Sasha Vujacic happily returned to his native land aiming to win yet another championship. Donning a Dodgers cap and a Beatles shirt, the ever-friendly Lakers player mingled with the local reporters and enthused that it feels phenomenal to be back.

After the physical fitness testing at the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana, the Slovenian national basketball team gathered in Rogla to prepare for EuroBasket that will be held in Poland from September 7-20. Clad in identical white shirts and black shorts, Sasha and his teammates faced the media last Wednesday in Hotel Rogla and did a photoshoot as well.

When Sasha agreed to play for EuroBasket, he knows that he will be joining the national team with a huge responsibility on his shoulders. There is a pressure for him to show why he spent five years with the Los Angeles Lakers and eventually became a world champion. Unfazed, Sasha said he loves the pressure.

Bearing all the lessons he learned from his five-year experience in Italy and another five years in America, Sasha is confident that they can win the gold this year. He had a very good first impression of the Slovenian team. He pointed out that it is well-organized and that the first two trainings have been great. He is optimistic that they have a quality team that could win the championships.

Sasha only knows a few of his teammates, so it is their task to be on the same page in a short period of time. Crediting his team leader in Los Angeles for a very important lesson, Sasha stressed that they have to have a mutual understanding and ultimate goal. Individual statistics will have to take a backseat. And even after losing a game, one must not blame the loss to another as success and failure are part of the team. He opined that desire and maturity must both be present in order to win.

Sasha understands, however, that while a gold medal would be great, hard work is still needed in order to achieve the highest goal. The Slovenian team has played well in the past, but Sasha insists that “good” is not enough. Being the gym rat that he is and after getting enough rest in Mexico, he is looking forward to all the hard work necessary and thinks that the first ten days will be very exciting and interesting. After all, he believes that one can not win anything without good training and fitness preparation. “Hard work always pays off,” he commented.

Sasha and the rest of the Slovenian national basketball team will undergo intensive training that will run for a stretch of at least five hours a day. Morning exercises will be conducted at an open field while afternoon practices will be held inside the halls.

The first preliminary match on August 2 will be against the Macedonians and upon his return from the PEAK NBA players tour in China, Sasha will be wearing Slovenian green jersey number six.

* Interview sources: RTV Slo, Zurnal 24, Sport1, Ekipa