By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Despite a crazy amount of obstacles, from injured players to others choosing to skip the tournament or in-game problems such as Jovic’s injury, Serbia is once again competing for the title in the international tournament.
For head coach Sasa Djordjevic, it’s all about the burning desire and “human aspect”, his guys are showing on the floor.
“Congratulations to everyone. It was great semifinal between two players that showed they deserve to be here. I believe tonight my players were ready and willing. The effort was there. The concentration. The dedication. The desire. And that’s something I’ll have to thank them for the rest of my life. They are the true heroes of this step to the Final. The team you see on the floor has players that never missed a practice during the preparation period. Maybe only Jovic because of a problem. Hard work, dedication, huge desire, chemistry. Their human part brought us all together here. I believe we had a great first half. We were ready for all the tactical things that Russia prepared. We had some foul troubles down the stretch. We had a little problem with Jovic that he couldn’t continue in the game. But the others stepped up. Bogdanovic was huge. Marjanovic. Big shot by Micic. Something to remember.”
On the match vs Slovenia, Djordjevic said:
“It’s over. You have to think about the next opponent. Slovenia is unbeaten. They are the absolute favorites. They played great. They have leaders. They have great chemistry and are coached brilliantly. My colleague Igor Kokoskov is doing a great job. We have to give them credit for being there. They are the opponent to beat now.”
“Sale” also hailed the effort of the Russian national team.
“Shved was unbelievable tonight. We knew that they would come back. The hardest part was defending this Russian team. They are talented and experienced with EuroLeague players. That’s why I have to give credit to Dragan Milosavljevic. And Vladimir Lucic for his energy. Bogdanovic also took it personally. That’s it we are going to the Final. And we want to finish it in a different way in comparison with the other Finals.”
<em>Photo credits: (FIBA)</em>