The next Summer Olympics will get underway on 14 th July, 2028. Until then, Serbia’s basketball players will be counting the days and waiting for the opportunity to get even with the American “dream team”. On their home court...
lo stariji, a Petrušev i Jović malo mlađi. Imamo ogromnog iskustva i mladosti, znanja. Ponosan sam i najveću sreću mi čini to što sam radio sa tim momcima, jer su na- pravili balans i nije se znalo ko je najvažniji, ko kosi, a ko vodu no- si – objasnio je sve selektor Sve- tislav Pešić. Ne bi trebalo ni da zaboravi- mo Alekseja Pokuševskog (2001. godište), dok će za četiri godine u punoj snazi biti imenjaci Nikola Topić (2005) i Đurišić (2004). Obo- jica imaju NBA ugovore i priliku da napreduju brzinom svetlosti. Takođe, u budućnosti dosta oče- kujemo od Save Drezgića (2006), najkorisnijeg igrača Evropskog pr- venstva za juniore na kojem smo bili drugi, i njegovog vršnjaka iz Crvene Zvezde, Andreja Kostića. – Nadam se da ovo nije po- slednji put da smo zajedno. Mi- slim da ovaj tim može da bude još bolji u budućnosti. Ovo je možda i jedna od najboljih ekipa koje je Srbija ikada imala – priznao je Fi- lip Petrušev, koji je u Parizu odi- grao za čistu desetku. Da domaćinu Olimpijskih iga- ra 2028. nije svejedno, vidimo i na društvenim mrežama gde se traže naslednici Džejmsa, Durenta, Ka- rija, Dejvisa, Holideja... I, za sada ih nema. Najbolji igrač njihove lige je Srbin. Drugi najbolji je Kanađa- nin, treći Slovenac, četvrti Grk... A vreme leti...
THE U.S. NATIONAL TEAM OWES US ONE FROM PARIS . We had them in the palm of our hands and held them firmly until the very end, but they still somehow squirmed out of our grasp and will spend the next four years looking after our gold for us. Yes, they will look after it for us, because our “Eagles” are prepar- ing to take revenge. Upon returning to Serbia, our basketball aces stated in unison that 2028 is still a long way off, but that the first page of the “Operation Los Angeles” scenario is already being written. A good thing in all of this is that the main roles have already been picked. Unlike the Americans, our squad will be at full strength for the next Games. Bogdan Bogdano- vić will be 35 in Los Angeles. He will be younger than Stephen Curry was in Paris, and we all saw how well the Golden State ace played. Serbia’s cap- tain is contracted at Atlanta until 2027, while he has stated repeated- ly that he’d like to return to Serbia and end his career at Partizan. And what could be a better finish than gold in the dream team’s backyard? Bogdan is followed by five players who were born in ‘94: Jokić, Micić,
Dobrić, Avramović and Milutinov. Davidovac and Gudurić are just a few months younger. Marinković will be 31 in LA, Plavšić will be 29, Petrušev 28 and Jović 25. This team is too good for us to “use” it only once. “This is a team that’s very close generationally, with seven or eight of them hailing from the same genera- tion and having gone through all the representative squads together. Bog- dan is slightly older, while Petrušev and Jović are slightly younger. We have huge experience and youth, knowledge. I’m proud and happiest to have worked with these guys, be- cause they formed a balance and it was unknown who was the most im- portant, who mows the lawn and who carries the water,” said head coach Svetislav Pešić, explaining everything. We also shouldn’t overlook Al- eksej Pokuševski (born 2001), while in four years the two Nikolas, Topić (2005) and Đurišić (2004,) will be at the peak of their powers. They both have NBA contracts and an oppor- tunity to advance at light speed. We also expect a lot in the future from Sava Drezgić (2006), the MVP of the FIBA Youth EuroBasket Cham- pionship at which we finished sec- ond, and his Red Star contemporary Andrej Kostić. “I hope this isn’t the last time that we’re together. I think this team can be even better in the future. This is perhaps one of the best teams that Serbia has ever had,” admitted Filip Petrušev, whose play in Paris was a clear ten out of ten. We can also see that the hosts of the 2028 Summer Olympics aren’t apathetic by social media posts in which they are seeking successors to the likes of James, Durant, Curry, Da- vis, Holiday et al, so far without suc- cess. The best player in “their league” is a Serb. The second best is a Cana- dian, third is a Slovenian, fourth is a Greek... And time flies...
Tekst / Words: Aleksandar Pijevac Fotografije / Photography: Profimedia.rs
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