The head coach for the Croatian basketball team released a statement saying Mario Hezonja will indeed join the national team for Eurobasket this year.
Croatian coach Velimir Perasovic said Mario Hezonja will play Eurobasket this summer in a statement released on the Croatian national team’s official Web site.
The translation of his statement, courtesy of Google Translate is below:
"“In recent days there has been a lot of talk about a possible cancellation of performances by Mario Hezonja at EuroBasket 2015. There were no statements nor by HKS [the Croatian national team], nor of me as a coach, or from Mario Hezonja.The reason for this is a complicated situation in which Mario found himself in relation to his new club, Orlando Magic, and partly due to an injury sustained in the NBA Summer League in Orlando.The desire for Mario to play on the Croatian national team, as far as I was in contact with him, for me was never in doubt, and I never doubted it.Be advised Croatia sports public that Mario Hezonja will join the preparations for Eurobasket on August 1, 2015 as well as all other NBA players.”"
This statement suggests Hezonja had always planned to play for the Croatian national team at Eurobasket this summer.
However, two weeks ago at the conclusion of the Orlando Summer League, Hezonja stated he was unsure if he would play in Eurobasket but that he would like to practice and work with the team. It seemed like he was still discussing some things and clearing them with the Magic or deciding whether he wanted to take the month off to rest before his first NBA season or play a major tournament like this.
Eurobasket is the international regional tournament for Europe. It will take place starting September 5 in France, Germany and Croatia. This is a major tournament with tons of energy and intensity. One of the biggest basketball events on the calendar every two years.
And Croatia is a solid team. They are ranked 12th in the world right now according to FIBA and reached the round of 16 before falling to France, probably the favorite to win Eurobasket this year.
Hezonja though did not contribute very much. He appeared in just 13 minutes in two games in his first appearance for the national team. It would make sense though if Hezonja were to see more action now that he has established himself more as a pro.
Listed on Croatia’s official basketball roster are Hezonja, Damjan Rudez, Ante Tomic, Bojan Bogdanovic, Dario Saric and Roko Ukic. It seems very possible for Hezonja to get more minutes this time around and be a key player.
That likely would be enough to get Hezonja off the bench and overseas before his rookie NBA season if he can have a big role.
Hezonja played only two games at Summer League as the Magic opted to get his feet wet some and then shut him down seeing as he was a week removed from the end of his club season with FC Barcelona. He struggled some with his shot, but overall looked like he could hold his own.
The opportunity to play at Eurobasket for his national team is a tough one to pass up for any player. If Hezonja has an invite to join the team for its training and for the Eurobasket tournament, no one would blame him for going over there and playing so close to the Magic’s season. It could be a huge confidence boost for him, if not just a source of pride.