By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
On Thursday night, Mitrovic will play game number 68 of his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career, and surely this night will not be like the others! The 24-year-old Serbian forward will return to Belgrade and the Kombank Arena to face his beloved Zvezda for the first time as an opponent, as a player of Brose Bamberg.
His whole journey in high-level basketball so far athas been identified with Zvezda. That’s the team he joined from KK Hemofarm Vrsac in 2012 and where he stayed for five years, making history. He won three Adriatic League, three Serbian League and four Serbian Cup titles with Zvezda!
Mitrovic got established in the EuroLeague at the same time his team did!
His own personal establishment in the EuroLeague coincided with the seasons in which the Belgrade club climbed a few levels in the top league and made great progress. From 10 wins in 2014-15, Zvezda went up to 12 the following season and played in the playoffs against CSKA Moscow. Last season, with the new format, the club made a new record in their history in the EuroLeague with 16 wins!
In the summer of 2014, at the age of 21, Mitrovic took over the team’s captainship and this demonstrates his relationship with the club and the impact he had on and off the court! A moment that hutr him and Zvezda, however, was his knee injury in October 2015 in a game against Olimpija Ljubljana. Mitrovic managed to play in just four games that season.
But he came back last season with 28 appearances, helping Zvezda to make an excellent campaign and get many great wins against top clubs. On June 29, he decided to play basketball outside of Serbia for the first time and signed with Bamberg for three years. Now, the time has come for him to return to his home. Zvezda’s unique crowd will definitely welcome him like he deserves, like one of their own!
Mitrovic: It will be a strange feeling for me!
How does Mitrovic feel about his first encounter as an opponent with the team he came of age for as a player, on the court where he experienced great moments and in front of a crowd with which he had a strong relationship and communication?
“It will be a strange feeling for me, that’s for sure! It will be my first time against Zvezda, but I’m very excited. I can’t wait for the moment to come to play in this game! I will try to give my best in order to win!”
How does the Serbian forward see his own performances so far and what does he expect from himself and his teammates?
“I believe that, not only I, but all of us can play much better. We are still getting to know each other, a lot of the guys have new roles and a new coach, Andrea Trinchieri. I’m sure that time is on our side and that we will get better and better.”
Bamberg needs better luck!
Last season, the first in the EuroLeague’s new format, Bamberg had a 10-20 record, even though they were extremely competitive and lost several clashes that were decided in the end. Mitrovic hopes that the team will have better luck this season!
“With the new system, the EuroLeague is a very tough league and you can take nothing for granted. We will try to be as competitive as we can and I hope we will have better luck compared to last season, when the team lost many games by a single possession.”
Get ready for a big battle, then! The two gladiators, Zvezda and Bamberg, will both step on the court with 2-2 records on a night that will be remembered as Mitrovic’s return home! #GameOn!