‘But you never know what will happen if Zoran gets an NBA offer tomorrow,’ added the new Slovene coach. Trifunović also talked about Luka Dončić, his playing for the national team and his future in the NBA: ‘These are not merely rumours. Luka wants to play for the national team, this is a great honour for him. But the problem is whether he will be able to play at all, the reason being a ‘conflict’ between FIBA and the Euroleague. If it will be solved, there is still some hope, and he will of course come.’ Regarding the NBA league, he said: ‘I really wish for him to find the right team with the right vision of him. But on the other hand, it almost ‘does not matter’ where he will go, he will prove himself in any case.’

Jaka Klobučar ends his path in the national team
Trifunović also talked about the players who are not on the list, confirming that Jaka Klobučar has ended his path in the national team. ‘I had a conversation with Jaka Klobučar and he expressed a wish not to play for the national team. The reason is his (chronic) back injury. He wants to use his free time for regeneration and therapies. I understand him completely and I respect his decision. Jaka was always ready to collaborate in previous years. He is a great player and a great man, I collaborated with him at the 2015 European Championship. But Uroš Slokar and the Lorbek brothers are still on our longer list. There are quite a few players that we still follow and have not forgotten about. We put 22 players on the list, but we can send a list of 24 players to FIBA. We have deliberately left two places free, precisely for the above-mentioned reasons.’

Higher levels of enrolment in basketball schools
Trifunović also reflected on the impact of the gold medal at the European Championships: ‘Enrolment in basketball schools has increased (up 2 or 3 times in some places), which brings greater chances to develop a new Vidmar, Dragić, Udrih, Nesterovič, Lakovič etc. And we can also get new good basketball referees and new sports directors in clubs.’

Last week Trifunović revealed the list of candidates
Basketball expert Trifunović was Igor Kokoškov’s right hand man at the last European Championship when they won the European Champion title in Istanbul. He will lead Slovenia’s basketball players in the next cycle of qualifications for the World Championship. As a basketball player, the 44-year-old Trifunović played for the Slovenian national team eleven times. After the end of his playing career he embarked on the coaching career. He holds a FIBA coaching certificate and currently collaborates with the coaches at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Last week Trifunović released a longer list of national team players for the November qualification matches against Belarus and Spain. He included players from the Euroleague: Luka Dončić, Anthony Randolph, Edo Murić, Zoran Dragić and Aleksej Nikolić.