April 2, 2020 - The Croatian Basketball Federation has decided to suspend all competitions and the champion will not be named this season.

HRT writes that in the next 2020/2021 season, “starting" positions from the beginning of the 2019/2020 season will be "mapped".

We fully transmit the news from the HKS website below:

“In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, following the recommendation of the Civil Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, the Board of Directors of the Croatian Basketball Federation, through an electronic session, decided to terminate all basketball competitions and end the 2019/2020 competitive season.

In the leagues run by the Croatian Basketball Federation, no champions will be declared or ranked, and in the 2020/21 season, the same clubs that played in the 2019/20 season will appear in each individual league.

The leadership of the HKS, the Competition System Commission and representatives of clubs and other basketball associations have been in daily contact in recent weeks, and after extensive consultations, a proposal for a decision was unanimously adopted by the HKS Board of Directors.

This decision may, depending on the future circumstances, instructions and recommendations of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, or in accordance with any changes made to the sporting acts, be partially modified and a timely new decision will be made.

Namely, given the apparently difficult economic situation that awaits all clubs and basketball staff, the HKS has today, on April 1, submitted a request for changes to the Law on Sport to the Central State Office for Sport and the Croatian Olympic Committee regarding the change in the competition system in extraordinary circumstances. The Law on Sport stipulates that the competition system must be adopted at least one year before the application of this system, and that all sports competitions, including basketball, have stopped. Consequently, contracts between clubs and players and other sports professionals are terminated, including coaches, physical therapists, administrative staff, and most importantly - contracts that clubs and other sports associations are funding, it is not likely that the system of competition currently in place will be respected.

"Due to the economic situation in which we will find ourselves in September or October when the leagues need to start, certain solutions have to be sought already. As the crisis has hit everyone, the same will certainly be reflected in sports. Therefore, we want to make any changes to the competition system easier and more accessible so that the basketball clubs can better prepare for the next season,” explained the core of the petition, HKS President Stojan Vrankovic.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 27, 2020 - Hajduk Split and Croatia basketball are the latest to join the Croatian humanitarian chain, which includes more and more athletes and clubs by the day.

Namely, Hajduk players and employees have decided to raise money for the needs of KBC Split, reports 24 Sata.

The humanitarian action is in the beginning phase, and details are still unknown, but it is alleged that about 250,000 kuna was raised immediately at the start of the first day, and that amount will surely increase when all club leaders, coaches, players, employees are involved.

The intention at first was to raise funds to buy one respirator and then to launch a bigger action to buy at least one more. However, because of the high demand globally and the lengthy delivery, Hajduk instead decided to raise money to be used for the needs of KBC Split.

Just last week, Hajduk employees collected all the remaining food in the closed club restaurant and donated it to the MoSt Association, which takes care of the homeless. The club also regularly responds to the actions of Split sports journalists '4N', who once a year collect donations for social services. A few months ago, a campaign involving numerous Split clubs raised 110,000 kuna.

There are also numerous individual examples at Hajduk, like player Stefan Simic who donated to the Crisis Headquarters in Supetar on Brac to combat the coronavirus in Croatia. Mayor Ivana Markovic publicly thanked him. 

Furthermore, the players and staff of the Croatia basketball team decided to raise funds collectively and paid over two million kuna to fight the coronavirus and repair damage at Petrova Hospital in Zagreb.

"We want to support the most sensitive part of the system at the moment - the health sector, so that patients and medical staff who are on the front lines of defense in this crisis are taken care of. We initiated this action with the hope that we would help in the fight against the coronavirus, as well as with the renovation and rehabilitation of the Petrova Hospital building, as well as procuring necessary apparatus, medicines, or anything assessed to be primary. Although we are not physically together at the moment, our hearts are in the same place - with Croatia and Zagreb,” said the players and the staff of the national team.

Many national team members, some of them former, as well as members of the staff, took part in the action.

GNK Dinamo also decided to help fight the coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of the Zagreb earthquake, Narod.hr reported a few days ago.

The club will donate 250,000 kuna for the reconstruction of the Zagreb Children's Disease Clinic on Klaićeva Street, which was damaged in the earthquake, as well as 250,000 kuna for the KBC Zagreb, a clinic for women's diseases and childbirths in Petrova Street, which also suffered in the devastating earthquake.

It will also allocate funds to purchase two fully-equipped ambulances, valued at half a million kuna, so the donation totals one million kuna

Follow TCN's live updates on the coronavirus crisis in Croatia.

February 24, 2020 - The Croatia basketball team beat the Netherlands away 69:59 in the second round of EuroBasket qualifications. 

It was a duel of two teams that won the first round of Group D. While Croatia celebrated at home against a weak Sweden, the Netherlands shocked Turkey with an away win.

The Croatia basketball team and the Netherlands played in qualifiers for the last World Cup in China. Croatia's defeat in the first round was the beginning of the Croatian basketball downfall. The Netherlands, on the other hand, has progressed year after year.

After desperate past qualifications, Veljko Mrsic led a team that looked good in their debut against Sweden. Croatia finally had harmony and chemistry between the players again in the locker room. The approach was right after a long time. The defense was perfect, and the attack was played fast and easy. 

The Netherlands led after the first quarter, with Croatia leading 38:35 at halftime, followed by the fall of Veljko Mršić's team in the third leg and a period in which only 9 points were scored.

In the last 10 minutes, however, Croatia rose to the occasion and eventually celebrated by 10 points. 

Croatia's most efficient player was Ukic with 14 points, Dreznjak scored 13 and Planinic scored 12. The most efficient for the Netherlands was Franke with 11 points, while Kloof and Van der Vuurts each scored 10 points.

With this victory, Croatia has made a big step towards qualifying for the EuroBasket. 

Recall, Croatia defeated Sweden 72:56 (18: 6, 23:14, 17:25, 14:11) in the first round of the Group D qualifiers for EuroBasket 2021. Turkey and Sweden are also in Group D.

EuroBasket 2021 will be held in Georgia, the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany. The three first-place teams will qualify for the EuroBasket.

Lineups

Netherlands: Charlon Kloof, Yannick Franke, Worthy de Jong, Mohamed Kherrazi, Jito Kok

Croatia: Roko Ukić, Filip Krušlin, Mateo Drežnjak, Željko Šakić, Miro Bilan

Source: Index.hr

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 19, 2020 - The Olympic qualifying tournament in Split is the last chance to fight for a spot in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Croatia national team has a slight advantage, as they will be playing in front of a home crowd.

HKS reports that one of the four Olympic qualifying basketball tournaments will be played in Split from June 23 to 28 at the Spaladium Arena. Croatia will fight against the national teams of Germany, Russia, Tunisia, Mexico and Brazil for a spot in Tokyo.

"The tournament in Split is one big event and promotion not only for basketball but for the whole of Croatia. We hope for a good atmosphere and once again thank the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Split and Split-Dalmatia County. We hope that the team will be complete and that everyone will be healthy and we can look forward to the Olympic Games. We are about to begin qualifying for the European Championships that await us in 2021. On Friday, we play against Sweden, after which we play with the Netherlands. These two games are extremely important for us. After that, we expect the HT Premier League championship finals, and then we are preparing for this tournament.”

All fans looking to cheer on Croatia in Split can purchase tickets from February 26 through system.hr.

“The Split tournament is, in my opinion, the most important event in Croatian sport in 2020, and the importance and weight are in the opponents, system and organization. FIBA has risen to a higher level of quality since EuroBasket in 2015. We recognized this tournament as a top event that has the opportunity to be played in Croatia. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister and the Government of the Republic of Croatia for recognizing this. What awaits us in Split is the ultimate spectacle for all sports fans, especially basketball. Until the tournament, we will work on the animation and promotion of basketball and take this opportunity to raise basketball to another level,” said the Secretary-General of the Croatian Basketball Federation, Josip Vranković.

Qualifying for the Olympic Games and representing their country is a dream of all athletes, which guarantees that exciting basketball awaits us in Split. The Croatia national team will have a slight advantage as they will have support from the Split stands.

‘’I hope we can show a good game in front of our home crowd on Friday and win. We expect that the Drazen Petrovic hall will be packed to the last place and that together with our fans, we will have a positive atmosphere before this last Euro qualifier against the Netherlands and before the Olympic tournament in Split in June.

When we finish these games, we will start preparing for the Split tournament, talk to all the players to get ready for the summer,” said Croatian basketball team coach Veljko Mrsic.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 24 to August 9. The Croatia basketball team has qualified for the Olympic Games four times, with the highest success being the silver medal in 1992. At the last Rio Olympics, Croatia took 5th place. The tournament in Split is an opportunity for all basketball lovers and fans to accompany their national teams on the road to the Olympics, but also to enjoy top-notch basketball. In addition to Split, other host cities are Belgrade, Kaunas and Victoria. A total of 24 teams will compete in the tournaments, with only the tournament winners going to the Olympics.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

September 19, 2019 - The Croatia basketball team has been invited to play in the Olympic qualifying tournament next year thanks to their high FIBA ranking among the non-participating European teams at the World Cup in China.

Gol.hr reports that the Croatian men's basketball team received an official invitation from FIBA on Thursday to participate in the qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics next year.

At the conclusion of the World Cup in China, where Spain triumphed, eight of the 12 participants in the Tokyo Olympics are known, while 24 national teams will compete for the final four places - that is, 16 of the top-ranked teams from the World Cup and the two best-ranked FIBA teams from each of the four regions.

Croatia won the right to play thanks to their high FIBA ranking among the non-participating European teams at the World Cup in China. Croatia is ranked 14th overall and 10th in Europe. In addition to Croatia, the current European champions Slovenia, who is ranked 16th, will also play in the Olympic qualifiers.

The national teams already confirmed for the Olympic Games include Spain and France from Europe, Argentina and the USA from the Americas, Australia and Iran from Asia and Oceania, Nigeria from Africa and Japan as the host.

The World Cup teams who will fight in the qualifications include Serbia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Greece, Russia, Germany and Turkey from Europe, Brazil, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Canada from the Americas, New Zealand from Oceania and Tunisia from Africa, and in addition to Croatia and Slovenia, Mexico and Uruguay from the Americas, Angola and Senegal from Africa and China and South Korea from Asia were also invited.

These 24 teams will be divided into four groups of six teams, and the group winners will qualify for the 2020 Olympics. 

The qualifying tournament is scheduled for June 23-30 next year.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 24 to August 9 next year.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The Croatia basketball team suffered their fourth defeat of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where the Dallas Mavericks were better with a score of 79-71 (19-17, 22-8, 20-21, 18-25).

After Croatia nearly won against the Oklahoma Magic (84:76), where they led after three quarters but failed to keep momentum in the last, they were unlucky once again in their fourth game of the NBA Summer League against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday to lose 79-71, reports Sportske Novosti on July 11, 2019.

Roko Rogić scored 15 points and six assists to lead Croatia, while Pavel Marčinkovic, Antonio Vranković, and Mateo Drežnjak scored 12 points. Shayne Whittington with 19 points and Josh Reaves with 15 were the most efficient for Dallas, who achieved three victories in Las Vegas with one defeat.

Veljko Mršić's squad has just one game left, though the name of their opponent for the consolation games of the tournament will be revealed after the group games are completed. 

After convincing defeats to Detroit Pistons (96-80) and Brooklyn Nets (74-58), in Croatia’s last two appearances, they stoutly resisted Oklahoma City Thunder (84-76) and Dallas (79-71).

In the second half, Croatia only allowed the Mavericks to score 8 points and entered into the halftime with a 16-point advantage (41-25). 

With several positive bouts in the second half, the Croatia national team surprised the NBA side, and after Željko Šakić’s three-pointer and Roko Rogić’s free throw, Dallas's advantage was reduced to only four points in the last 60 seconds of the game. Still, the Mavericks managed to finish with a series of 4-0 to avoid total uncertainty in the end. 

“Well done, boys. We played a super second half, and we also showed character. We played to the end, gave an excellent opponent a hard time, and of the teams we played against, maybe all three will finish among the top eight in the Summer League. What we said when we came here is that the goal is to find players for qualifications, and we got much more than our predictions. This is a group of players that we can only commend. Against Dallas, we played our best match," said coach Veljko Mršić after the game.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The Croatia basketball team kicked off the first day of the NBA Summer League against the Detroit Pistons. While Croatia held their own for a mostly equal match and even managed to lead by 8 points, it was Detroit to win in the end, reports HKS on July 6, 2019.

Three minutes until the end of the third quarter, coach Veljko Mršić's squad still held their own at 55:55, but the Detroit club slowly pushed their way ahead in the last quarter as Croatia grew weaker to achieve a final score of 96:80.

In any case, Croatia showed their potential and played a solid game with a strong defense. Croatia’s next game is already on July 7 at 22:00 Croatia time against the Brooklyn Nets.

The best Croatia player was Željko Šakić with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Luka Babić scored 10 points with 4 assists, Roko Badžim 9 (with 2 rebounds and 2 assists), and Marjan Čakarun and Domagoj Vuković each secured 8 points.

The most famous Detroit player and former Cedevita player Will Cherry received 13 minutes on the court,  though he did not score a single point and only managed one steal.

"It was really great, given that this was our first game here and that this league is really good. I personally thought it would be worse, but I think the first half was great. In the second half, we fell a bit, but that's the glamour and charm of all this,” Željko Šakić said immediately after the end of the game.

Coach Veljko Mršić was also pleased: "The first game after 15 days of training is behind us. In the first half, we seemed strong. Two minutes until the end of the fourth quarter, it was still equal, but after that, it was hard to maintain their better physical abilities and athleticism. However, since this was the first match and I noticed a few things during this game, I think the score is satisfactory. This is a school tour where we will see which players can respond to this game and hope that everyone will profit and in the future be better players."

Recall the NBA Summer League features all 30 NBA teams along with the national teams of Croatia and China. The preliminary round runs from July 5-11, after which the top eight teams play in a single-elimination tournament from July 13-15. The remaining 24 teams will play a consolation game on July 12 or 13. All games are held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

Croatia will play Lithuania on September 14 in Osijek.