 Among the true global professionals in basketball, Bostjan Nachbar of Efes Pilsen has spent the last decade playing at the highest levels in five different countries. He is equally dedicated to basketball off the court, as a club president and camp sponsor in his native Slovenia. So when it came time to ask their Fan Mail questions of the 31-year-old Efes forward, there was plenty ground to cover, and Nachbar was more than ready with his answers. A lot of the mail came back to the question of whether Efes can overcome its tenuous situation in the last week of the regular season, with a game on the road at Orleans and needing help elsewhere in Group B, to somehow pull out a Top 16 spot. Nachbar, for one, is a believer. "It's not over until it's over," he said in one Fan Mail answer. "As long as there's a chance, we definitely believe we are going to advance. The problem at this point is that it's not only up to us. It's not a good situation to be in when you've got to wait for other teams to win. But we definitely feel we have enough talent and experience on the team should we, hopefully, make the second round. It's not an easy situation. No one expected it. This week we have to prove our true character by winning in Orleans and hoping for the best."
Boki, hello. Good luck in all the competitions. What do you consider as the highlights of the early years of your career? Best wishes,
Guido Gallo - Italy
"I would say that back in Slovenia, the highlight was being European under-20 champions with the Slovenian national team. That's one of my best memories of Slovenian basketball and the young generation I grew up with. It was a really fun time. In Italy, obviously the highlight was playing for Benetton and Coach D'Antoni, winning the Italian championship and going to the Euroleague Final Four. I learned a lot in just a couple years in Italy. The NBA came next, and I had my ups and downs over six years, but I achieved my goal of playing with and against the best basketball players in the world, which was one of the biggest goals in my career."
Hello, Bostjan. As a fan of Efes Pilsen, I'm disappointed. For a while, Efes Pilsen had no problem reaching the Top 16, but now that is a problem, too. Do you think that you and your teammates can reach it now?
Alparslan Demircan - Istanbul, Turkey
"It's not over until it's over. As long as there's a chance, we definitely believe we are going to advance. The problem at this point is that it's not only up to us. It's not a good situation to be in when you've got to wait for other teams to win. But we definitely feel we have enough talent and experience on the team should we, hopefully, make the second round. It's not an easy situation. No one expected it. This week we have to prove our true character by winning in Orleans and hoping for the best."
Hi Bostjan. First, I've admired your way of playing since your Benetton Treviso days. Now, do you think that the last EuroBasket has made Slovenia one of the most important challengers in FIBA? And what do you expect from World Championships in Turkey? Congrats again,
Valerio D'Angelo - Rome, Italy
"The last European Championships was without a doubt the biggest success for our national team so far in our history. Getting to fourth place was big, ande even though everyone knows we had a chance to be higher, it was mostly injuries that prevented us from getting a medal. Playing with just nine or 10 players the last couple of games was tough. But tha's also why all of us are really motivated for the World Championships next summer, because we came so close to getting a medal but didn't. We're ready to go for it again, play together and hopefully have another great tourn. Whether we win a medal or finish in the top five in the world, both would be a success, if we can achieve it."
Hi, Boki. You are playing this season as a power forward in Efes Pilsen. Are you content to play that position or is playing as a small forward more suitable for you?
Ercan Orhan - Istanbul, Turkey
"For about 90 percent of my career I have been a small forward. I've played power forward here and there as an option for different coaches on different teams, to give those teams another dimension. Now, I am a power forward 100 percent of the time, which is a new situation for me, and it took time to get adjusted. As a player, I know myself best, and I know could have done more for the team playing small forward, but that's up to the coach, and as a professional I have to do my best every time I step on the court no matter what the position."
 Bostjan. I have heard about your summer camp. How long have you had it and is it for teenagers from anywhere in Europe? I hope to come someday.
Stefan Grolz - Germany
"It's going be our fourth year this summer, in Koper, Slovenia, on the seaside. It's one thing that I do with passion and love. Teaching kids the basics and fundamentals of basketball is a huge passion for me. It's open to everyone. Last summer we had kids from Serbia and Italy, so it's an international camp, everyone's welcome. There's more information on my webpage (www.bokinachbar.com) and my Twitter page (http://twitter.com/BokiNachbar). Our plan is to grow to become one of the biggest and most-recognized camps in Europe in the future."
Boki Nachbar, after so many years of Slovenians playing well for teams around the world, do you hope someday that they will go home and lead Slovenian clubs? Best regards,
Slavi - Izola, Slovenia
"In a way, I am already involved in that. In Koper, the same city where we have the camp, there's a first-division Slovenian League club that I am president of. I am helping to try to put my knowledge and experience to help the team there do well. In the same way, I am sure that some of the other players will return to help Slovenian basketball, which needs help from our generation. I think that in the last few years, Slovenian club basketball is down a little. When those players return, we can help get it back where it was before."
Hi Bostjan. Something doesn't function well for Efes in Euroleague games. What are your thoughts on it? We wish to see you play more years in Turkey. Good luck in your career.
Tugsan - Istanbul
"I think that mostly the reason why we're in trouble now is our bad start. We lost all our road games at the beginning: in Lithuania, at Malaga, at Olympiacos. It was a tough schedule to start and that's what got us behind. Always being behind and trying to catch up is tough. If we had started better, we would be in much better position now. Everyone is at fault. There's no finger pointing. We still believe we'll make it to the second round, and we feel like it would be a second chance for us to start new and show what we can do. We're hoping for the best."
Efes Pilsen fans thinks you have a playing style like Ersan Ilyasova. What do you think about this?
Zafi Gultekin - Turkey
"I don't know. I think he's a little more of a power forward than I am. He seems to play under the basket a little more than I do. We did guard each other in a European Championships game for some time. We were going at each other strong, and we both had good games. So in some ways were similar, in others we're not. It's an OK comparison, not a great one."
Hi Boki. Tell those of us who saw you in the NBA what's biggest difference for you playing at home in Europe. Best regards,
Dale Rencliffe - Spring Lake, New Jersey
"The biggest difference is the style of play, I think. In Europe, it's much more team-oriented basketball. You don't have individuals standing out as much as in the NBA, where how a team plays is designed around a player or two. In Europe, it's more like eight or nine or 10 players are involved in how a team plays. That's the biggest difference, how teams are put together and how they play. As a player, the sooner you understand and adjust to it, the better off you will be. I've been adjusting, but as a European player who grew up here, it's not to much of a shock for me."
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