By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After missing most of last season due to injury and medical issues, Balsa Koprivica of Partizan decided to spend his summer in Los Angles where he trained next to some high-level basketball players.
“I started working in America at the beginning of July, so I have been in the full training process according to the agreed program for a little over a month. For me, going to America is already an established process. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past three summers,” begins Balsa Koprivica’s conversation with Mozzart Sport.
Yet. this trip to Los Angeles seems to have been particularly significant.
“I spent a lot of time in America growing up. After a season like this, I wanted to isolate myself mentally, find a new beginning and come back with a clean head for the next season. To reset me.”
That’s exactly what he did.
“I played a lot of five-on-five, to get back to the form I lost, more precisely, it was more about the feeling on the court. To feel comfortable. That’s exactly what I got from these trainings. I played a lot of games with NBA players, and that’s something I wouldn’t be able to do in Serbia. First of all, I’m thinking of the five-on-five matches.”
How serious those training matches were is best shown by a photo that appeared on social networks. Klay Thompson with the ball and Balša Koprivica jump up to play defense on one of the best shooters on the planet.
“He was there twice, every day some new players come. There are always five or six NBA players, a few from Europe and a couple of guys from college. It’s quality work.”
We saw the same from Partizan Mozzart Bet captain Kevin Punther this summer.
“He was also in Los Angeles for a while, but at another college. We didn’t get to see each other. There are several teams at those training games, Steph Curry and Trae Young often appear. I also got an invitation to the Drew League, which is popular during summer, but those are a bit wild games, I didn’t want to risk any injury so I gave it up. I stuck to the program”
And Koprivica is one of the players who signed a new contract after Kevin Punter, Zach LeDay, Aleksa Avramovic, and James Nunnally.
“I had a contract for the next season, but we pushed for a new contract. I am satisfied to be part of a club like Partizan. That I have confidence and that I will have the opportunity to continue working in an excellent environment.”
Having missed most of last season, he has clear goals for next season.
“I have my own plans, I wouldn’t want to go into details, but in general I want to get into a rhythm from the very start, not to think too far ahead but to go day by day and thus gain the trust of my teammates and coaches due to missing almost the entire last season. Of course, the goal is to listen to everything Zeljko Obradovic says. I think I corrected a lot of things during the summer, which will help me for the whole season, but at the end of the day, everything is gained through matches, and the parquet floor will show its worth”.