Slovenia coach credits Manila crowd for Luka Doncic's energy

Despite playing two tough games in less than 24 hours, Slovenia star Luka Doncic managed to put up a game-high 29 points in their 100-84 classification round loss against Lithuania on Thursday in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

According to head coach Aleksander Sekulic, Doncic was actually one of the more energetic players in the team.

"Luka's very competitive. I don't know where he found the energy but he told me he's feeling great. He was our best man regarding also the energy," Sekulic said in a press conference.

"He was trying hard in the game, in the timeouts, in the locker room, to push them to their limits. That's why he played, he felt good."

For Sekulic, this showed Doncic's dedication to the team.

"This shows his character and that he loves basketball."

However, Sekulic also credited the crowd's love for Doncic for his energy.

"Probably he appreciates the fans here because he has an amazing fanbase, he had amazing support tonight. I felt like the whole arena was cheering for us, it was a great feeling," Sekulic said.

"It's probably because of him," he added. "I'm sure it's because of him. That shows a lot how serious he is when he plays for his country and he plays with his heart."

Sekulic also thanked the Philippine audience for the support his team has been receiving.

"It's just incredible to play a classification game in front of an almost full arena, everybody cheering for us. I'm just sad that we could not win the game to show them the gratitude," he added.

Doncic and the Slovenia squad will still play the battle for 7th place against Italy on Saturday.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News