Preparations Begin on August 14, Eight Preseason Games Await the Dragons

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija will begin preparations for the new 2025/26 season on Thursday, August 14. Before the battles in the regional league and the EuroCup begin, the team will play eight preseason games and compete for the Slovenian Supercup.

The preparatory period for the 2025/26 season is fast approaching. In the upcoming campaign, Cedevita Olimpija will defend all three domestic titles, while once again aiming for a strong showing in the EuroCup and the ABA League.

It is already known that Cedevita Olimpija’s EuroCup season will tip off on October 1, when Spanish side Manresa visits Stožice Arena in Ljubljana. The club will compete in Group A of the regular season alongside: Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (Israel), U-BT Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Bahcesehir College Istanbul (Turkey), Umana Reyer Venice (Italy), Aris Midea Thessaloniki (Greece), Neptunas Klaipeda (Lithuania), Veolia Towers Hamburg (Germany), and Slask Wroclaw (Poland), in addition to Manresa and Cedevita Olimpija.

In the ABA League, Cedevita Olimpija will compete in Group B during the initial phase, facing Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (Serbia), Budućnost VOLI (Montenegro), Spartak Office Shoes (Serbia), Bosna Visit Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mega Superbet (Serbia), Zadar (Croatia), Ilirija (Slovenia), and Vienna (Austria).

Remaining from last season are captain Jaka Blažič, Aleksej Nikolić, DJ Stewart, Rok Radović, and Žiga Daneu, who both extended their contracts with the club earlier this summer. Lovro Gnjidić returns from a loan spell at Spanish club Palencia, while promising young talent Mark Morano Mahmutović will spend the 2025/26 season on loan at Kansai Helios Domžale.

Joining the Dragons this season are returning player Miha Cerkvenik and newcomers Umoja Gibson, Joseph Girard III, Luka Brajković, David Škara, Nikos Chougkaz, and Thomas Kennedy. Promising 17-year-old Frenchman Cameron Houindo will also join the senior team for preseason training.

For now, roster construction for the new season is complete, although there is still some time before preparations begin. This summer will be particularly unique due to EuroBasket 2025, which will take place from August 27 to September 14.

Due to national team obligations, Cedevita Olimpija will begin training camp with a shortened squad. Head coach Zvezdan Mitrović will not have Aleksej Nikolić, Rok Radović, Žiga Daneu, and Miha Cerkvenik (Slovenia), David Škara (Croatia), Nikos Chougkaz (Greece), and Thomas Kennedy (Canada) available at the first practice. To fill the roster, some players from the youth teams will participate in the early stages of training camp.

The Dragons will spend the opening days of training camp in Ljubljana, where players will undergo medical examinations and gradually get acclimated to the Stožice court. On Monday, August 18, the team will travel to Kranjska Gora, where they will also play their first two preseason games.

On Sunday, August 24, the Slovenian champions will face German MLP Academics Heidelberg, followed by a matchup with Italian club Trapani Shark on August 26. After returning to Ljubljana, a string of home games will follow. First, they will face Kansai Helios Domžale on August 31, followed by games against last season’s ABA League finalist Budućnost (September 4) and German team Synatinics MBC (September 6). A particularly interesting game will be played against sister club Cedevita Junior from Zagreb on September 12.

The Dragons will conclude their preseason tour in Italy – on September 19 they will play away at Pallacanestro Trieste, and the next day they’ll visit Treviso to face Nutribullet Treviso.

As part of their preseason schedule ahead of the EuroCup and ABA League, Cedevita Olimpija will also compete for the Slovenian Supercup. The game will take place in Polzela, with the Dragons facing Krka Novo mesto in a battle for the first domestic trophy of the new season.

PRESEASON GAMES 2025

Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), Sunday, August 24:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – MLP ACADEMICS HEIDELBERG

Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), Tuesday, August 26:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – TRAPANI SHARK

Ljubljana (Slovenia), Sunday, August 31:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – KANSAI HELIOS DOMŽALE

Ljubljana (Slovenia), Thursday, September 4:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – BUDUĆNOST VOLI

Ljubljana (Slovenia), Saturday, September 6:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – SYNTAINICS MBC

Ljubljana (Slovenia), Friday, September 12:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – CEDEVITA JUNIOR

Trieste (Italy), Friday, September 19:
PALLACANESTRO TRIESTE – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA

Treviso (Italy), Saturday, September 20:
NUTRIBULLET TREVISO BASKET – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA