Every Slovenian basketball fan cherishes that dreamlike Sunday evening on the 17th of September, when Slovenia's basketball team won a historic gold medal at the EuroBasket. However, the qualifications for the World Cup have seriously shaken the team's reputation. The reputation received a first serious blow after February's loss against Belarus, and what followed now were two convincing home defeats at the Stožice Arena against Spain and Montenegro, which have practically closed the door to the next Basketball World Cup in China. Even one loss in the second round of qualifications, which start in September, and in which Slovenia will face Latvia, Turkey and Ukraine, will definitely shut the door to the World Cup.

A Basketball World Cup without the European champions. It is true that FIBA's system is unfortunate. It makes no sense for national teams have to play when they don't have their best players, as the NBA and Euroleague schedules cannot be interrupted. FIBA’s schedule has inappropriate qualification cycles during the season, and so is the case with the June cycle, when many of the leagues have already ended. However, if you're a European champion, you do have to prove your worth, at least right after the EuroBasket. But ever since the Istanbul fairytale, Slovenia has only won twice in six matches, losing to teams like Montenegro, which is not a top-tier European basketball team, and Belarus, which is far from the top. We hope that the fantastic success at the 2017 EuroBasket is not the final act of Slovenian basketball...

Prepelič calls on the basketball federation to take action
"My opinion is that these qualifications are a big nonsense. The European champions should directly qualify for the World Cup. And if we do have to play qualifications, then allow the best to come play. Most affected by this is our team, as well as the Croatians, Latvians… When you have a population of two million, every missing player counts. We don't have the Dragić brothers, Vidmar, Dončić … And we have Alen Omić and Beno Udrih at courtside … I mean, there's no point wasting words over this," Prepelič broke his media silence, listing the missing players and those that the KZS (Slovenian Basketball Federation) is not counting on. Talking to Slovenian journalists he also called on those in charge at the basketball federation to do everything in their power to prevent the team from being so weak in the remaining qualification matches.
Without Goran Dragić, who put an end to his international career, Luka Dončić, who did not get the green light from Dallas, the injured Gašper Vidmar and the "physically unfit" Anthony Randolph, Slovenia is not playing its game and is struggling when playing with more modest teams, despite the fact that eight players in the Slovenia team still have their EuroBasket gold medals. September, when Slovenia continues its qualification matches, is just around the corner. And it might happen that Slovenia also loses Prepelič for that cycle. He said it would all be clear in the coming days: "Prle is an eternal winner. I'm very stubborn and very proud, and that brought me to where I am now and where I'll play in the next season. And the national team gave me all that. There's nothing above the national team. We're here for free, but we play for our pride. As long as Prle is healthy, he'll be at this level, and as long as the coaches call him, he'll always be at their disposal. But now, I'm 99-percent sure that I won't be able to help the national team in September. Greater forces are in control, and I won't fight with anyone."