Fab Krslovic: “It’s been a lot of fun joining this team”

Since finishing his NBL25 campaign with the Tasmania JackJumpers, Fabijan Krslovic has stayed busy.

He signed with Phoenix Hagen of the German Pro A league for the remainder of their season, playing from late February through to late May. During that time, the NBL free agent signed a two-year deal to move to Melbourne United after four seasons with the JackJumpers.

From there, when he was set to return to Australia, he decided to sign on to play with the NBL1 South’s Sandringham Sabres for the remainder of season 2025.

Krslovic has played during his NBL off-seasons over the last few years, but wasn’t necessarily planning on doubling up between Germany and the NBL1 this year.

However, that’s what ended up happening. Maybe he doesn’t enjoy the time off? Or maybe he just loves the game too much.

“You know what? I really do [enjoy the off-season], but basketball’s a lot of fun,” he told NBL media.

“The opportunity in Germany, I had an awesome time over there and really enjoyed that experience. I had about three weeks from when I finished over there and I was able to spend some time in Croatia with my family, which was great.

“But yeah, it's been busy. It's good to be busy, but I still got some time to relax and unwind after a long year.”

This was Krslovic’s first time playing overseas since he became a professional in 2018. It’s something he’s wanted to do previously, but with Tasmania going deep into the NBL post-season, the timing was never right.

Finally though, with his NBL season finishing a little earlier, he had an opportunity to continue to develop his game, to be exposed to a different style of basketball, and to have some new experiences. That chance was too good for him to pass up.

“I think that was one of the biggest things for me, just an incredible life experience,” he explained.

“You know, go overseas and live in a different country, and so fortunate we play such a global game. These opportunities are there to experience. [It] was my first time living in a country where English isn't the first language, that had some challenges in and of itself.

"But teammates were really good over there, the staff, the coaches and everything over there really helped me get settled there for my three-month stint, and just thoroughly enjoyed it.

“From a basketball perspective, it's such a different way of playing the game. Things over there are a lot more structured, it's more of a team [game] and running through your plays to try to create your advantages.

"I found in Germany a lot more of the emphasis was on how we break things down in the half-court, what do we do to slow teams down, what plays they like to run, where do they like to attack and things like that.

"So, yeah, just learning a different style, I guess, and being able to adapt to that. It was a different challenge, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was just an overall great experience.”

Fabijan Krslovic and Phoenix Hagen are in the semi finals in Germany after take down @hakromerlins in game 5 of a great series ! pic.twitter.com/SX7naTMD3a

— Flex Basketball Management (@Flexbball) May 11, 2025

Krslovic played 18 games in Germany, starting 11 of those, and averaged eight points, five rebounds and just over two assists in around 21 minutes per game. He also averaged 56 per cent from the field and 46 per cent from three-point range.

Having that experience is already helping him with Sandringham, but will also do wonders once he joins Melbourne United for NBL26.

Being exposed to and learning in a different environment will help him adapt to different situations. Having to learn a new system, understand what is expected of him from teammates and coaches, and being clear on those things when you join a team late in the season is not easy.

“In that perspective, I was kind of thrown in the deep end,” Krslovic admitted.

“I joined the team about two-thirds of the way through the season, whereas here when starting at United, it would be a bit more of a gradual learning curve, I suspect.”

During his time in Germany, as he was having discussions with Melbourne United, Krslovic was in contact with assistant coach David Barlow.

As they continued to talk, Barlow, who is also the head coach (and still a player) at Sandringham, presented Krslovic with an offer to come to Melbourne early, play the last six weeks of the NBL1 South season and try to qualify for finals.

It was a good opportunity for Krslovic to get down to Melbourne, be around some of the guys at United a little bit before officially starting, and continue to stay in shape and work on his game.

The added bonus was that with Barlow and United development coach Andy Lim, coaching the Sabres, as well as having Tom Koppens and Dash Daniels to play with, Krslovic could start to get familiar with some of his new teammates and also elements of the United playbook that Sandringham run.

Having that United connection was appealing to Krslovic when joining Sandringham.

“Yeah, I think that was a big part of it,” he said.

“Being able to be in Melbourne a bit earlier and get down with all the coaches… I just thought, yeah, it's a great opportunity to get down here and start learning and try to set myself off as well as possible going into the preseason with United.”

This will be Krslovic’s second stint in NBL1 South, having played with the North West Tasmania Thunder in 2022. He’s also spent a year each in the North and Central conferences, playing with the Southern Districts Spartans in 2023 and the West Adelaide Bearcats in 2024.

Fabijan Krslovic made moves in the NBL1 over the weekend with @WestAdelaideBB ? pic.twitter.com/USauQbqRVP

— Tasmania JackJumpers ? (@JackJumpers) July 2, 2024

Opportunity has played a big part in those decisions. In 2023, it was his connection with Mika Vukona though the JackJumpers that led him to the Spartans in the NBL1 North.

As for his time with West Adelaide, his JackJumpers teammate Anthony Drmic was in his ear about playing together after their NBL championship, and Bearcats coach Dean Nyberg was very flexible to allow Krslovic to come in late.

Playing NBL1 has certainly helped him to improve and prepare for his NBL seasons, and Krslovic has found that to be very beneficial for his career.

“I just think [it helps] from the regard of playing as much basketball as possible and helping you [learn more] things,” he explained.

“You can practice and you can work out, but there's nothing quite like being in game situations, and trying to implement what you've been doing off the court in terms of your shooting drills, your workouts, trying to implement that into games.

“There's nothing that really replicates a game and just dealing with different things in game environments, you know? Your shot’s not falling tonight, how else can you impact the games?

“The thing about NBL1 as well, [is that] fortunately it's not as stressful or high pressure as NBL games. So there's a bit more leeway in trying to work things out and problem solve, and adapt to different situations without stakes being as high as the NBL.

“As much experience as you can get in good quality game situations, game environments, I just think, you learn from every game you play, and the more games, the more you're going to learn. From that perspective, I just think it's invaluable experience on the basketball court.”

Krslovic certainly joined the Sabres at an opportune time. They had won three straight games at the time, having benefited from the insertion of Dash Daniels and the return to Australia of Ben Ayre.

Krslovic strengthened their depth, especially in the frontcourt, and the team has won eight more consecutive games since his arrival, extending their overall win streak to eleven.

They’ve moved from the bottom half of the standings to sit in third place with two games left to play.

Despite his NBL experience, Krslovic has come off the bench for Sandringham and that has allowed him to impact the game in a number of ways, on both ends of the floor.

He’s averaging 12.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 3.3 assists in 27 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 52.6 per cent from the field and averaging over one three-pointer per game as well.

His approach to his role has been his typical unselfish, team-first attitude. Something he’s become known for in the NBL.

Our guy ?

Voted by our players as the player who puts the team first, always.

Congratulations Fabijan Krslovic, our players player ?? pic.twitter.com/Hmew7BRq9O

— Tasmania JackJumpers ? (@JackJumpers) February 22, 2025

“It's been a lot of fun [in] that regard, because I've been able to come in and kind of feel out what's needed from me a little bit,” explained Krslovic.

“The first couple of games I was just trying to pick up as much of the style of play and what I need to be doing defensively, offensively, as I was trying to learn as quickly as possible. But then being able to just play off [a guy like] Ben [Ayre], he's so aggressive with the ball. He can make things happen and I’m just trying to help him out.

“I told him when I came down, I was like, ‘Hey man, I'll set some great screens for you and rebound the shots that you miss.’ So I try to do that.

“Getting in and playing with TK [Tom Koppens] and Malith [Machar]. They just get out so well, running the floor and I'm just trying to help the other guys as much as possible. I think that's kind of always been something I've loved doing, helping teammates out.

“So, whenever I see those guys out ahead or open at the three-point line, I try to get them the ball and just try to facilitate them. And then do what I do defensively as well, be as solid as I can, make life difficult for the other team. And it's been good.

“Coming to such a strong team, it's not like they need me to do a tonne. And I really enjoy doing a bit of everything. What’s required from me [in each game] is kind of different. That's just a feel thing.”

Krslovic has one of those skillsets where he can seamlessly fit into many teams because he has such a solid impact on both ends of the floor.

That’s been evident in the games that he’s played with Sandringham so far. He is a really nice fit for their system, in terms of the things they emphasise, like trying to turn defence into offence, helping to space the floor in the half court, sharing the ball, and attacking the paint in transition.

Another thing that seems obvious is he’s really confident with his three-point shooting at the moment.

He seems to have zero hesitation right now and when he sees a bit of airspace, he’s letting it fly. Krslovic’s numbers in Germany were very strong, shooting 17/37 overall (45.9 per cent), and an improved three-point shot has certainly been important to him.

“It’s probably been a focus for me the past couple of years in general,” he acknowledged.

“I’ve put a lot of work into my jump shot off the court. In Tassie, last season, I had [a few] ups and downs. At the start of the season, not shooting well at all, I think that maybe impacted me a little bit.

“But I was able to go into Germany, I shot the ball well, and the coaches over there were really happy with my shot selection. I don't think I forced too many. I think I just take what's given to me, and then when I got down here and coming off that stint in Germany, just feeling really good with it.

“I remember shooting with Barlow a couple of times and he’s telling me ‘Hey, don't feel like you're going to be taking too many threes. It's not really something you can do.’ He told me I need to get my numbers up after the first couple of games, and I said, ‘Hey no worries. I can do that.’

“I’m just feeling really good with my jump shot. I’ve put a lot of work into it over the last couple of years – and that’s just natural. When you see the ball go in, you’re just more hungry and eager to keep getting them up.”

That ability to stretch the floor as a big is going to be a very nice fit for Dean Vickerman’s system with Melbourne. Comparing him to Rob Loe last season, you can get a great sense of how Krslovic may be used.

After four seasons in Tasmania and being a foundation JackJumper since day one, it was a little surprising to see Krslovic leave Hobart for Melbourne as a free agent.

Fabijan Krslovic is locked in for the next two seasons!
A Championship contributor in NBL24, Krslovic comes with a wealth of experience within the NBL.
Standing 203cm tall, Krslovic has consistently ranked among the league’s best per-minute rebounders.
Welcome to Melbourne, Fab. pic.twitter.com/IscegLg3ul

— Melbourne United (@MelbUnited) April 10, 2025

“I had an awesome time down there [in Tasmania], and being able to help be a little part of the foundation of the club down there. And, I just really thoroughly enjoyed my four years there,” he said.

“I think, going into the off season and talking with the coaches down in Tasmania, and then also with all the other teams and thinking about it, I think the change of scenery and location was a good thing for me. With Melbourne, I've had a bit of a connection with Jacob Chance, I was with him for a couple of years, and speaking with the coaching staff and the front office, it just seemed like a great fit.

“Obviously Melbourne's year in, year out, right there at the sticky end of the competition and it’s such a hard thing to do, to be able to set yourself up for sustained success.

"That's kind of the goal and expectations that are part of playing for Melbourne, and that's something that I'm just super excited to be a part of. I understand the expectations that come with it, but that's an awesome privilege.”

Despite the rivalry that has emerged between Tasmania and Melbourne since the JackJumpers entered the league, Krslovic had no hesitation in joining United. He sees it more as a mutual respect between the players from both teams and a great challenge every time they faced each other.

“I don't think there's any bad blood,” he said.

“I think it's more just like an understanding of the difficulty, the physicality, and, you know you're going into battle basically for forty minutes when you suit up for those games.

“And as I said before, like, I really enjoyed my time in Tasmania. And I think that Melbourne's a club that has similar expectations, values and standards for themselves. So, I think from that regard, it was an easy choice.”

Krslovic mopped it up with force ?

Watch the NBL1 South First Nations Round live via https://t.co/NEk1I7kaV8 & NBL1 App ? & ?#NAIDOC2025 #NAIDOCWeek #StrengthVisionLegacy pic.twitter.com/WW7HSoXwPh

— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 5, 2025

While he’s excited to get started with Melbourne, he is focused on helping the Sabres win in the NBL1 South conference first.

The Sabres have never gone all the way, losing the Grand Final in 2023, but they are certainly peaking at the right time of the year and Krslovic is very confident in this group’s ability to go all the way this season.

“I think we're in with as good a chance as anybody. Now we've basically got our full squad here and we're trying to get better every game and learn from all the mistakes," he said.

"I think the other night [versus Keilor], we didn't play our best game of basketball, but that was a credit to Keilor to making it that type of game. But we were still able to execute and pull out the win in a close back and forth game.

“I think we just have to learn and play our style. We have so many guys that can score the ball, especially our guards and our wings. They can get up and shoot the ball or get to the rim, whatever they need.

“[Also] us bigs can do a job and help, especially on the defensive end, to kind of anchor that and score when we need to. So, I look at our team at this level and there's not really a lot that's missing. I think we're as good a shout as anyone, but I just know how tough this competition is.

“Any team can beat anyone on any given day. I think a lot of teams feel the same way, but we're confident and it's been a lot of fun joining this team.”

The Sandringham Sabres play the Eltham Wildcats away and the Bendigo Braves at home in the final round this weekend.

You can watch NBL1 South live & free via NBL1.com.au and the NBL1 app.