend, the Croatian basketball team participated in the pre-qualification tournament for the Olympic Games, which will be held next year in the French capital, Paris. It was a good game for Croatia in this tournament, where they defeated Turkey in the final with a score of 84-71.
It was pure improvisation on the Bosphorus. Croatia dominated this round of qualifications for the Olympic Games and the pre-qualifications for Eurobasket 2025. Croatia swept the competition in both tournaments, securing qualifications for two crucial competitions.
In a way, Turkey could not play anything. Although they had NBA stars and a trophy-winning Turkish coach, Ergin Ataman, Turkey somewhat kept pace with Croatia, the Croats had the ability not to lose one of the most important matches that determined their future. Josip Sesar’s team taught the Turks a real lesson, leading by as many as 19 points at halftime.
Croatia was in a group with the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden, and with all three victories, they went to the tournament’s semi-finals, where Ukraine was waiting for them. Croatia won with a score of 85-70 and qualified for the final. It went well against the Turks. Croatia led by 19 points at halftime. The Turks came close to -7 but could not go further than that. Croatia won first place and went to the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Paris.
The tactics and persistence of Josip Sesar, the newly minted coach of KK Dinamo Zagreb, and the games provided by Dario Šarić, Mario Hezonja, and the rest of the team that was on the roster for this tournament should certainly be highlighted.
