LJUBLJANA (FIBA U18 European Championship 2017) - There is every reason for Maksim Gorbachov to be playing volleyball right now instead of getting ready to lead Slovenia at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017. But ask the guard talent about volleyball and you get a smile.

"I played volleyball, but after one week I switched back to basketball," said Gorbachov, who will be playing for Slovenia for the second summer following the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016, Division B.

Gorbachov's mother, Tatiana Tsvik, played professional volleyball in the USSR, Hungary and Slovenia, while his father, Oleg Gorbachov, is a volleyball coach and coached the Slovenian women's national team.

Gorbachov's parents are from Ukraine and moved to Slovenia and his grandparents all played professional volleyball as well. "I got my sport mentality from my mother. But both my parents motivate me to become the best I can be," said the 6ft 3in (1.91m) shooting guard.

It was Gorbachov's father who introduced him to footage of Michael Jordan.

"My father showed me Michael Jordan's highlights and I instantly became a fan," said Gorbachov, who started playing basketball when he was 8 years old in the Union Olimpija school.

When he's not watching Jordan highlights or making his own mark on the game, Gorbachov said he enjoys reading biographies about famous athletes.

Gorbachov took his spot in Slovenia history last summer when he guided the country back to Division A at the FIBA U16 European Championship for the first time since 2012 when they beat Ukraine in the 3rd Place Game.

Maksim Gorbachov (number 9) celebrates with his teammates after taking third place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016, Division B and earning promotion to Division A.

"Even though we were underdogs and weren't supposed to get promoted to Division A, we still did with the help of teamwork and our amazing coaching staff," said Gorbachov, who averaged 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists last summer.

Slovenia are spending their second-straight summer in Division A at the FIBA U18 European Championship after being in Division B for the past two years. In Slovak Republic, Gorbachov and Co. will face off against Finland, Greece and Lithuania in Group C.

"Our team objective is to stay in Division A, but we'll take each game separately and try to surprise everyone," Gorbachov said. "We must stay focused through the whole FIBA U18 European Championship and give everything we've got in each game."

Erazem Lorbek guided Slovenia to second place at the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2002 - the country's most recent podium finish.

Slovenia grabbed second place at the U18 level in 2002 with Erazem and Domen Lorbek but have not finished better than 10th since then. Gorbachov said the team knows what it can and can't do.

"Our strengths are our speed and that we have known each other for a long time," he said. "We also know our strengths and weaknesses."

When asked about his role on the team, Gorbachov said: "I still consider myself one of the leaders of our team even though I am a year younger than the rest of the guys."

FIBA