Post by radovic on Jan 11, 2008 10:37:03 GMT -5
New Serbia basketball coach unveiled
I’ll return NBA players to the team - Ivkovic
Author: T. Dragojevic | 11.01.2008 - 06:05
Dusan Ivkovic has been confirmed as the new Serbia basketball coach. In his first tenure as the country’s team coach Ivkovic remained undefeated in the 19 games in charge. Upon the signing of the four-year deal with Serbia Basketball Association, the renowned Serbian coach has announced he will create a new team and work on returning the nation’s basketball among the world’s greats to battle for medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
- “The year 2008 is an Olympic year, but Serbia will unfortunately be absent from the world’s basketball summit in China. However, there is no time for moaning as we’ve got four years ahead of us to try and go back to where we belong in the forthcoming campaign. The coming year is also the year of qualifications, which is the hardest job for us now, as we’re starting from scratch. We do have a coach now but we still don’t have a national team. We need to form a team with only one goal set in their mind – the London Olympics. Also I hope we’ll be able to ensure our place at the World Championships in Turkey in 2010 through a high place at the Eurobasket in Poland. Following the Eurobasket 2009 in Lithuania I believe we’ll have booked our place at the Olympic Games of 2012. We certainly possess quality and talented players on our hands. I’m also sure there will be those who will not approve of my approach until hard evidence in the shape of good results comes, but I’m willing to take the responsibility,” said the incoming Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic.
The first assignment of the celebrated coach will be to depart for the USA, where he is to hold talks with NBA-based Serbian players.
- “We’re going to react immediately, as early as on 18 and 19 January I’m having meetings scheduled in New York, where, as a FIBA representative, I will participate in the negotiations with the NBA and NCAA representatives on the coordination of rules. I will also use the stay in America to talk to our players, hoping to restore the national team’s image and return some of the paramount individuals to the team. There will be no more possibility of last-minute cancellations as I have full confidence in the players and we’ll be in constant contact.”
Ivkovic did not mention who would comprise his backroom staff, but indicated he would be extremely pleased if Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic was on the team as assistant.
- “He is the finest European coach and we need exactly the men of his calibre at a delicate time like this. This is the very reason why I intend to assemble a team of experts as my immediate associates, but only I will lead the team and thus take all the responsibility for the results achieved. There are some coaches who are rancorous with the BA, but that is beside the point now as we need to put together people like Zeljko Obradovic and some of the younger ones as well.”
Ivkovic comments on the kind of team Serbia currently have at disposal for the forthcoming challenges.
- “First of all, we need to earn ourselves the qualifications for the Eurobasket, while I will announce the team after all club competitions of the season have ended. The only criterion when putting together the team will be the current run of form. Our primary goal is not to reach our peak at the very first tournament but to create a basis for London, bridge the current gap in our basketball,” says Ivkovic.
No play for a bouzouki wild night and a girl
The former world and triple European champion stressed Serbia will have to develop basketball centres across Serbia in order to create a quality league and national team.
- “We need to strengthen the traditionally strong centres around Serbia, such as Valjevo, Nis, Novi Sad and Cacak, which have delivered some brilliant individuals in the past, but always failed to have good teams. We need to invest into younger generations of players so that they could mature as players here in their own country. Our task is to provide the best possible conditions for them, so that they don’t necessarily depart for a foreign league. For example, Aleksandar Rasic, who had been expected to be the backbone of the national team has changed three clubs in the past six months. There used to be generations of players who would go to the NBA, but they shortly returned home, never achieving what they would have achieved here. I told the Greeks this once: there is no point in playing for one contract, a good car, a bouzouki wild night and a girl,” concluded Ivkovic.
I’ll return NBA players to the team - Ivkovic
Author: T. Dragojevic | 11.01.2008 - 06:05
Dusan Ivkovic has been confirmed as the new Serbia basketball coach. In his first tenure as the country’s team coach Ivkovic remained undefeated in the 19 games in charge. Upon the signing of the four-year deal with Serbia Basketball Association, the renowned Serbian coach has announced he will create a new team and work on returning the nation’s basketball among the world’s greats to battle for medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
- “The year 2008 is an Olympic year, but Serbia will unfortunately be absent from the world’s basketball summit in China. However, there is no time for moaning as we’ve got four years ahead of us to try and go back to where we belong in the forthcoming campaign. The coming year is also the year of qualifications, which is the hardest job for us now, as we’re starting from scratch. We do have a coach now but we still don’t have a national team. We need to form a team with only one goal set in their mind – the London Olympics. Also I hope we’ll be able to ensure our place at the World Championships in Turkey in 2010 through a high place at the Eurobasket in Poland. Following the Eurobasket 2009 in Lithuania I believe we’ll have booked our place at the Olympic Games of 2012. We certainly possess quality and talented players on our hands. I’m also sure there will be those who will not approve of my approach until hard evidence in the shape of good results comes, but I’m willing to take the responsibility,” said the incoming Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic.
The first assignment of the celebrated coach will be to depart for the USA, where he is to hold talks with NBA-based Serbian players.
- “We’re going to react immediately, as early as on 18 and 19 January I’m having meetings scheduled in New York, where, as a FIBA representative, I will participate in the negotiations with the NBA and NCAA representatives on the coordination of rules. I will also use the stay in America to talk to our players, hoping to restore the national team’s image and return some of the paramount individuals to the team. There will be no more possibility of last-minute cancellations as I have full confidence in the players and we’ll be in constant contact.”
Ivkovic did not mention who would comprise his backroom staff, but indicated he would be extremely pleased if Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic was on the team as assistant.
- “He is the finest European coach and we need exactly the men of his calibre at a delicate time like this. This is the very reason why I intend to assemble a team of experts as my immediate associates, but only I will lead the team and thus take all the responsibility for the results achieved. There are some coaches who are rancorous with the BA, but that is beside the point now as we need to put together people like Zeljko Obradovic and some of the younger ones as well.”
Ivkovic comments on the kind of team Serbia currently have at disposal for the forthcoming challenges.
- “First of all, we need to earn ourselves the qualifications for the Eurobasket, while I will announce the team after all club competitions of the season have ended. The only criterion when putting together the team will be the current run of form. Our primary goal is not to reach our peak at the very first tournament but to create a basis for London, bridge the current gap in our basketball,” says Ivkovic.
No play for a bouzouki wild night and a girl
The former world and triple European champion stressed Serbia will have to develop basketball centres across Serbia in order to create a quality league and national team.
- “We need to strengthen the traditionally strong centres around Serbia, such as Valjevo, Nis, Novi Sad and Cacak, which have delivered some brilliant individuals in the past, but always failed to have good teams. We need to invest into younger generations of players so that they could mature as players here in their own country. Our task is to provide the best possible conditions for them, so that they don’t necessarily depart for a foreign league. For example, Aleksandar Rasic, who had been expected to be the backbone of the national team has changed three clubs in the past six months. There used to be generations of players who would go to the NBA, but they shortly returned home, never achieving what they would have achieved here. I told the Greeks this once: there is no point in playing for one contract, a good car, a bouzouki wild night and a girl,” concluded Ivkovic.