Dejan Prokic: "Those who want to give everything for the Ivorian shirt will be at the World Cup"

Dejan Prokic, the World Cup draw for basketball was made a few days ago. What do you make of Ivory Coast's group?

Dejan Prokic: Ivory Coast should be proud. Being at this World Cup is an achievement. Every nation plays basketball, but not everyone reaches big competitions like this. When you play Spain, it means you are facing the best. Facing Spain lets you know your true level. From there, you know what you need to fix and what you need to improve to stay among the world's elite. It's the same for Brazil, who have great internationals. I can name Huertas, Barbosa.

They have a big imprint on world basketball. They beat the USA to be there, even if some say it wasn't the best American team of the moment. It will be tough to play them. I can't say the same about Iran, but they have played in a lot of major tournaments. They have a great league with good players. It will be a tough tournament for us, but a very exciting one.

What will your goal be at this tournament?

We need an effective preparation before talking about goals. The Ivorian Basketball Federation hopes we qualify for the Olympics. That means we have to be among the best at this tournament. But the first thing to do is put ourselves in the right conditions to be ready. We have to train hard. Being ready mentally and physically will already give us a chance of not looking foolish, because we are joining a gathering of the best.

You took over the team when it was almost qualified...

(Cutting in) When I arrived, in the second-to-last qualifying window, we were well placed but not yet qualified. I qualified the team for this World Cup after wins over direct rivals such as Nigeria, Uganda and Cape Verde. Against Uganda, we were even trailing and under pressure before turning it around. Those were my first games as head coach of the Elephants. But right away there was chemistry with the group. We played top-level basketball to secure this qualification.

Dejan Prokic: "When everything is OK with Mo Bamba, we will talk about it"

Precisely, this team is no longer the same today, with many key players refusing to come when there are get-togethers. How are you dealing with all this?

We are all professionals. I focus on the players I have available. When we have a camp, we select the best. And I can guarantee you that the best players of the moment, those who want to give everything for the shirt and make Ivorians proud, will be at this World Cup.

Ivory Coast will go to the World Cup with new faces. Which names are already ticked off on your list?

Are you certain we will go to Indonesia with new players? Then it would be good if you gave me your list so I can take inspiration from it (Laughs), because I haven't made mine yet. As I said above, we will go with a combative group of Elephants. Besides, you should know that, at local level and even abroad, there are incredible talents. We are all looking at these players more closely. We will put together the best possible team.

Mo Bamba will surely be the star of your squad. Have you spoken to him in recent days?

Mo Bamba is currently recovering from an injury. When everything is OK with him, we will talk about it. For now, we prefer to keep quiet about everything concerning him. We will talk about it again.

You come from a country with a good reputation in sport, and basketball in particular. How do you intend to instil this rigorous Serbian culture in your players?

First, you should know that basketball is not the number one sport back home. There are disciplines like cycling, skiing, handball and many others ahead of it. However, there are adequate facilities for learning and competing in basketball. Better still, the school system strongly encourages sport at school and I believe that rubs off on those involved in the game. Rigour goes hand in hand with professionalism. And my players are already professionals. We just need to keep working on certain details with them.

What do you expect from Ivorians during the tournament?

Just their support. They have carried us from the start and the bond with the players was exceptional when we played at home in Abidjan. We have to keep that going because feeling supported will always be extra motivation.

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— Fédération Ivoirienne de Basket-Ball (FIBB) (@fibb_ci) April 29, 2023

By Sanh Séverin