After 22 rounds of the AdmiralBet ABA League, the only Croatian team still fighting for the playoffs is Zadar. The current Croatian champion is in ninth place in the standings and has the same record as Mega and FMP (11-11).
Led by coach Danijel Jusup, Zadar has been the only Croatian team to play in the regional competition playoffs for years. The current Croatian champion has the ambition to reach the playoffs this season, and a big role in that is played by Montenegrin national team player, Vladimir Mihailović, who strengthened Zadar ahead of this season.
Since arriving at the "Krešimir Ćosić" stadium, the Montenegrin international has grown into a team leader. In the AdmiralBet ABA League, he averages 16,6 points, and missed the last two matches - against Red Star Belgrade and Krka - due to injury. The recovery process is going according to plan and Mihailović will soon be back on the field.
"The recovery process is going in the right direction and I will be ready soon. We have struggled with injuries this season. I hope we will be healthy until the end of the season, and then everything we hope for will come true," said Mihailović in an interview with the club's TV.
At the beginning of the conversation, Mihailović spoke about his arrival in Zadar and his first days in Dalmatia.
"I've adapted really well. I've been accepted in the best possible way from the start - by great teammates, the coaching staff, people from the club and the fans. I feel very good in Zadar. I've known a lot of my teammates for many years, we've played against each other. They're great teammates and guys," explained the Montenegrin international.
He arrived in Zadar at the invitation of coach Danijel Jusup.
"We have a good relationship. The coach is experienced, we know what successes he has behind him. In recent years, he has achieved incredible results with his budget and team. It was not difficult for me to decide to come to Zadar at his invitation. I was not wrong," Mihailović is honest.
Mihailović also played for Zadar in 2010, playing for the Montenegrin youth basketball team. The team, which included Bojan Dubljević and Nemanja Radović in addition to Mihailović, won sixth place at the European Championship A Division.
"I've been to Zadar before, the first time with the youth national team in the finals of the European Championship. I've played in Zadar quite a few times. It's a beautiful city, and my family likes it when they come here. Unfortunately, this year we're forced to be separated because my older son goes to school, so they visit me whenever they get the chance," says Mihailović.
One of the games that marked Mihailović's stay in Zadar so far was the one played in November last year against Cedevita-Olimpija in "Jazine", when the Croatian champion celebrated 81:73. At the end of the first half, the guard hit a three-pointer almost from the center, and then an eruption occurred in the hall.
"I will definitely remember that feeling. Such an eruption in the hall... I got goosebumps. Playing in 'Jazine' is a special feeling. I've been through a lot, played in incredible conditions, but I'm glad and honored to have had the opportunity to feel the ambience of 'Jazine'. It's a unique hall. It's smaller, the audience is close, you can feel the incredible energy. Everyone sings together, which is an indescribable feeling," explained Mihailović.
Vladimir Mihailović played for Buducnost Voli, Mornar, Ostend, Okapi, Tübingen, Würzburg, Oldenburg, Anvil and Cmoki in his career. He had a great time in Belgium - he won the double with Ostend in 2018.
"My period in Belgium was great. In my first year with Ostende, I had a very successful season, exceptional memories. Ostende is the best club in Belgium. After that, I left for a year, and then came back and spent two years at Okapi, which were very nice for me and my family, but also significant for my career. Of all the countries I played in, Belgium left the biggest mark," said Mihailović.
It was in the Okapi jersey in 2021 that he was the MVP of the Belgian championship and the top scorer.
"It's a nice feeling. A specific season, because the league was delayed due to the corona. It started well and continued at that pace. I enjoyed the break due to the corona, because I worked on myself all summer. I had an extraordinary season on a personal level, and that was followed by solid success on a team level. That was the reward for all the work," Mihailović concluded in an interview for Klip TV.
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