Dino Radončić for "Vijesti": Real does not write off, the winning mentality is at the heart of that club
Montenegrin basketball player Dino Radončić spoke to "Vijesti" about Real's title, his former club, Madrid basketball players and his former teammates, as well as his career in Spain and the upcoming Mundobasket
Seven days ago, Real's basketball players won the EuroLeague for the 11th time in history in Kaunas, and the way they won the cup will be recorded for all time - they eliminated Partizan in the quarterfinals and became the first team to advance to the final four after losing 2:0 in the series. Then, in the semi-finals, they made up for the nine-point deficit against Barcelona, and in the final, they dealt a painful blow to Olympiakos, who were the first contenders for the title.
The Athenians led by 12 points, had plus seven in the fourth quarter, but were unable to break the game. Then Sergio Ljulj appeared and with his only points, 3,2 seconds before the end, extinguished all the hopes of the "red and whites".
In addition to Ljulje, other Real veterans - Sergio Rodriguez, Rudi Fernandes and Fabien Kozer - made a great contribution to winning the title, while Valter Tavares was indisputable under the basket.
All the basketball players mentioned above were teammates of the Montenegrin representative Dino Radončić, who went through the junior selections of the "royal club" and was part of the team that won the 2018th European title in 10 in Belgrade.
In an interview with "Vijesti", Radončić points out that he is not surprised by the success of Madrid, since the winning spirit has adorned this team for years.
"The first season after Pablo Las seemed unstable to me, which is normal for the arrival of a new coach and new players. "Real showed that the winning spirit remains in the heart of the team and that in the end the veterans were essential in winning the Euroleague," said Radončić.
Before going to Kaunas, Real eliminated Partizan in an epic turnaround. The European champion was outplayed in the first two matches, had a minus 18 in the master's, but despite that, Radončić believed that his former teammates could achieve a turnaround.
"I believed I could, because you can never write off a team like Real, with that winning mentality and a club that has won the Euroleague 11 times. I believed that they could come back, although at times it seemed that Partizan was much more dominant."
The Zaragoza basketball player believes that the fight in the second match turned the series in Real's favor.
"I think the fight changed everything. She gave a big plus to Real regarding the sanctions against Partizan's players. Together, they found strength and showed quality in the next three games. The fight was definitely a big factor in this series."
Ljulj, Kozer, Tavares, Anthony Randolph and Fernandes - all of them were in the squad in 2018, when Real won the 10th title. Rodrigues played for CSKA that year, but Radončić had worked with him before.
"Every player is already a legend of European basketball. This status is reached first with great moderation and feet on the ground, and then with exceptional work and great professionalism. A lot can be learned from them - they never had a problem, both for me and for all the young players, to give some advice and work around us so that we could learn something more," explains the basketball winger.
Fernandes, Ljulj and Rodriguez are world basketball phenomena.
"It meant a lot to me to work with them, because I looked up to them as idols since I was in the younger categories of Real. My dream was to play with them, to learn from them... That year meant a lot to me. I am happy and privileged to have had the honor of having such legends as my teammates."
Radončić also shared the dressing room with Tavares. The center from the Cape Verde Islands marked the season in the Euroleague.
"I have nothing but words of praise for Edi Tavares. That's a top person. With great effort and work, he progressed and is now the best European center. It's hard to get a layup basket against him, he changes every attack a lot. I think he is the player who makes the biggest difference in Europe right now."
The coach, Ćus Mateo, is also in the center of attention. For years he was an assistant to Lasu, whom he succeeded on the bench last summer. And since then he was under pressure, every decision of his was analyzed with special care.
"Ćus Mateo is a top coach, with great experience. He knows the club and the players - I'm glad he managed to cope with the pressure and win the Euroleague in the end. The coaching job is the hardest, especially when you are in a club like Real and you have to deal with that pressure. I'm happy and I'm glad for him how he performed the season."
Real's juniors were the best in Kaunas, defeating the Next Generation team in the final. The Montenegrin basketball player also participated in such tournaments in the early stages of his career.
"I think these tournaments are very important, because you play against the best European clubs of your generation and you can see your level, so that next year when you move to the seniors, you will know what you lack and what you need to work on."
Radončić built his career at Real with Luka Dončić. They played together in development tournaments, passed junior selections, played in the first team and other teammates.
"As his friend, I am very proud of everything Luka has done in the NBA. I am very happy, I expected that from him. I didn't think his transition from Europe to the NBA would be so quick. The level he is delivering now is incredible and I think the best is yet to come. I think he will definitely be in the final stages of being MVP next year."
There is no need to waste words on the organization of a club like Real...
"The biggest club in the world has the best organization in the world. Everything is subordinated to the players - the smallest detail is important. I don't need to talk about training and living conditions, private planes, all the comforts provided by the biggest club in the world."
After leaving Real, Radončić played for Burgos, Murcia, Tenerife, Gipuzkoa and Zaragoza. In the Zaragoza jersey, he played 16 games in the Endesa League this season, and was out of action for four months due to an injury. He averaged 4,1 points and 3,8 rebounds in 16 minutes.
"After a serious injury, the most important thing for me is to be healthy. I had four long and difficult months. I am looking forward to the next season with great desire and motivation. It's too early to comment on the next season. I have a contract with Zaragoza for another year, and since nothing is known in basketball, the goal is only to seek the best for me and my family."
A match against the USA would be a dream come true
Radončić is expected to perform at the second Mundobasket with the Montenegrin basketball team in the summer. Boško Radović's team will play the matches in the capital of the Philippines - Manila, and the rivals in group D are Egypt, Mexico and Lithuania.
"The group seems great to me. It won't be easy, nor would I want to put pressure on the team. Just being there is a great success. I am sure that, with the selector and the team that we will assemble, with our work and commitment, we will deserve to go to the second round", Radončić is optimistic.
The group in which Montenegro is in crosses with group C where New Zealand, Jordan and the USA are.
"Going to the second stage would be an incredible achievement. The crown of everything would be the match with America, which I think is the boyhood dream of most of us in the national team. I am sure that it will be an additional motive", concluded Dino Radončić.
( Savo Njunjic )