The matches between SC Derbija and Budućnost Volija are often interesting and uncertain until the very end. That was the case on Saturday, when Andrej Žakelj's team celebrated (105:99) and continued the race with Partizan for first place before the playoffs. On the other hand, SC Derbi broke a three-game winning streak in the regional competition. Petar Mijović's team has been playing very well lately, having previously secured survival, but is far from the playoffs.
And the good form of the "students" is also accompanied by the good play of Igor Drobnjak. The Montenegrin national team player scored 17 points in the first half against Buducnost, finishing the match with 25, which is his career record in the regional competition. He was also good in the first part of the season against his former club, and then finished the game with 22 points.
"In the last two seasons, all the games we played against Buducnost were exciting to play, but also to watch. They played good basketball, I think the audience that followed the match found it interesting," Drobnjak told "Vijesti".
Before the match against Buducnost, the "students" defeated Mornar, Split and Igokea, in those matches, but the attack was quite good against Buducnost as well.
"It's obvious that we're on the rise. We've played the last few games at a much higher level. I think we're only now showing our full potential. We lost, but I think we can be satisfied with the fight, because Buducnost is a better team," says Drobnjak.
Coach Petar Mijović previously pointed out that the team has been playing more relaxed since securing survival. SC Derbija's playmaker agrees with that statement.
"When we are not the favorites, we play much more relaxed and with better quality. This can be attributed to the fact that we are a young and not so experienced team. It remains a pity that we did not manage to achieve more victories, especially in the first part of the season, because now we would have been competitive in the fight for the playoffs."
Drobnjak was injured in the semi-finals of the Montenegrin Cup, which caused him to miss the final against Buducnost, as well as the Montenegrin national team's EuroBasket qualifiers against Germany and Sweden. He has been playing very well since returning to the court, recently hitting five three-pointers in six attempts against Split. This season, he is averaging 9,8 points and 2,3 assists in the regional competition.
"I had an injury in the Cup semi-final, I was out of the field for a month, so I thought the recovery would be harder. I played a few games after that at a high level. I'm satisfied. This season I got a more specific role and more minutes. I believe I could have used that better. The only regret is the better placement in the ABA League, because I believe this team could have done more," said Drobnjak.
After the match against Buducnost, coach Mijović commented on the poor attendance at the stands. And indeed, when SC Derbi plays, whose team includes young players who will be the backbone of the national team in the coming years, attendance is poor.
"It's not often that an ABA League team in Podgorica has ten local players, who play important roles in the club. I believe that this club can produce several future national team players. On the other hand, I also understand to some extent the fans who would like to watch better quality basketball, which the foreigners in Buducnost can provide them," says Drobnjak.
We have the quality for the second phase.
Drobnjak will have obligations with the Montenegrin national team at the European Championship in the summer. Boško Radović's team is in Group B, and will play in Tampere with the national teams of Germany, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden and Great Britain. There are no unknowns, Montenegro has played with all the teams, except Finland, several times in recent years, and was in the qualifying group for the upcoming championship with the Germans and Swedes.
"We comment among ourselves that almost every summer is the same, that we play against the same national teams. I think it's too early to talk about groups. The season is still going on, we don't know the composition of the national teams, or who will be healthy to answer the call. I think we have the quality to fight with everyone. I hope to advance to the second phase," said Drobnjak.
Montenegro has quality, but it also has something else that makes it special - a great atmosphere in the team, which is emphasized by all the national team members.
"That's one of the most important points when we talk about the success of the basketball team in the last few years. We've done great things. In addition to the quality we possess, the main factor is the atmosphere. We've all known each other for a long time, we've been hanging out, and that contributes a lot to the result we've achieved," concluded Drobnjak.
Bonus video:
