ZAGREB (2015 FIBA U19 World Championship) - Croatia opened their preparations for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship with a group of 13 players at the first training camp while seven others will eventually join the camp.

The Croatians have opened camp in Selce with six of the players who clinched third place at the 2014 U18 European Championship. Five others from last year as well as head coach Ante Nazor will join the team once the club season is complete. 

Josip Jukic is the only player from last summer's Croatia U18 team who was not included in the 20 players who will be at the first U19 camp. 

The 2014 U18 sextet of Roko Badzim, Dragan Bender, Goran Filipovic, Borna Kapusta, Ivan Majcunic and Ivan Vucic were joined at the camp in Selce by Roko Anzulovic, Darko Bajo, Marko Damjanovic, Marko Jurica, Emir Sabic, Benedikt Turudic and Ivan Vranes.

Bajo is interesting in that he is only 16 years old and has already played for Spars Sarajevo at the U18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament. The Cedevita center Turudic, meanwhile, has also been named in the U18 preliminary roster for Germany, for whom he owns a passport.

Other than Bender, who plays club basketball in Israel, most of the leaders from the 2014 U18 team are still with their clubs. Marko Arapovic and Lovro Mazalin are with Cedevita while Nik Slavica, Ante Zizic and Ivica Zubac are still playing for Cibona, Luka Bozic is still with KK Zagreb and Ivan Karacic is from Bosnian club HKK Siroki Primorka.

Karacic last played for Croatia in 2012 at the U16 European Championship while the 2.12m center Zubac lined up for the Croatians at the 2013 U16 European Championship.

Croatia have been drawn into Group A with the United States, Egypt and Iran at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship, which will run from 27 June-5 July. 

Croatia preliminary squad for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship: Roko Anzulovic, Marko Arapovic, Roko Badzim, Darko Bajo, Dragan Bender, Luka Bozic, Marko Damjanovic, Goran Filipovic, Marko Jurica, Borna Kapusta, Ivan Karacic, Ivan Majcunic, Lovro Mazalin, Emir Sabic, Nik Slavica, Benedikt Turudic, Ivan Vranes, Ivan Vucic, Ivica Zubac, Ante Zizic.

FIBA