By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Miroslav Raduljica is busy with the Euroleague Top16 as a member of Panathinaikos, but he is also already thinking about the pre-Olympic tournament of Belgrade. Despite playing on home ground, Serbia has to be extra careful according to the experienced center.
“I’ve heard people saying it’s an easy draw for us, but I don’t think so,” the 28-year-old told FIBA.com. “I don’t know who are the favourites. My opinion is that we need to be careful, there are teams like Latvia and Czech Republic, which are getting better every year. I am more concerned about the European teams, maybe because I know them better, but nowadays in basketball anyone can beat anyone else. So I would want us to be cautious until the last second of the last game. Ever since our group got together on the national team a few years ago we have been taking it step by step. I am sure this is what we will do in July once again and we’ll only focus on the next opponent each time”.
The key for Serbia will be the fact that the team of coach Djordjevic has already two major tournaments under its belt: “We know each other very well because we have been playing together for a long time. We are a group of very good individuals who know how to play like a team and behaves like a family. This is why whatever new players join the team this summer, it will be easy for them to fit in, they will blend with the team seamlessly even though there is not much time for preparation after the club leagues end and the guys come back from various countries”.
And of course “Kombank Arena” at Belgrade will be a weapon. “I don’t have to imagine it, I know exactly what it’s going to be like,” Raduljica said with a smile. “I played a few games there when I used to play in Serbia (at FMP and Partizan Belgrade) and I know these fans cannot wait for this, they cannot wait to see us play there. It’s very satisfying for us to get the chance to play this tournament in front of our fans and trust me, there is going to be a lot, really a lot of them in the arena. People in Serbia love basketball so much that everybody is going to have a great time”.