MANILA, Philippines – Slovenia head coach Aleksander Sekulic praised Luka Doncic for choosing to continue to play even after the team crashed out of the title race in the FIBA World Cup.

Sekulic said Doncic proved his commitment to the squad as he suited up again for Slovenia despite its quarterfinal exit, albeit in a 100-84 loss to Lithuania in the classification for fifth to eighth spots on Thursday, September 7.

Doncic saw action for almost the entire 40-minute game, logging 37 minutes and finishing with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.

“This shows his character that he likes basketball, that he loves basketball,” said Sekulic. “This shows a lot how serious he is when he plays for his country and that he plays with his heart.”

Sekulic could not help but admire the Dallas Mavericks star for still performing at a high level, especially since Slovenia played on back-to-back nights after its 100-89 loss to Canada in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

In that game against Canada, Doncic played nearly 30 minutes and produced 26 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals before he got tossed out midway through the fourth quarter for incurring two technical fouls.

“Luka’s very competitive. I don’t know where he found the energy, but he told me he’s feeling great, he wants to play. He was our best man regarding also the energy,” said Sekulic.

“He was trying to motivate everybody to put them on another level. We’re not on the level we wanted to be and he was trying hard in the game, in the timeouts, in the locker room, all the time trying to push them to their limits.”

Sekulic surmised that Doncic also wanted to make sure that fans got what they paid for.

For the second straight night, fans came in droves at the Mall of Asia Arena to watch four-time All-NBA First Team member Doncic, arguably the biggest star in this World Cup.

“I felt like the whole arena was cheering for us. It was a great feeling. I’m sure that’s because of him,” said Sekulic.

Relegated to the playoff for seventh, Doncic and Slovenia can still end their Manila trip on a winning note as they tangle with Italy on Saturday. – Rappler.com