Croatia poses big problem in opener

MANILA, Philippines - With five NBA draft picks and naturalized player Oliver Lafayette in harness, Croatia looms as a formidable first opponent for Gilas when the Philippines opens Group B action at the FIBA World Cup in Seville on Saturday.

Gilas hopes to use the element of surprise in pulling the rug from under the squad that took fourth place at the FIBA Eurobasket in Slovenia last year. Beyond the surprise factor, coach Chot Reyes plans to shake up Croatia with a running attack and a trapping defense. It’s a long shot to upset Croatia but nothing is impossible when the ball’s in play.

Croatia, which used to be part of Yugoslavia before the breakup in 1991, has only 11,000 licensed male basketball players and is ranked No. 16 in the world compared to No. 34 for the Philippines. At the last FIBA Eurobasket, Croatia lost its first game to Spain, 68-40, then won eight in a row before bowing to Spain once more, 92-66, in the semifinals and to Lithuania, 77-62, in the playoff for third. Croatia’s victims in the eight-game winning streak included Greece, 92-88, in double overtime, Italy, 76-68 and Finland, 88-63.

Croatia’s top gun Bojan Bogdanovic, 25, was third in Eurobasket scoring with a 17.4 clip and joined NBA veterans Tony Parker, Marc Gasol, Linas Kleiza and Goran Dragic in the mythical first team. Burly 7-2 center Ante Tomic, 28, was third in rebounding with an average of 7.2.

The five NBA draft picks in Croatia’s roster are Tomic (Utah second round, 2008), Bogdanovic (Miami second round, 2011), 6-9 Dario Saric (Orlando first round, 2014), 6-5 Roko Leni Ukic (Toronto second round, 2005) and 6-10 Damir Markota (San Antonio second round, 2006). Of the five, only Ukic and Markota have played in the NBA. Ukic, 29, played for the Raptors in 2008-09 and Milwaukee Bucks in 2009-10 while Markota, 29, averaged 1.7 points with the Bucks in 2006-07.

Bogdanovic was recently signed by the Brooklyn Nets and 6-8 Damjan Rudez has just inked a $1.1 million contract with the Indiana Pacers. Rudez, 28, was never drafted by an NBA team and is fresh from averaging 10.7 points with Zaragoza in the Spanish premier league last season.

Lafayette, 30, is a 6-2 guard from the University of Houston and takes over from previous naturalized player Dontaye Draper. Lafayette has played as an import in Mexico, Serbia, Israel, Poland, Turkey, Lithuania and Spain. He will play for Olympiacos in the Greek league this coming season. In 2009-10, Lafayette played a game for the Boston Celtics and compiled seven points, four rebounds and two assists.

Croatia’s bigs form a massive frontline with 7-2 Tomic, 6-9 Saric, 7-0 Miro Bilan, 6-10 Luksa Andric, 6-11 Luka Zoric and 6-10 Mario Delas. At the moment, coach Jasmin Repesa still has a 14-man lineup and will cut it down to 12 for the World Cup. The roster averages 26 years old and 6-8 compared to the Philippines’ 30 and 6-4.

So far, Croatia hasn’t been impressive in tune-ups, losing thrice in four outings. The losses were to France, 81-71, Serbia, 84-83 and Spain, 82-64 and the only win was over Greece, 68-66. Its final tune-up will be against Lithuania today.

Rudez is Croatia’s star on the rise. He served on the Croatia U18 and U20 teams before breaking out at the FIBA Eurobasket last year. Rudez played sparingly early in the Slovenia tournament until Repesa brought him in against Poland. He hit three triples in the 74-70 win over Poland then scored eight points in 28 minutes in a 76-74 overtime decision over Slovenia. Rudez knocked down 5-of-8 triples in firing 17 points in 23 minutes against Finland.

“It meant a lot because being on the main stage of the European Championships and playing well with my teammates, representing my country, it really boosted my confidence,” said Rudez. “I’m really satisfied with how I played and transferred some of that confidence into this season with Zaragoza.” His agent Giorgos Dimitropoulos arranged a tryout with the Pacers during the summer and Rudez made the grade, signing a three-year contract.

Rudez’s ability to hit the long ball is his trump card. In the Spanish league last season, he buried eight triples to lift Zaragoza over Valladolid, 96-68 and converted at least three treys in 13 contests, shooting at a lofty 44 percent.

Another three-point threat in Croatia’s lineup is Lafayette who buried 6-of-9 from beyond the arc in Valencia’s playoff series win over Khimki enroute to capturing the Eurocup crown. “I would love to get on the court and play with all of these great guys,” said Lafayette on his role as a naturalized player. “I know a couple of guys on the US team so that would be great. I just do whatever my team needs. Sometimes, I don’t even get the shots up at all. In the Spanish league, they needed me to be a pure point guard, to pass the ball. I mean, whatever my team needs, I’m just there to provide.”