One of the biggest 7DAYS EuroCup stars of recent seasons, Jaka Blazic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, is set to blog during the elimination rounds.
Jaka Blazic, Olimpija: 'Our mindset needs to be right'
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Cedevita enters the EuroCup Eighthfinals on an eight-game winning streak, drawing big crowds to Stozice Arena to follow a very fun-to-watch team. Blazic needs no introduction in this, his third consecutive season with the club. In the last one, Blazic made the All-EuroCup Second Team after leading the competition in scoring (19.1 ppg.) and PIR (19.3). He started his career in his native Slovenia, playing for Kranj, Slovan Ljubljana and Olimpija. He went on to play for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade of Serbia, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and FC Barcelona of Spain, and MoraBanc Andorra. Blazic, who has already been to the EuroCup semifinals with Zvezda in 2014, is ready to report about EuroCup Spring Madness in Ljubljana for as long as his team can survive!
First of all, I have to say that I am replacing Luka Rupnik as the team's blogger. It is a good substitution because we are best friends and think alike. It's tough for me that he's not with us anymore, but I'm happy for him because he is in a good situation in Turkey. I'm happy for him and I think it was the right decision also for him to leave the club.
We won our last eight games in the EuroCup. We are in good shape. We finally found the roles within our team. Everybody knows what his job is, we really enjoy playing with each other, and we are looking forward to our first playoff game in the EuroCup. It's going to be big! We are going to play at home and we expect a full gym. It is going to be a good experience.
People here have come back to watch the team. That was the plan since the beginning of this project, Cedevita Olimpija, to bring back our people. I think that Slovenia is a basketball nation, especially since winning the EuroBasket in 2017. People like basketball, like watching it. Also, a lot of young guys are practicing basketball, and I think it is a big step for us that we created a kind of euphoria again here in Ljubljana.
"People here have come back to watch the team. That was the plan since the beginning of this project, Cedevita Olimpija, to bring back our people."
It was important to stay focused when we had a losing streak earlier in the season, too. We believed that the club's plan was going to pay off, that our hard work was going to pay off. We had to make some changes. In December, we got Yogi Ferrell and Alen Omic, and later we added Zoran Dragic. These are all great players with a lot of experience but also good energy. I won't lie, they have given us a lot. They changed the whole complexion of the team and also because of them, we are playing like we are right now. Like I said, each of us knows well what his role in the team is right now, and I think that's most important.
We were lucky that Zoki Dragic was available at that time of the season. It was a perfect opportunity for us, but also for him. I think that he made the right move coming here because I see he's enjoying himself. I see his happy face every day. He likes to be at home with his family, and he has helped us reach another level. I think it's a good move for both sides, and it's nice having him here.
As for Alen, he hit a three-pointer in one game and he is hitting three-pointers in practice. I am surprised! Maybe next year, he is going to elevate his game and he's going to start shooting threes a lot, too. But joking aside, he's a really good player. I mean, there are not a lot of centers like him. You can pass him the ball in the low post and there is a very high percentage that he's going to make something good out of it. He is like an old-school center, which is what we also needed because we have Zach Auguste, who is a completely different kind of player, more of a leaper, running fast. It is a great combination under the basket.
Like I said, we feel the support of the crowd here in Ljubljana and also all over Slovenia. It's not just people from this city coming to the games. Some people drive two or three hours from cities on the other side of Slovenia just to come and watch us and support us, and it's a really good feeling. I didn't feel that during the last season, especially with COVID-19. We couldn't experience that. Our first season was not very successful but now, people are happier in the club, the owners and everybody. I think this is a healthy project, and with all the supporters we can lift it up. We are very optimistic going into these playoff games.
"Some people drive two or three hours from cities on the other side of Slovenia just to come and watch us and support us."
Our next opponent is Turk Telekom Ankara. We have been playing well, but it is not like we will score 95 points in each game just like that. We can't depend on that. Some days your shooting is great; some days it's not. So we need to work on defense, too, to give up the fewest points we can and to be, especially at home, more aggressive from the start and to limit their key players so that they don't get hot. I think that is going to be a factor, not just for us, for every team here in this playoff because of the system of knock-out games in every round. We are going to have very good scouting, I'm sure, and then our mindset needs to be right also on defense, not just offense. We know we have a lot of talent and I think that's not going to be a problem.
I have been living in Ljubljana for a while. It's very nice. I grew up here and have family here. I'm living a great life: I enjoy playing basketball, and it's like a hobby for me, not even a job. And I get paid for it. It's a really nice situation, and it's much better now that we are winning and I hope we will continue in this way. I don't miss much from living in a bigger city. For instance, in Barcelona, you have a lot of options. This is the last place I played in before I came back to Ljubljana. My wife loved it, so that made it easier for me. But as a basketball player, my life is pretty similar everywhere. Here in Ljubljana, I have friends, I have everybody who I like next to me. But in other cities, I just go to practice, eat, rest well and prepare for games, so I don't miss stuff. If I miss it, it is during the summer, when we are free, because I can go out and enjoy the city.
Like I said, I am expecting a full gym against Turk Telekom. This is a type of game that we haven't had in Ljubljana for a long time. It brings us a lot: we can reach the quarterfinals of the second-best European competition. So if you want to watch good basketball, come support us. I hope we will be all happy at the end of the game!