Slovenia’s head coach, Aleksander Sekulic, expressed his displeasure over the aggressive defensive tactics used against Luka Doncic during their 100-89 loss to Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on September 6th.
The physical defense employed by the Canadian team resulted in non-calls from the officials, causing frustration for the Slovenian star. Doncic’s frustration eventually led to his ejection from the game after receiving two technical fouls for continuous complaining.
Sekulic defended Doncic’s actions on the court, stating that it is challenging to maintain composure when constantly being subjected to physicality. He acknowledged that his team had worked on controlling their emotions but found it difficult in such circumstances. Sekulic commented, “It’s difficult to play a game if you get hit constantly all game long. It’s difficult to control the emotions, and we worked a lot on this but it’s very difficult.”
Despite the challenges, Doncic put up an impressive performance, contributing 26 points, five assists, and four rebounds before being forced to exit the game with 6 minutes and 37 seconds remaining.
The fact that opposing teams are resorting to physical defense strategies against Doncic is a testament to his exceptional skills as a player. Sekulic acknowledged this, stating, “I know it’s not great, it doesn’t look good, but it’s very difficult. And that’s what makes Luka so special because he’s a great player and tough to guard in a legal way.”
Meanwhile, Doncic took responsibility for his emotions, particularly considering his role as the leader of the Slovenian team. He recognized the need to improve his composure, remarking, “It starts with me, and I got to be better for my team. With all the emotions, like I say, playing for your country, you’re gonna give your best, and you wanna die out there. It starts with me for sure.”
