INTERVIEW Vladimir Jovanović: We want to be a standard abaligaš

From the next season, there will be 16 clubs in the AdmiralBet ABA League. As it was decided earlier, there was no relegation from the league, the invitation was given to Dubai, and the last club, which provided participation in the elite rank of the regional competition, is the winner of the NLB ABA2 league, Spartak Subotica.

The team from the north of Serbia will be a member of the AdmiralBet ABA League for the first time in history. And that's the goal we set out for three years ago, when the new management took over the club from Subotica. Spartak went step by step, so two years ago it entered the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), then, last season, it won placement in the NLB ABA2 league, which it dominantly won this year and became the sixth team from Serbia in the ABA league.

That Spartak's ambitions this season are the greatest was clear at the beginning of November last year, when Vladimir Đokić was succeeded on the bench by Vladimir Vlade Jovanović. The former coach of Partizan, who won the ABA league with the "black and whites" and before that was in the coaching staff of Duško Vujošević, who worked in Ukraine and China, led Lokomotiva from Kuban, Igokea, Mega and Budućnost Voli, arrived in Subotica with with a clear goal - to introduce the team from "Dudova šuma" into the elite.

And Jovanović succeeded in that - Spartak finished the regular part of the NLB ABA2 league in first place with a score of 11-2 (defeats against Podgorica and Vojvodina), and in the playoffs, which were played on goal difference, they defeated Helios twice, MZT and finally, in the final, Vojvodina. The goal was fulfilled, and Jovanović became the first coach to win the AdmiralBet ABA League and the NLB ABA2 League.

"I am glad to be the first coach to win the ABA league and the ABA2 league. In Spartak, we had one goal this season, and that is to qualify for the ABA league. The season was demanding - we competed in the KLS and ABA2 leagues, which required a specific approach, a lot of energy and concentration. After achieving the goal, I feel good and satisfied", said Jovanović at the start of the interview for "Vijesti".

I WASN'T SURE IF I MADE THE RIGHT MOVE

Jovanović admits that at first he thought about whether to accept Spartak's offer. In the end, everything was ideal.

"To be honest, at the first moment I had a lot of doubts, whether I should agree to be part of the Spartak project or not. Ambitious people from the club assured me that I would get full freedom and a free hand, to achieve the goal together. At the start I wasn't sure if I made the right move. But everything they said at the first meeting was respected. I have to be happy with how everything worked out. It is no different to how the club has operated for the past three years. "These are people who grew up in Spartak, who played basketball there, and who are ready to provide the best possible conditions with their work and financial resources," explained Jovanović.

After arriving in Subotica, there were changes in the playing staff. Jovanović was doing additional selection, so after his arrival, the team was strengthened by Luka Cerovina, Nemanja Gordić, Aleksandar Lazić, Aleksandar Marelja and Vil Mozli. These are basketball players with great experience, who played not only in the ABA league, but also in European clubs.

"Each coach tries to build a team to his liking. With the right that the club gave me, I tried to adapt the composition to myself and the requirements that were put before us. All the players who were there until the end, those who came and those who left are good players. Through selection, I tried to create a team that is complementary - that the players can function, that their quality enhances the quality of other players. Considering that we were hoping to reach the finals, the second reason why I changed the team was to bring basketball players who have quality, but above all the experience of playing such games."

When it comes to the next season, the main goal will be survival in the AdmiralBet ABA League.

"In the previous three years, the ambitions were the highest. Next season we need to be more realistic - to create a squad that would ensure our survival, and then to try to grow as a club, so maybe our goals will be higher at some point. At this point we should be humble. As far as I'm concerned, one of the goals would be to stay in the league. To become a standard member of the ABA League".

NLB ABA2 IS A SPECIFIC COMPETITION

For four years now, the NLB ABA2 league has been played in "balloons". The tournament system started during the coronavirus and has remained in force until today, while this season's playoffs were played according to the home and away system, based on goal difference.

"Based on what I've seen this season, it's a specific competition system. It is demanding, the club has no right to make a mistake, every defeat affects the final ranking. And the playoffs are specific. As for the quality in the ABA2 league this season, there were some clubs that made quality squads. We, Vojvodina, Zlatibor, MZT, Podgorica, which had a good team and scored with foreigners and had a good combination of local and foreign players. There were teams that, with minor composition corrections, could be standard abaligas. "I saw a lot of good teams and a lot of good players," Jovanović believes.

PARTIZAN AND ZVEZTA RAISE THE INVESTMENT LADDER

In addition to the NLB ABA2, the season has also ended in the AdmiralBet ABA league. The title was won by Red Star, who defeated Partizan 3:0 in the final series. For the first time in six years, a break was seen in the final, and for the first time in seven years, a team won 3:0 in the final series.

"The season was quite turbulent. Partizan and Zvezda have raised the bar in terms of investment compared to other clubs, I think even unattainable. The future is trying to be close, and the other teams are far away. As for the finals - I expected that, like every year, the series would be five games. Partizan was close in the first game, they played well and it would not be undeserved if they won. Zvezda was better in the second match. "And the situation that happened on the day of the third game reflected more on Partizan than on Zvezda, which eventually won the trophy," said Jovanović.

FUTURE HAD A GOOD HALF SEASON

Jovanović's last coaching appointment before Spartak was in Budućnost. He arrived in Podgorica in the summer of 2022, but did not finish the season. The parting took place on April 15 last year, when the contract was terminated by mutual consent.

"I spent a good period in Buducnosti. I haven't followed them too much this season. They entered this season more ambitious than last year, they had a lot of quality players. At the beginning, they emphasized high ambitions. It is clear that Buducnosti's ambition must be to reach the finals of the Eurocup, but they failed to do that this season. They had a good half-season, a quality ABA league and a more than quality series with Partizan in the semi-finals. It seems to me that in the end it looked really good," Jovanović concluded.