European champion Ali Nikolic talks in an interview about the great triumph with Slovenia, his commitment in the last few minutes and his role at Brose Bamberg this year. More basketball news on Basketball. com
basketball. de: First of all congratulations on winning the European Championship with Slovenia. What’s on your mind when you think back?
Ali Nikolic: First comes the moment when the final game was over and the emotions came up. It was a real roller coaster ride of emotions. The whole experience was fantastic: the way we won; the team we had together and the chemistry that developed between us. I hope to experience it again, but it will take a few more years until the next tournament. To be honest, I cannot really understand it so far, nor can I describe what exactly we have achieved there. But we have won a medal, the golden one even, and this for our country, which has waited so long for it.
basketball. de: What happened after the final?
Nikolic: There was a great reception in Ljubljana. 20,000 people came to celebrate with us, it was really crazy. If it hadn’t rained so much, 40,000 would have come, but 20,000…. That’s unbelievable. During the tournament, the whole country was feverish with us and they said it was like a fairy tale.
basketball. de: You’ve been on the field against Serbia in the final game of the last few minutes because Goran Dragic was plagued by cramps. Did you expect to play such a role before?
Nikolic: I knew exactly what my role was. I knew what the coach wanted me to do, and I kept to that during the tournament. Of course, I couldn’t expect him to send me out to the field in the end. Dragic was our man for such moments, but because of his pain the coach gave me the chance to bring the game home for us. It was crazy and fun and I am very happy that I got the trust.
basketball. de: You have shown great mental strength and met your free throws. To understand how you came to this point as a young player, let’s look back. You left Slovenia at the age of 16 years old and changed to OKK Spars in Sarajevo – why?
Nikolic: I was looking for a program outside Slovenia and Sarajevo was the perfect solution. They were the first team to use only young players in the first division. They also took part in the Euroleague youth tournaments. So for me this was the ideal opportunity to improve my game. This decision paid off and finally brought me to Bamberg. That’s why I’m happy to have gone down this path.
basketball. de: You have made courageous decisions for your career at a young age. Was it also because your father knew his way around the basketball business?
Nikolic: No. My father gave me some advice, but in the end I made the decisions on my own. My parents didn’t push me to anything, on the contrary: they supported me. They said,”If that’s what you want to do, if it feels right, go there. It’s your choice.”
basketball. de: After four years in Sarajevo you moved to Bamberg. What are the difficulties for a young player in this new situation? Where do you have to fight your way through?
Nikolic: The wrong word is difficult. I first had to get used to the physique, I wasn’t strong enough, I had to work on it. But now I am on a good level.
basketball. de: You once said that Bamberg presented you with a plan of how your development should proceed here. Can you describe this plan in more detail?
Nikolic: I should be prepared for the highest level. One of the things I had to do was to become physically stronger and learn a lot. Andrea[Trinchieri] taught me a lot, too, almost everything I need to know and be able to do for the highest level. That was the plan for the first two years. In the third year, not much is changing now. There are many areas in my game that I still have to work on. I need to improve on the whole, but I firmly believe that I will be able to do so under this coach. The whole programme in Bamberg is perfect. If you just look at how many players have gotten better here in the past…. I am convinced that we will be able to do so again this year.
basketball. de: What role will you play this season?
Nikolic: A similar one as last year: bring a lot of energy to the field, defend very well and be myself in the attack, create for others and do the right thing. That’s my role in the team.
basketball. de: What are you working on in the new season?
Nikolic: I want to improve my litter. But… actually, I want to get better at everything.
basketball. de: It’s obvious that you as a team have a long way to go. How different is the preparation with the club and with the national team, where you have little time?
Nikolic: The national team is much shorter than the club team. That’s why we try to make sure that the players develop a good feeling for each other, that everyone feels comfortable in their role. The most important thing is to achieve the best possible chemistry within the team in the shortest possible time. With the Slovenian national team, this has worked wonderfully well. Everyone knew what he had to do; everyone knew what the others had to do. That’s all we cared about and nothing else. With the club team, that’s different. You go a very long way together, which holds both ups and downs. We all don’t know each other so well yet, our interaction has yet to take place. But the great thing about this team is that everyone is passionate about it. All of them are supported by the will to become better. As a single player and as a team. That drives us on. I am convinced that the right feeling for each other will come. And then we’ll play well. We are all very confident.
basketball. de: What is the current focus in training: the details that can be decisive in the playoffs later on? Or are you trying more to internalize Trinchieri’s basic ideas?
Nikolic: A bit of both. But that is not the decisive point. If you just don’t have the right feeling on the floor, then try to play with maximum energy and defend hard. The attack then arises from it. That’s the most important thing for us right now.
basketball. de: Finally, a look at your fellow players in the national team: Goran Dragic has resigned, Luka Doncic is regarded as his successor in the team. How did you experience the time together with them?
Nikolic: Goran Dragic gave everything for the team. Especially in this tournament he sacrificed himself, he wanted this medal unconditionally. At the end of the day, I have to wear the gold medal around my neck and take home the MVP title, but I bow in front of him. If a player deserves it, he does. If I can learn something from him, it’s how he led the team, how he has always been there for us, about Luka Doncic, what else can I say? Europe, no, the whole world knows him now. He’s a great talent and he’s going to be even better. We are very pleased to have him on the national team in the future.