Ivica Skelin has been appointed as the new coach of the Croatian men’s basketball team, succeeding Aleksandar Petrović who led the team in the last two major competitions.
The Croatian men’s basketball team officially has a new coach!
The Croatian Basketball Association decided that Ivica Skelin would be appointed as the new coach of the Croatian men’s basketball team at a press conference held on Saturday, reports Index.hr on September 16, 2017.
Stojko Vranković, President of the Croatian Basketball Association and Dino Rađa, specifically, announced that Ivica Skelin would take over Aco Petrović’s position after he suffered a massive defeat by Russia in the EuroBasket round of 16.
“Apart from Skelin, we spoke with Ante Nazor, but it did not make sense to introduce someone new to the system. Skelin knows the players, and it will be easier for him to take on this task,” Vranković said.
Rađa confirmed that Skelin’s knowledge of the team is an advantage.
“The Association appointed Skelin as an assistant to Aco, and this is a reward for his work. We had to respond quickly, and we had to move in a new direction. The reason we made this decision is the fact that Skelin was a part of the national team, he was an assistant, he was acquainted with the situation, and we believe that it will be easier for him to adapt to the situation.”
And the new direction is?
“We have to change Croatian basketball from the youth system, and we have to be careful with our coaches because they make the players.”
The new coach exclaimed that a generation change is upon us.
“We have to bring in another six, seven players who can be competitive and help. Those who were in contention for the national team but were not included could now be,” Skelin concluded.
Translated from Index.hr
