By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Manila, Philippines – Montenegro became the team that gave the US their biggest test so far in the FIBA World Cup and that’s not a small feat.
A country of 600,000 with the help of naturalized point guard Kendrick Perry was until the closing minutes in the game and as he admitted to Eurohoops, they had a real chance to make history.
“It’s unfortunate if you look at the result, but if you look at the whole span of 40 minutes, I am proud of the way we competed”, Perry said. “Obviously, you got to credit the USA, their pedigree speaks for itself but we wanted to come out and compete”.
Montenegro had a much thinner roster compared to Team USA but fought until the end. Perry explained that this might be the case, but on the other hand, making 22 turnovers decided the game: “You can look at it like that if you look at their roster, but ultimately we had some opportunities that we couldn’t take advantage of, we let it slip. You can’t afford to make mistakes like that against a team like this, against any other team. Still, you have to credit them, they are a hell of a team”.
Watch the upcoming World Cup on the official streaming service of FIBA! Join Courtside 1891 and never miss a second of the action!
On a personal note, playing against the country he was born and raised as a naturalized Montenegrin citizen, Perry admitted that this was a special game: “Everybody has an opinion for naturalized players, but I want to represent Montenegro the best way I can. It’s a little bit sweater playing the United States, having friends and family watching back home. At the end of the, however, I have the same approach in every game”.