Lessons learned: Battle-tested Crocs ready for what's next

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The Australian Crocs survived an almighty scare from Côte d'Ivoire just a day after a dominant win over world basketball powerhouse Serbia in their FIBA Under-17 World Cup opener, but coach Greg Vanderjagt believes pushing through that adversity has set his team up for a successful tournament.

Led by NBL Next Star and Cairns Taipans recruit Luke Paul, the Crocs are undefeated in Group D in Turkiye despite being pushed all the way by an impressive Côte d'Ivoire team 78-73 on day two.

Australia needed a 25-17 final quarter to earn a hard-fought five-point victory to remain at the top of their pool.

But with do-or-die crossover matches on the horizon as well as a final pool match against Venezuela on Wednesday morning, Vanderjagt said his Crocs showed a resilience which would set them up for dealing with the pressure of big moments in the tournament.

"We were challenged for the majority of the game, but we never lost belief in who we are or how we wanted to play. That says a lot about this team's character," he told basketball.com.au.

"I thought we generated good looks early that we didn’t knock down, but I trust our guys to make those shots. The intent to play the right way was evident when we reviewed the game, but our execution wasn’t always where it needed to be.

"Compared to the Serbia game, I thought we were a little passive offensively and allowed Côte d'Ivoire’s chaotic defensive style to take us out of what we wanted to do. That’s an area we now have had 48 hours before Venezuela to address and provide the group with the right solutions.

"This group has shown throughout the journey that their capacity to absorb information and execute quickly is very good. That’s a real strength of this team, so I have no doubt we’ll be better prepared moving forward.

"Credit to Côte d'Ivoire. They were outstanding. Their athleticism, physicality and ability to generate second-chance opportunities put us under pressure all game. They made us earn every possession. They tested us exactly how we expected and forced us to stay disciplined for 40 minutes. With their unique athletes and style of play, they’ll be a difficult match-up for a lot of teams in this tournament."

Early wins have set Australia up to claim top spot in Group D at the World Cup but while he is buoyant by their performances so far, Vanderjagt said his team needed to improve or risk ruining their good start.

"Two wins is a good start, but that’s all it is — a start," he said.

"This tournament doesn’t reward what you’ve done; it rewards what you do next.

"We’ll recover, learn from today and prepare for Venezuela. (The game against Côte d'Ivoire) wasn’t about playing perfect basketball, it was about finding a way when things weren’t going our way. Those are the experiences that build teams capable of doing something special."

With his roster full of up and coming stars, none more so than Paul as well as big man Yahya Basaran, Will Hamilton and John Aryang - Vanderjagt said he needed to give a shoutout to two Crocs who changed the game against Côte d'Ivoire.

"I’d also like to highlight two athletes who changed the game for us: Riak Akhuar and Alex Edwards," he said.

"Their relentless effort, attention to detail and competitiveness helped us get out of a really difficult game with a win. Both impacted the game significantly at the defensive end and won us extra possessions when it mattered.

"It shows the depth of this group and the trust we have in the entire team as a staff. On any given night, we know someone will step up and do extraordinary things that don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet."

The Crocs take on Venezuela at 12.30am Wednesday (AET).