As most of you know by now, in but a few short days, Sasha will head across the Atlantic and begin his next great championship quest. No, the Lakers aren’t moving to the Spanish ACB Liga, and no, Sasha isn’t signing with Olympiakos. He will don the green and blue of his native land Slovenia in the 2009 Eurobasket Championships in hopes of adding a gold medal to his championship summer.

When the EuroBasket Tournament starts in Poland on September 7, the best and brightest young Slovenian ball players pulled from all corners of the earth will join Sasha to compete against Europe’s finest.

We all know innumerable details about our Sasha, so it seems appropriate that we meet some of his compatriots as he heads into fierce international battle.

The Slovenian National basketball team features a wealth of NBA talent, most notably, two-time NBA Champion and former San Antonio Spur Beno Udrih. In his second season with the Sacramento Kings, Udrih showed that he is an adept passer and dead-eye shooter. Phoenix Suns sophomore Goran Dragic showed growth in his Rookie season as Steve Nash’s backup.

The Slovenian squad also has some NBA alums as well. Former Bobcat and Pacer Primoz Brezec will hold down the middle, while one time Rocket and Net Bostjan Nachbar is coming off a stellar season on the wing in Turkey with Efes Pilsen.

Surprisingly, it is Sasha who is the rookie on this squad. The 2009 European Championships are his first foray into elite international play as he joins Slovenian vet and multiple Russian champion Matjaž Smodiš and four time Greek League champ and current member of FC Barcelona (who visited Staples Center last fall) Jaka Lakovič.

Many consider the Slovenian team to be a sleeper in this year’s European Championship, but with Pau Gasol’s announcement that he will play for his native Spain, the road to gold got a whole lot rougher for Sasha & company.

sashavujacic18.com is YOUR place to follow each and every step of the Slovenian National Basketball team’s journey to glory. In the coming months, we will have a full preview of the tournament and updates from Sasha himself.

Slovenia opens play on September 7 against Great Britain.