In this research, the trends and factors influencing the results of the Croatian men's senior basketball team were monitored, focusing on the identification and development of talent, the role of youth development programs and support for young players. Previous research has shown the complexity and dynamics of the process of identification and development of sports talents, highlighting the role of biological maturation and the phenomenon of relative age, as well as emphasizing the key factors in building successful teams and the importance of properly assessing different aspects of players in the selection process. The sample of this research included 189 young Croatian basketball national team members born between 1992 and 2003, who played in major competitions in the period from 2008 to 2022. The variables that were analyzed in this research are the player's year of birth, the number of appearances of the player in the youth national teams (from U16 to U20) and appearances for the senior A-team. The research points to several key aspects in the development of Croatian basketball players. The position of the player on the field did not show an impact on the number of appearances for the senior national team, which suggests the impartiality of the selection and coaching process regarding the specific position of the player. A significant number of players, 40.2%, had representative careers that lasted only one year, which indicates a high turnover of players within the young national team. Conversely, the majority of players (54%) had national team careers lasting two to three years, indicating a certain stability within the young national team. Careers lasting four to five years were extremely rare, suggesting the challenge of being a long-term presence in a young national team. There is a significant correlation between the length of the career in the youth national team and the number of appearances for the senior national team - players with a long and medium duration of the national team career in the youth national team made more appearances for the senior national team. Likewise, players who participated in both major competitions (European and World Championships) made significantly more appearances for the senior national team. These results indicate the importance of continuity and consistency in the player's development phase, and the importance of international experience in different types of competitions for a successful transition to the senior level.