Maljković's efforts to short-list the candidates have been made somewhat easier by a handful of cancellations, including from star players like power forwards Erazem Lorbek and Matjaž Smodiš and center Primož Brezec.

Moreover, there is still some uncertainty over the participation of NBA point guard Beno Udrih, who is currently a free agent and hopes to find a new club before joining the Slovenian team.

Udrih has however reassured team representatives that he intends to play in the tournament that will be played in Slovenia from 4 to 22 September, Maljković told the press in Zreče, where the team is scheduled to gather for camp in two weeks.

Apart from Udrih, Maljković has called up point guards Goran Dragić and Jaka Lakovič. The shooting guards selected are Jaka Blažič, Zoran Dragić and Klemen Prepelič.

Among the small forwards, the Slovenian coach has stuck with Boštjan Nachbar, Edo Murić, Domen Lorbek and Luka Lapornik.

The big men called up to join the team are power forwards Jure Balažič, Jaka Brodnik and Gezim Morina and centres Mirza Begić, Uroš Slokar and Gašper Vidmar.

"This is a team that has been composed strategically. We have to keep the future in mind, which is why we went for younger players, even though this has been a difficult decision," Maljković said.

He indicated that he would promote team spirit, hustle and enthusiasm as the main virtues of the team.

As part of camp, the Slovenian team is to hold 47 days of training to get ready for EuroBasket which will include up to 60 training sessions and 12 warm-up matches.

At the end of camp, the list of players will be narrowed to 12, which is the maximum roster size allowed for the European Basketball Championships.