INTERVIEW Roko Prkačin: I am ready for a bigger role this season

We caught Roko Prkačin on a seaside, enjoying last days of his vacation before he had to return to Zagreb for a start of Cibona’s preparations. One of the biggest European prospects will turn only 18 in November, but he is more than ready to make waves this season.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, you had a lot of time to work on your game. Were you working on something specific?

I mostly worked on my jumpshot. This is something I have to improve, so the primary focus was on shooting.

Growing up, who was your basketball idol? I assume it was your father Nikola?

Yes, when I was little it was my father. But growing older, I can not say that I looked up to anyone specific. There are a lot of great players that I would love to play with, but I really can not single out anyone.

What about Dražen?

Well, he is a role model to all of the Croatians. If I would really have to say one name, I would say Nowitzki. But our playstyles are not very similiar.

Before choosing basketball, were you invested in any other sports?

I started with swimming and continued with taekwondo, so I had a little bit of fighting in my youth. And after that, I choose basketball and I believe it was the right decision.

Cibona has an exciting young core, with Toni Nakić and Mateo Drežnjak joining you in Zagreb. What do you think you guys can achieve this season?

I think we can have a great season, even reaching the ABA league final four. But it all really depends on how much we will improve during the season. But talentwise, I think we have a really good team and we can make big things in the ABA league. At  home, the goal is definitely to win the Croatian league.

There is no doubt that you are going to be one of the Cibona’s key players this season. Do you believe you are ready for this role?

I think I am ready. I feel the most confident when I have the ball in my hands and I like to control the game. It will be better for me to play like that and I think I am ready to be one of the leaders in the next season.

Few weeks ago, there were some rumours in the Croatian media that you want to leave Cibona and join Zadar. Were there any talks with Zadar at all?

That was fake news for sure. There was no contact from them, because they knew I will stay here at home, at Cibona. Some people put those rumuors out, but they do not know what is going on in the club. They just tried to guess that I will leave Cibona, but I do not know what their reasons are.

It is not a secret that you are one of the most talented players in Europe. You were also the MVP of the U16 European Championship two years ago. Do you feel any additional pressure because of that?

Well, mostly I do not care about that. Because that was two years ago and I have to keep getting better every single day. The whole Europe is getting better and when I started playing for the senior team, I did not play much. I did not get a lot of minutes at the beggining and I started to lose my confidence. After that, I just focused on myself and how to become a better player, I did not care about my past achievements.

Next year, Split will host the Olympic Qualification Tournament. Is one of your goals for this season to make it to the final roster and maybe even play in Tokyo?   

My goal is to get to the starting five (laughs). I know this not very realistic but I like to set my goals really high, even though they are sometimes unachievable. It pushes me to work even harder.

As always, Croatia has some great players like Bogdanović, Šarić, Zubac… Do you expect that Croatia will get to the Olympic games?

Surely there is a spot for Croatia at the Olympic games. And I think we have a great team which can easily qualify. But the things can always go wrong, so it is better to no speculate too much. But just looking at our roster, there is a very big chance that we will qualify.

If everything will go as expected this season, do you plan to enter the NBA draft next year?

People ask me that all the time. Honestly, I have not yet decided whether it will be in 2021 or 2022. I am not thinking about it at the moment, because there is still enough time to decide. Also, anything can happen in the next year…

You have a younger brother Lovro, who is also a talented basketball player. Do you think he can follow in your footsteps?

I think Lovro is going to be a good player because he is very talented. At the moment, he lacks strength and some athleticsm, but I am sure he will improve over the years.

Like many of us, I am sure you are also following the NBA bubble. Who do you think will win the NBA championship this season?

I would say Milwaukee, mostly because of Giannis. I do not think they are the best team, but I give them the most chances. We have to see how LeBron decides to play though (laughs)…