Boston Celtics center Luka Garza is dedicated to honing his craft, and his busy summer proves that commitment. He's worked out everywhere from Iowa to Los Angeles this offseason and has even been abroad to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Although Bosnia currently sits at the bottom of Group J with a record of 2-4, Garza only played in two of those contests. He helped his country keep things close with Turkey and Serbia (two European powerhouses) in early July, averaging 21.5 points per game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field during the pair of competitive losses. More than a month later, Garza and Bosnia are back in action, as they face Italy on Friday at 2 p.m. (ET) in Tuzla — the third-largest
city in Bosnia.
With what should be a friendly home crowd on its side, Bosnia will aim for its first-ever win versus Italy. The Italians hold a perfect 5-0 record over the Bosnians and are now 5-1 in group play. Italy rosters Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio and former NBAers in Nicolò Melli and Nico Mannion. Besides Garza, the only other Bosnian with real NBA experience is Jusuf Nurkić, who's arguably the small nation's best player in the modern era.
The hopes of Bosnia largely lie with the aforementioned big men. If Garza and company can't pull out a win against Italy, reaching the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar will become that much harder, especially with a Monday qualifier match against Lithuania (in Vilnius, Lithuania's largest city) on the horizon. The Dragons of Bosnia have still never qualified for a FIBA World Cup.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics center Luka Garza and Bosnia and Herzegovina set to face Italy in FIBA Qualifiers
