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Foreign Exchange Students- Behind the Scenes

Foreign Exchange Students- Behind the Scenes
Mar 02, 2006, 02:50 am
The interviews conducted for our recent “Foreign Exchange Students” article, with ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, and Oregon State and Indiana players Sasa Cuic and Cem Dinc.

Fran Fraschilla-

Fraschilla was an NCAA coach for 23 years, the head coach at Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico. An advanced scout for the NY Knicks; Color commentator for ESPN and writer for ESPN.com. Covered and coached at the unofficial NBA pre-draft camp in Treviso, Italy, organized by Reebok and one of Fran’s players at Manhattan, Pete Philo (now the International Scouting Coordinator for the Minnesota Timberwolves).

DX: When you were scouting and recruiting international players as an NCAA coach, what were some specific things you would look for that would hopefully translate to the NCAA system?

FF: First of all, most of the International kids are already mature beyond their years. So from a mental standpoint they appreciate, rather than complain about college cafeteria food, they think its Morton’s Steakhouse. They’re just appreciative of the things they have when they come to the States. They just appreciate the opportunity to get a free education, three meals a day, and a nice dormitory. They come over more mentally ready than an 18 year old American high school player who’s been for the most part pampered. So they get an edge from a mental standpoint, and then obviously, they also come over more fundamentally sound than the average 18 year old college freshman.

DX: So do you think that even guys like Lorbek, Kleiza or Drejer would have considered things the same way, just really appreciate of the opportunity, or maybe they would have expected a bit more?

FF: I don’t know…That’s what I’m not sure about. I think there are cases where some of those kids that knew they were highly sought after by the professional clubs…I think there is a segment of the international population that comes over with that same sense of entitlement that the top 25 high school/AAU influenced players comes over with.

DX: Especially since…always in the back of their mind they think to themselves “well I have a 100,000 dollar, 200,000 dollar contract waiting for me if this doesn’t work out, so why do I need to go to my Calc 1 class or run suicides?

FF: Tony Parker’s brother was the same way, and then you see a youngster like Vedran Vukusic [teammate at Northwestern]…I’ve been told that there are hundreds of players like Vukusic in the former Yugoslavia. Maybe for one reason or another they aren’t quite good enough to be signed by a top club, and that’s why they decide to utilize the opportunity to come get a college education and see America. Those types of players seem to be more appreciative than the highly sought after youngster that has the choice of coming to a big school in the States or signing with a top club in Europe. For every Lorbek and Drejer, there are 50 kids like Vukusic, or Ivan Radenovic…that flourishes in the American college system. And when they do flourish, they flourish because of the maturity and because of their skill level, fundamental approach to the game and their work ethic.

DX: So what do you think an international player should look for he’s trying to choose a program or choose a coach? It seems like sometimes it’s just not a good fit, because they don’t know what they are getting into. Lorbek for example, I don’t really know if he did his research, because when I talked to him he said the main reason he left was because he couldn’t put up with Tom Izzo, he was a hardass apparently, he didn’t want to deal with that. He didn’t want to be a back to the basket center, and he really wasn’t getting the playing time that he thought he might have deserved. So how do you think an international player should go about picking a program?

FF: I think they need to number one figure out what their weaknesses are. We have the opportunity at the college level to do individual instruction and strength and conditioning training for the 9 months of the school year. I think that international players should explore a program where he is going to get better because the coach is going to push him and make him work hard, and also go to a place that is going to help him improve on his weaknesses. There are some programs in college that spend more time lifting weights than they do with individual instruction. Maybe there is a guy that is a tweener 4 slash 3 man who wants to become a perimeter player, well go to somewhere where you’ll be able to work on your perimeter skills. Investigate who the other players are in the program and where they fit in compared to you. If you are post player, don’t go to a place that already has 4 post players. UNLESS that coach has a reputation for developing post players, and you are willing to wait until there is some turnover in the program. From my experience I’ve also seen that a lot of the international kids can handle the tough love approach, the Serbian and Croatian kids for example, they’ve been coached hard, so they are used to that. Where as other players may have to be coddled somewhat. So I think you need to educate yourself about the kind of coach you are going to play for, what is his personality, and how will you fit in with that personality.

DX: But how do you do that?

FF: Obviously you can do your research, sometimes on the internet. But, heh, kids even in America get fooled by coaches. And a lot of times it’s just hit and miss Jonathan as you know.

DX: Yep, with Bogut for example. If Majerus didn’t leave midway through and all of a sudden they get Giacoletti and that new offense in his sophomore year, who knows what would have happened?

FF: No question about it. As you know, Ray’s got another kid coming over from France, Kim Tillie, 6-9 kid from Paris Racing Basket. He’s ridiculously athletic, but still raw, and I know that Ray spent a lot of time getting to know Tillie and his family. He developed a relationship with them that hopefully will translate into a positive experience for the young man when he comes to Utah.

The other thing I would do if I was an international kid, don’t pick a school unless the head coach comes to visit you. Makes a special trip to come see you and your family. So before you leave for the United States, you’ve already established a relationship with that head coach and your family has as well. Don’t rely on an assistant coach coming over to visit you and telling you how good the head coach is. Get a feel for the coach’s personality in person.

DX: But do you have time to do that? During the summer when you have so much AAU basketball to watch, and so many things that you need to take care of within your program, do you really have time to go spend a week in Croatia?

FF: You make time. Do you think it was worth it that Ray Giacoletti got on that 20 hour flight to Australia to spend about half a day with the Boguts and then get on a plane and come back?

DX: I think so, I think it worked out OK for him.

FF: I think it’s a two way street. The coaching staff needs to find out the type of player and person they are recruiting and the young man needs to know that there is a commitment to him because of the fact that the coaching staff went out of their way to go see him. And I think the other thing I would do if I was a youngster in international play is I wouldn’t be wowed by the fact that a major program that he maybe has heard about or read about on the internet is recruiting him. In other words I think it’s just as important for international cats to find the right fit rather than to pick the biggest school. Lorbek is a good example. You look at him play now and he is the prototypical inside-out four man. And if he had to make a decision over again, he might want to play in a situation that would utilize his ability to shoot 3’s, allow him to step away from the basket and maybe fill the high post at the end of the break and shoot the top of the key 3-point shot without getting a dirty look after he shot it cause it was a quick shot.

DX: We were talking between us about this. So what do you think are the best conferences that really suit an international player the best? I know that every conference has its own teams that play different styles, but is there a best conference for an international style of play?

FF: Oh, I think it’s like picking your favorite flavor of ice cream. Every conference has a variety of styles. Conferences to me come in when it comes to the level of competition, but where you fit in and where you will improve has more to do with the particular program and its coach. For example look at TJ Parker. He was a good Big 10 player, and he probably would have been a dominant player at let’s say a Missouri Valley school, but that wouldn’t have interested him. Or maybe a school like Manhattan in New York where he’d be close enough to be able to hop on a 6 hour flight and be in Paris to visit his family, and be a dominant player at that level. In his case he played in a system that may have hindered him because of that Princeton style he was in. I’m sure it wasn’t exciting for him to play in 50 point games even though his coach is an excellent coach.

DX: But then it works out for Ilian Evtimov and Engin Atsur at NC State, which plays a bit of a similar style with the Princeton offense although not exactly the same.

FF: I know, and that’s the interesting thing about it, which is exactly the point. It’s not all about conferences as much as it’s about coaching styles and styles of play. But the conferences come in when we are talking about the level of play. Evtimov and Atsur are the perfect examples, since they are ideal for that style. They handle it, pass it, shoot it; their lack of quickness is not as exposed as much at NC State and their skill level if perfect for them in that offense.

DX: Last question for you Fran. So what do you think are the main factors that ultimately decide whether an International player is successful in the NCAA or not?

FF: Picking the right level of competition, with the right style of play, and the right coach’s personality for that particular player. And it’s not all that much different actually than a high school or junior college player picking an NCAA team.

DX: Who do you think are some of the better examples of success stories that we are seeing in the NCAA right now?

FF: Here’s a perfect example: Johannes Herber at West Virginia. I mean, you couldn’t come up with a better system for him.

DX: It’s funny since we were talking about this, and it seems like West Virginia is just the PERFECT school for a European player to thrive in. How many Kevin Pittsnogle’s are there in Europe right now?

FF: Well you’re preaching to the choir because I coached against John Belien for four years when I was at Manhattan. And from a perspective of offensive basketball, I don’t want to say that he is a genius, but he is as good an offensive coach as there is in the NCAA. And what he does so well is adjust his system to his player’s strengths. It’s not the Princeton offense, this is a system that he developed himself, there are some Princeton tendencies to it, but it’s an offense that is entirely unique to his team. And yes, there are many European players that could play the role that Pittsnogle is playing in his offense right now.




Aaron Bruce

Aaron Bruce is the starting point guard for Baylor, playing in the Big 12. He is an accomplished player both on the NCAA and International level, being one of the best freshman in the country last year and a regular fixture on the various Australian national teams.

DX: What factors went into your decision making when choosing to play for Baylor rather than continue in Australia or going to Europe?

AB: My ultimate goal of playing in the NBA was what made my decision clearer, the NCAA is the best platform to lead young players into the NBA.

DX: What were your expectations of playing NCAA basketball?

AB: I knew people would not know a lot about me so I had reasonably high expectations for my first year, I was fortunate to have a lot of international experience and I feel that really helped me out.

DX: How do you think the competition in the NCAA compares to the NBL?

AB: I would be naive to say the NCAA is better because I have never played in the NBL. There are obviously outstanding players in both leagues. I guess one argument would be that more NBA players come out of college than the NBL.

DX: Did you ever consider playing in the NBL? What about playing in Europe?

AB: I though about it shortly. Pro leagues are always going to be there, I’m in no rush so I thought that college would fulfill all of my needs and give me time to learn, develop and grow as a player and person.

DX: Do you ever hear through the grapevine about teams from Europe wanting to offer you a contract?

AB: You always hear stuff through coaches who "know people" but you never know what really to believe and what to disregard. The NCAA was a sure thing and a solid opportunity and I am very happy with the decision to go and stay in school.

DX: Do you think there is more pressure for guys like yourself and Daniel Kickert being under the microscope of college basketball and NBA scouts as opposed to Brad Newley and Steve Markovic who play in the NBL?

AB: Yes and no, I think it’s an advantage for us to be on display and in front of their eyes all the time. They see us at our best and worst so it gives them a very good insight to the type of people they are getting. You’re never in a situation where you're thinking, "do you think someone saw that game?" or "do I need to do more".

DX: What other colleges were you looking at besides Baylor? Any reason you
chose them in particular?

AB: At the time I signed I was talking to UCLA, UC Irvine, New Mexico, and Arizona. I made my decision to go to Baylor because the situation was laid out to me clearest and I was sure about what my role was going to be within the team. I loved the coaches’ attitudes and direction they had and now have the program pointing.

DX: Were you aware of the harsh penalties Baylor would be facing before you
made your decision to go to school there?

AB: I was aware, Coach Drew was completely honest and laid everything out in front of me. He said he was staring a re-building process and that he wanted me by his side and that was all he needed to say. I really appreciated his genuineness and honesty.

DX: If I'm a talented Australian prospect player fresh from the AIS, where do
you think I should play? Europe, NBL or NCAA? If you think I should come play in the U.S, what advice would you give me about playing college basketball and choosing a team?

AB: I have been very happy with the choice I made. The NCAA has been a great experience for me and a number of my friends who play ball. In choosing a college you need to ask a lot of questions and be very sure of what your role on the team will be. You want to go somewhere to PLAY not to watch.

DX: With the success of guys like yourself and Andrew Bogut, do you think
more Australians will choose to play come over here and play college basketball?

AB: I definitely think so, I would hope so for their sake. I think the college years are the years U.S kids usually separate themselves from the rest of the world. That is largely due to the competition. College basketball is a great learning and development platform. Any kid trying to be a professional should definitely think about getting themselves into a good college program.




Cem Dinc

Cem Dinc is a 6-11 freshman at Indiana University. Dinc is a native of Turkey who has played in Germany as well as at prep school in the United States before committing to Indiana. Dinc was a member of the Turkish senior national team that prepared for the 2005 Eurobasket tournament in Belgrade.

DX: What were your expectations of playing NCAA basketball before you signed with Indiana?

CD: I came to America to play in the best conference in the USA in front of enthusiastic crowds and with and against some of the best young talent in the USA.

DX: What made you decide to come to the United States and play college basketball as opposed to staying overseas and making some money?

CD: I knew that I could play professionally in Europe without any problems. However my dream was to come to America and prepare myself to play against the best players in the world and in the best league (NBA) in the world. I will eventually make money as it is my goal to play in the NBA.

DX: Why did you choose Indiana? What factors lead to your decision?

CD: Well, I chose Indiana primarily after my visit and upon consultation with the Turkish Men’s National Team’s head coach Bogdan Tanjevic. He coached Mike Davis when Coach Davis was active as a player in Italy and he recommended that I should so play for Coach Davis. Also Coach Davis spoke with my father and convinced him that I should come to Indiana.

DX: Have things worked out the way you thought they would so far?

CD: Not exactly as I wished they would. However it has been a great experience to come to America. I learned very much, not only basketball-wise. I can truly feel that I grew as a person. Staying away so far from home has made me more mature and much stronger mentally. Overall my only complaint has been a few nagging injuries which definitely slowed my progress a little bit. But now that I’m back on the court I feel good and much better than before. I am in a great mood and a great shape.

DX: Are you ever worried that by playing in the NCAA you are allowing your game to be picked apart by scouts, where there might not be as much pressure and expectations playing overseas?

CD: Absolutely not. I never worry about being exposed because I would wish that all the NBA teams could see me. I wish they could see my length and my versatility. I am virtually a 6-11 player that can play the off guard and small forward positions as well as I am considered to be very athletic for a 6-11 European player. Even my teammate Marco Killingsworth says that I should be a very high draft pick if I should enter the Draft.

DX: Do you get calls from teams in Europe through your network of people offering you contracts?

CD: I always get offers from different people telling me that I could be on different teams in Europe that play in the Euroleague. However as I said before, my first objective is to play in the NBA where I hope my skills will be greatly desired.

DX: You have roots in both Turkey and Germany and have played in both countries. Obviously Turkey has a strong basketball tradition with strong leagues, but what is your impression of the German leagues? Do you think German players would be better suited developing their skills playing college basketball?

CD: That is essentially a tough question – the German Professional League has a large number of great players. The German League has some high level teams that play in it. In my opinion it would be very helpful for some players to develop their basketball skills playing college ball in the USA. For example, look at Joe Herber of West Virginia University. However every player has to be looked at as an individual and for Dirk Nowitzki it has been the best thing to stay in Germany and take advantage of the opportunities he had.

DX: Do you feel that the coaching staff is doing enough individual work with you to try and make you a better player?

CD: Yes, the coaches here at Indiana are excellent teachers of the game and they spend a lot of time with all the players on their individual skills. They have definitely helped me to expand my game. Now I am both inside and outside player. In addition to this I spend many, many hours working to develop my skills on my own.

DX: Do you ever wish you choose a smaller school where you would get consistent playing time?

CD: No, I am very happy to play here at Indiana. However the other universities that I contemplated were North Carolina, Georgia Tech and few other schools in the ACC and the Big East.

DX: You played on the Turkish national team with some young prospects who have already been drafted by NBA teams (Cenk Akyol and Ersan Ilyasova). Do you think it was a little easier for those guys to get drafted because they didn’t play college basketball, or do you think they may have even been drafted higher of they came to the united States and proved they could play well in college basketball?

CD: I must say that is a very difficult question but I do appreciate the opinion that sometimes it is better to approach the NBA from Europe. It also comes down to what your advisors suggest. But there is no guarantee that playing college basketball will necessarily improve your chance to be drafted.

DX: What is it like dealing with the language barrier? Do you think having that head start getting familiar with the language and culture will make it easier for you if you are to reach the NBA?

CD: I have been speaking English for many, many years as well as I speak three other languages fluently. I am sure that my ability of speaking English as well as I do will help me to adopt much easier when I am playing in the NBA. I think it is a definite advantage.

DX: Do you think that 17 year old internationals would be best served taking the route you took through high school or prep school before starting to play NCAA basketball?

CD: I believe that prep school is a great help for players, who wish to get stronger and mature before playing college basketball. And of course in America players have to attend and graduate from high school before playing in college. So yes, high or prep school could be helpful also for international players. Just think of last year’s first round pick Linas Kleiza.

DX: What's going to happen with you now that Mike Davis is gone?

CD: That is a great question. I will sit with my father in Germany and my national team coach Bogdan Tanjevic and we will see how this affects me. However my ultimate goal is to continue to improve my skills so that I will be able to meet my future goal and aspirations, which are having a chance to compete in the USA and play against my idols Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett and my national team fellows Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur.




Sasa Cuic

Sasa Cuic is a 6-10 sophomore at Oregon State University. Cuic is a native of Croatia and has played on their various junior national teams, as well as in Italy and Holland at the club level.

Charlie Bury: What went into your decision when choosing to play at Oregon State?

Sasa Cuic: A former player here for Oregon State named Teo Alibegovic, he was my teammate and later on head coach in Italy. He's a General Manager now for a professional team in Bologna first division, so he always talked to me about it and then I guess the Oregon State staff asked the alumni, ex-players where they know where to recruit and stuff and he mentioned my name and that are how it started. I wasn’t recruited by any another other school besides Oregon State, I never thought about going anywhere besides Oregon State.


Charlie Bury: Before you came to America, what was your expectation of the level of play, and the competition in NCAA basketball?

Sasa Cuic: I thought it was at a very high level, maybe not as good talent wise, but more a of a physical, quicker, more athletic game. I expected that and that's what I did find, the Pac-10 was like that.

Charlie Bury: Alright Sasa lets do a hypothetical situation. I'm a 6-11 19 year old from Croatia. I have a bunch of offers from schools, big ones and small ones. I also have offers from Cibona Zagreb and KK Split for some nice money. What factors do I need to consider when picking a team?

Sasa Cuic: It goes from individual to individual. Honestly If I was offered a contract from Zagreb, which is only two and a half hours from my hometown than I would have taken it and would have been playing there right now. But for Croatian kids that have a strong sense of Nationalism and things like that, I think they would take the Cibona Zagreb offer, and there are a lot of people in the south of Croatia what would probably go to basketball club Split, just because it's the symbol of Southern Croatia. But I believe for right thing for a 19 year old in that situation would really be to come overseas, and a lot of Croatian players do. Maybe not in Division 1, but a lot end up playing in Junior Colleges.

Charlie Bury: A lot of people would say it's easier for a player to stay in Europe to get drafted because they are not under the microscope of college basketball, and there is not as much exposure. Did you ever consider that it might be tougher for you to get drafted if play college basketball than it would if you had stayed overseas?

Sasa Cuic: I did, and many people since I've been here ask me, especially lately since I've been playing very well, a lot of people tell me "well if you stayed in Europe you probably would have already been in the draft" and that kind of attitude is because European players are very highly rated right now. But my answer to that is I believe players like me combine the best of both worlds. Because when I came here I was already twenty years old so I was already a formed player. I bring the European school of basketball with fundamentals and knowledge of the game and I'm pretty fundamentally sound, and I come here and I try to improve physically, improve my conditioning, put on extra weight, and learn the American style of basketball to prepare myself for the NBA or anything that may happen. And then especially if you come back to Europe ,if you have any kind of contact with the NBA or American school of basketball you are very highly rated if you go bac. For a player that wants to go to the NBA, maybe staying in the Europe is a better way, but for a player that wants to go back to Europe and sign a big pro contract, the right way is to go to college.

Charlie Bury: What are you thinking about doing? Is the NBA in your plans or are you heading back to Europe?

Sasa Cuic: I believe the NBA. If I can play basketball at a certain level I believe I can make it to the NBA, and I'm pretty confident about my chances. But if that doesn't happen no matter what the circumstances are, I have no problem going back to Europe and playing professionally there.

Charlie Bury: You mentioned you came here to learn the American style of basketball. How much is said for playing against more athletic American players. Not to say European players are not athletic, across the board do you think that being exposed to more athletic players will help you if you go back to Europe?

Sasa Cuic: Well of course. I mean when I first came here it was kind of a shock. Everybody was fast and it was hard to get your shot up, and you have less time for decisions. Because you're right, European players that come here are not as athletically gifted as American players. I believe it helped me a lot; it made me a better player. Whether it's the NBA or playing professionally in Europe, players definitely benefit from all that.

Charlie Bury: How much of your practice time at Oregon State is spent preparing to try and win games as opposed to trying to develop the players individually? Does the coaching staff do a good job of working you individually?

Sasa Cuic: Well right now during the season you are kind of on your own. It's whether you want to go or not. I will go outside of the team environment and I will go and shoot on my own. But its not with the coach and stuff it's basically just on your own. But in the off season, there's a lot of emphasis on that part of the game, doing individual stuff and working on your fundamentals, footwork in the post and stuff like that.

Charlie Bury: What was it like dealing with the language barrier? Could you speak English before you came to Oregon State?

Sasa Cuic: Yeah I was very fluent in English when I came here. So I really didn't have the culture and language barrier when I first got here. But I'm sure for some people, even for people I know that came to division 1 it could be an issue.

Charlie Bury: What exactly is the deal with when players become ineligible? Is that a big factor? I know with Mario Kasun he had some issues and he was going to play at Gonzaga. What are the rules about ineligibility?

Sasa Cuic: Well when players turn 18, they get offered to sign a professional contract, and as soon as you do sign one and as soon as you play a certain amount of games for your professional team, no matter what competition or level it is, you get suspended for that amount of games at the college level. It could be a year, it could be three or four games, and it could be different from individual to individual. I never signed a professional contract. Never signed a contract with a professional team so that was never a big issue for me. But I understand why it would be for Mario because he played for a team in Zagreb and received money.

Charlie Bury: Does that hinder a lot of Europeans from coming over? Do a lot of people say to themselves "I really want to play college basketball but I don't want to deal with sitting out x number of games"?

Sasa Cuic: I'm sure it does. I'm sure it's a big issue. I know when I was coming over there was a chance of losing three or four games, that was kind of a big factor in my decision. But the biggest problem for European players coming to the NCAA is that you’re giving up. People have the wrong idea, even when I was coming over I was like 'why should I give up money and just go to school?' But once you're here, you're kind of taken care of. You have everything that you need. That's what European players don't really realize, they only see that once they get here. For me there was just this raw perception of what college would be like. I was thinking about getting a job. A job really isn't necessary if you're on a full scholarship

Charlie Bury:With success of players like yourself and Andrew Bogut, do you hope to set an example and get more Europeans over here?

Sasa Cuic: I hope so. I know when I left my best friend from the same hometown is now playing division one for Mercer. He followed my example. With that a lot of players from our generation from back home are thinking about going to Junior College or Division 1 or 2 schools. So with our generation, 83 and 84 is defiantly being affected by it.

Charlie Bury: The trends in the NBA draft these days seem to be going away from the workout wonder. Do you think that if guys come over and play college basketball, show they can compete at that level like your doing, are NBA scouts leaning towards taking players like that?

Sasa Cuic: I really think so. I think age limit in the NBA now is really proof of that. There is really no room for these prospects that are supposed to come out in there or for years that don't play. There are only a few people like that. There's only a few Kevin Garnetts, Kobe Bryant's and Dirk Nowitskis in the world. There's not that many. So I believe the age limit and the tendency of scouts is trending towards the older, more established players. It could be Division one basketball; it could also be players at the age of twenty two or twenty three playing at a very high level of basketball playing at a very high level of players.

Charlie Bury: Kind of like what Andreas Nocioni did with the Bulls?

Sasa Cuic: Exactly.

Charlie Bury: Have been getting calls from teams in Europe offering you contracts while you’ve been in school?

Sasa Cuic: Um..well there's always some kind of contact but nothing really specific.

Charlie Bury: So it's not really hard for you to turn down offers? Do you ever think "Damn I could be making a lot of money overseas right now?"

Sasa Cuic: It's a principle of opportunity cost. What are my benefits for the future if I give up something right now? Sure, I could go to Europe and I could make certain about of money and live at a certain level, but three or four years ahead I will have no guarantees that I will be at a position where I can improve more and more. After coming out of a Divison 1 school, your options are very open. I can always fall back on a professional team in Europe. I really wanted to see what was going on with (American Basketball) and gather as much experience as I can.

Charlie Bury: It's kind of off topic, but I wanted to ask you about the future of Croatian Basketball. What is your opinion on what happened at the Eurobasket this past summer?

Sasa Cuic: Croatia has been so close to that Semi-Final game, which automatically qualifies you for the world basketball championship. The first 6 teams from the European championship automatically qualify for the World Championship, and that's sad because there are a lot more than five good teams on the continent. Especially with forces like Germany developing now with Dirk and Spain is always there, Yugoslavia has an amazing school of basketball they produce every generation, and Italy is always there. Greece is so strong. It's very hard to be among the top five teams, for like three or four European championships in a row Croatia has lost by like 1 point. I remember the game against Turkey we were up by like 19 with five minutes to go and lost the game in overtime.

Charlie Bury: Yeah...and that last game against Spain man I don't know, it seemed like you guys kind of got screwed in my opinion

Sasa Cuic: Yeah we got screwed, but it's kind of like a thing like who is Croatia? What have we done lately to get respect from the refs and from the Eurobasket organization? Not a lot.

Charlie Bury: Thanks Sasa.

Sasa Cuic: Good talking to you

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15.3 PER
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3.2 Points
3.9 Rebounds
1.6 Assists
12.3 PER
-->
5.4 Points
1.4 Rebounds
0.4 Assists
14.4 PER
-->
15.8 Points
8.0 Rebounds
0.5 Assists
18.4 PER
-->
5.0 Points
4.0 Rebounds
0.3 Assists
17.1 PER
-->
17.6 Points
3.7 Rebounds
2.8 Assists
14.9 PER
-->

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