By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Serbia captain Bogdan Bogdanovic expressed his belief that Svetislav Pesic will remain the head coach of the national team. Pesic, 75, said that he’s stepping down earlier in September.
“We [Serbia players] in our group have already commented. We all reacted with: ‘Huh…’. I don’t believe him. I think he will stay,” Bogdanovic said to RTS. “Knowing how close we have come, how much time we have invested in creating a working atmosphere, building a winning mentality that is difficult to build and easy to lose.”
Pesic coached the Serbian national team from 2021 to the 2024 Olympic Games. He was previously at the helm of the Serbian & Montenegro team that won the 2022 World Championship 2002.
Under Pesic, Serbia finished 2nd in the 2023 World Cup and claimed bronze medal in this year’s Olympics.
“Here, let’s put the pressure on him,” Bogdanovic added. “He has abnormal energy. He is persistent, he doesn’t give up his ways and teachings, maybe we protest there, but after we talk we realize that he was right. He’s proven to have that experience, as he says, it’s not important that you have it, but that you know how to use it.”
Bogdanovic averaged 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the Olympic tournament. The 32-year-old guard was coming off his most productive season in the NBA so far (16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists) in his fourth year with the Atlanta Hawks.