LJUBLJANA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Slovenia will launch a new era at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup with two of their most important players in the past decade, Jaka Lakovic and Bostjan Nachbar, having decided to retire from the national team.

Coach Jure Zdovc will lead the team in a Group D campaign against Lithuania, Angola, Mexico, Australia and Korea in Gran Canaria, and he has revealed the names of 12 players that will be in a 17-strong preliminary squad, one that will start training on 16 July.

They are Zoran and Goran Dragic, Domen and Erazem Lorbek, Jure Balazic, Jaka Blazic, Jaka Klobucar, Edo Muric, Alen Omic, Klemen Prepelic, Uros Slokar and Miha Zupan.

Five others will be added to the preliminary squad and will come out of the Slovenia 'B' team, or the country's U20 side.

"I have put the players closest to my philosophy on the list and I stand by this," Zdovc said in a statement issued by the Slovenian Basketball Federation (KZS).

"I do not want to, and will not talk about who is on the list and who is not, because I would like us all to focus on those present.

In addition to Lakovic and Nachbar, notable absentees from last year's squad include centers Mirza Begic and Gasper Vidmar, and guard Nebojsa Joksimovic.

Fenerbahce's Vidmar was lost for the season in late January when he injured his ACL and meniscus. He underwent surgery on his knee and is still in recovery mode.

Erazem Lorbek did not play last summer after picking up various knocks during the 2012-13 campaign with Barcelona.

An All-Tournament Team selection at EuroBasket 2009 in Zdovc's only previous summer as coach of the national side, Lorbek is in the preliminary squad and a good bet to feature at the World Cup.

Zupan, a 2.05m forward, and 1.98m shooting guard Klobucar, haven't played for the national side since the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Omic, a 2.17m center, and Prepelic, a 1.91m guard, have yet to make their senior team bows after starring for Slovenia at the 2011 and 2012 U20 European Championships.

Prepelic is also in the 'B' team that will gather 13 June.

"I would like to continue with the work Bozidar Maljkovic started and rejuvenate the team and would like to thank Jaka Lakovic and Bostjan Nachbar, who retired from the national team, for everything they did for Slovenian basketball," Zdovc said.

Maljkovic coached Slovenia from 2011 through last year's EuroBasket.

Zdovc also stressed the importance of the buildup to the World Cup for Slovenia, who have a lot of friendly games.

The most glitzy of all will be the last against the USA in Gran Canaria on 26 August, just four days before the start of the Group Phase.

The USA will play in Group C in Bilbao.

"We have 14 preparatory games ahead of us, which is good for the young guys who have to play a lot and also for me to be able to evaluate which of them are the right ones for the 2014 (FIBA Basketball) World Cup," Zdovc said.

Rado Trifunovic is coaching the Slovenia 'B' team and in addition to Prepelic, it consists of Domen Bratoz, Jaka Brodnik, Ziga Dimec, Ziga Fifolt, Matej Krusic, Miha Lapornik, Luka Lapornik, Mitja Nikolic, Blaz Mahkovic, Gezim Morina, Dino Muric, Marko Pajic, Matej Rojc, Luka Rupnik and Danijel Vujasinovic.

Trifunovic will coach the squad in two games against the Slovenia U20 side, two against the Lithuania 'B' team and then in three tournaments in China (Shenzen, Qujing and Chengdu).

In those competitions in China, the Slovenians will take on France 'B', Italy 'B' and China 'B' teams.

FIBA