Gilas group stage opponents preview: Croatia’s updated roster

A few months ago, I wrote about Gilas’ first test in the group stages of the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, and now—just a few days away from the actual thingy—the Croats have still not named their 12-man roster to the big show, still having fourteen players in their squad. There are, however, still a bunch of notable names in their line-up and now that Philippine Head Coach Chot Reyes has named his 12-man squad, we can see how the Pinoys will be matching up against their bracket-mates starting with this one.
 
Of course, this will all come with a grain of salt.
 
Gilas did not do well in their tune-up matches, but it doesn’t really look like the boys were concentrating on piling up pre-tournament wins (although the victory against Egypt was sweet). Add to that the health of some of its key players as Jayson Castro (William) and Ranidel de Ocampo are nursing “minor” injuries of their own. They’ll be ready in Seville by the time they take on Croatia, though. But the big question is, does Gilas have an outside chance of upsetting this European powerhouse?
 
Croatia was part of the former Yugoslav republic and years of political unrest and civil turmoil has split the nation into several countries, with Croatia now hogging almost the entire coastline. Their basketball heritage—albeit not as colorful as the other nations with a long line of history being older countries—is a proud one as they boast of being former Olympic silver medalists (the Dream Team’s formality in the 1992 Barcelona games) and the bronze medalists in the 1994 Worlds. They’re coming off a fourth place finish in the 2013 Eurobasket to qualify for Spain and that represents their best finish in the Euro championships since 1995 (yes, Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja were still on that team then).
 
Here’s the 14-man Crotia line-up (as of now):
 
C Luksa ANDRIC 6’8” (BC Astana – Kazakhstan)
SF Luka BABIC 6’7” (Cedevita Zagreb – Croatia)
C Miro BILAN 7’0”—or 6’12” as the FIBA website has it (Cedevita Zagreb – Croatia)
SG Bojan BOGDANOVIC* 6’8” (Brooklyn Nets –USA)
PF Mario DELAS 6’9” (Cedevita Zagreb – Croatia)
G Mario HEZONJA 6’7” (FC Barcelona Basquet – Spain)
G Oliver LAFAYETTE 6’3” (Olympiacos BC – Greece)
C Damir MARKOTA 6’10” (Bilbao Basquet – Spain)
PF Damjan RUDEZ 6’9” (Indiana Pacers – USA)
PF Dario SARIC 6’9” (Anadolu Efes – Turkey)
SG Krunoslav SIMON* 6’6” (Lokomotiv Kuban – Russia)
C Ante TOMIC 7’1”* (FC Barcelona Basquet – Spain)
PG Roko UKIC 6’2” (Cedevita Zagreb – Croatia)
C Luka Zoric 6’9”* (Fenerbahce Ülker – Turkey)
 
Head Coach: Jasmin Repesa (Cedevita Zagreb – Croatia)
 
*notable players
 
Croatia is the prototypical European team: tall with range.
 
They’re not known for their up tempo style of play, hence they naturalized Lafayette; a 30-year-old journeyman who once played for the Boston Celtics--literally once (only one game). Lafayette, a product of the University of Houston, gives the run option for the Croats, although veteran point guard Roko Ukic is still likely to start.

 
Zoric is the most consistent low post threat for this squad. He has averaged over 55% in his career and had his highlight years with Unicaja Malaga in the Spanish ACB Liga Endesa. He is a deadshot from the baseline and is a tireless worker off the boards, oftentimes leading to quick transition baskets for his team. He is, however, a slender pivot and should easily be eradicated by the bulk of Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo.
 
The Croats, though, are known for their outside shooting and the immediate names that best represent that are Bogdanovic and Simon.
 
Bogdanovic was an early prospect in his teens and was recruited in the Real Madrid fold in 2005—at the tender age of 16. Now only 25, Bogdanovic has not only refined his touch from the outside (shooting 41% from deep in his rookie year with Fenerbahce in the Euroleague) but has also grown several inches while still playing like a two-guard. Bogdanovic is actually called the European version of Paul George for his flexibility, range and tenacity.
 
Simon—perhaps the most veteran on the squad despite being only 29—is now in his third decade as a professional cager, having begun in the Croatian circuit in 1998. Simon is a volume shooter and the Croats’ first weak-side/kick-out option. He could be the Croatian equivalent of Iran’s Hamed Afagh. Simon is burly enough to penetrate against most defenses and has a quick pull-up jumper. His defense is suspect, though, and if he is matched up against someone like Gabe Norwood or has to switch off against someone like Paul Lee (Dalistan) then he could be a target of the isolation play or a high screen and roll. But on offense, he must be watched especially from the wings.
 
The Croat who could probably give Gilas its biggest challenge is Tomic.
 
Tomic is a legit 7’1” with a 7’6” wingspan and has been the cornerstone for Real Madrid’s championship runs in the ACB before being transferred to rival FC Barcelona before the start of the 2012 season.

 
The two-time ACB mythical team member is renowned for moving well without the ball and getting into the right position at just the right time; whether on post plays or for rebounding. He’s so long that a regular box out might not be enough to keep him out of the paint for offensive caroms that instantly converts to easy put backs. Tomic is also an excellent passer from the post, but prefers to be involved in motion offense as his back down dribbling is the root cause of most of his turnovers.
 
But even this slot threat has his weaknesses.
 
Tomic is not known for his free throw shooting, although his career averages show a decent 64% from the stripe. It’s when he is on the line in crucial junctures that his nerves get to him. He is also not immediately identified as a shot blocker, hence—when he was still playing for Real Madrid—he would be lifted after about four minutes as a starter and would only make a reappearance sometime in the middle of the second quarter—but, of course, Real Madrid is more of a run-and-gun squad.
 
He also has a penchant for chasing penetrators and this results in him getting into early foul trouble. Croatia has many centers they can go to if this happens, but Tomic’s shooting percentage from the field is hard to replicate—even by Zoric.
 
With all things being equal, Croatia’s weaknesses lie in their defense as Repesa—at least from what I’ve seen of him as the head coach of Unicaja Malaga—preaches offense a lot. Their lack of speed (with the exception of Lafayette, Ukic and even Bogdanovic) could help dribble-penetrators like Castro, Norwood and Lee get the first step to the hole. Blatche, Fajardo and even Japeth Aguilar and Marc Pingris should be able to grind for rebounds combat style as the Croats are not as bulky as say the players from Argentina, Lithuania or the African nations.
 
Do we have a chance against Croatia on opening day?
 
That, of course, will be up to the Gilas boys. That, of course, will also be up to us as a prayerful nation.
 
I once questioned if Blatche was the right fit for Gilas. I don’t question that anymore as he brings so much to the table and the nationals could be poised to pull off maybe even more than two world class upsets because of what Blatche provides.
 
But Croatia will be the first test. Following that will be Giannis Antetokoumpo and the Greeks.
 
Gilas versus the world…that’s what we’ve always envisioned and now we’re days away from that reality.

Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate) and email sportztackle@yahoo.com