The AdmiralBet ABA League season is over, Budućnost Voli failed to win the title, and it seems that they missed a great opportunity. Especially considering how the first game of the final series with Partizan in Podgorica went, when the "blues" lost an eight-point lead in the last 45 seconds of the regular season (83:75). Partizan then managed to make up for the deficit, celebrated in overtime, and then defended their home field where they reached a record, eighth title.
Despite the defeat in the final, Buducnost are satisfied with how the season went. The Montenegrin champion finished the regular season in first place after nine years, eliminated Mega and Red Star in the playoffs and played in the final for the first time in four years, where they had problems with injuries to McKinley Wright and Juvan Morgan. Emotions have settled, and coach Andrej Žakelj summed up the final, but also the season, in an interview with "Vijesti".
"We had problems with injuries in the playoffs, especially in the final with Wright and Morgan, who were playing under injections. They wanted to help as much as possible at that moment. At the beginning of the fourth game, Wright got injured again. The guys gave their maximum, showed the right attitude, fought, looked like a team, which people recognized in the end and congratulated us on everything we did," said Žakelj.
WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE AGREED TO AT TIMEOUT
The first match of the final is probably still on the minds of all Buducnost fans, and one detail in particular - Buducnost, after Žakelj's timeout, 10 seconds before the end of the regular period, threw the ball in from the sideline in the opponent's half. Then Kenan Kamenjaš was fouled and missed both free throws, and Tyreek Jones then dunked to set up overtime. Žakelj reflected on that situation and pointed out that it was not the plan for Kamenjaš to receive the ball at all.
"That wasn't the plan. We all know what we agreed on and how it was supposed to go. I don't want to go into details, to point fingers at who is to blame, who is not. In the end, it's my fault. Of course I would do it differently now, because what happened wasn't good. If Kamenjaš had scored a penalty, then it would have been good. Neither I nor the players can run away from responsibility."
Buducnost had only one real setback during the regular season of the ABA League - against Spartak in Podgorica. Many may consider the loss to Mega in Belgrade to be a setback, but it came at a time when the team was without Andrija Slavković and Jogi Ferel, and after being eliminated from the Eurocup.
"We had four defeats in the regular season, which is a very good result, probably no one expected that. I remember the game with Spartak - we were falling a little, because we were not in good shape. Since the match with Partizan, in December in Belgrade, we have been playing very good basketball. We had a minor drop in early March, but nothing terrible. We played as a team and our strength was the team."
In mid-November, after losing to Spartak, Buducnost was in crisis, and suffered three defeats in four matches in the Eurocup. Žakelj points out that he and the team had the full support of everyone at the club at the time.
"It was a slightly weaker period in the Eurocup, while we played very well in the ABA League. That's when the club got behind us, and in the end it paid off."
Žakelj was appointed coach of Buducnost in November 2023, when he succeeded Petar Mijović, which means that this was his first season on the bench of the "blues", with whom he went through complete preparations, but also carried out player selection. So last summer he left Wright, Ferel, Kamenjaš... players, who were the backbone, and brought in good reinforcements.
"Successful work requires time and continuity. If we change six or seven players every season, then it is difficult to achieve results. The club was aware of that last season - it reacted excellently and talked to the players we wanted to stay with. We brought in players whose character and the way we play fit what we want. Everything came together, the chemistry was good both on and off the field," explained the best coach in the ABA League this season.
WE'RE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT NEXT SEASON
Buducnost will not retain the backbone from this season, which means that the Montenegrin champion has a very active summer ahead of him.
"We have started looking at next season. Some players are impossible to keep. They had a good season, their ambitions and demands are greater than Buducnost can handle. We are happy, because it means we did a good job, that the players have progressed. I think other players and agents have seen that Buducnost is a team where you can progress and take a step forward in your career. There has been a lot of talk about us this season all over Europe, which is a plus for the club."
What is certain is that Žakelj will remain the coach.
"I see myself in Buducnost. I'm slowly focusing on next season, on the squad and plans. I'm here. We know that it's not easy to work in Buducnost, that there is pressure. That's an integral part of our job and we have to deal with that. I'm trying to turn that pressure into something positive, to progress. And I think I've progressed as a coach. I had the support of the club, especially from the president, and then it's easier to work. In the end, it's a joint success of all the people in the club, my assistants, the players... I'm satisfied, we're playing two quality competitions, it's a good environment for a coach to progress."
Buducnost will play in the Eurocup next season. While some teams are moving to the FIBA Champions League, the Podgorica club is not thinking about it.
"We didn't talk about moving to the second league. Buducnost remains in the Eurocup. Ambitions depend on the squad, on other teams... The Eurocup season that is behind us is one of the most difficult - with excellent teams and big budgets. It's not easy for Buducnost to see that off. We'll see how other clubs will make their teams, and then we'll set goals in the Eurocup."
The format of the ABA League has yet to be determined.
"That the ABA League champion cannot make it to the Euroleague is a rule that we more or less know in advance and I don't want to think about it and waste energy on it. I want the team to win and move up the table. As for the ABA League format, we don't officially know anything yet. Let's wait and see what happens with the format, and then think about it further," said Žakelj.
Journalists recognized that I speak from the heart
The last match of the ABA League final was also marked by a press conference when Žakelj was greeted with applause from Belgrade journalists.
"I think the final series was very fair. Without incidents, one of the rare finals in the last few years that ended like that. The players and I behaved correctly. After a victory or defeat, I don't want to create euphoria or tragedy. I want to be focused and calm. Everything I said at the last conference in Belgrade, I said from the heart, the way I think. People recognized that," said Žakelj.
We had Mirković, Bogavac and Grbović in our plans.
Andrej Žakelj arrived at Buducnost from SC Derbi, which has been in the spotlight in recent months due to the departure of Luka Bogavac, David Mirković and Andrija Grbović to the NCAA.
Three young basketball players continue their careers at a college that offers excellent conditions, including huge earnings.
"Buducnost certainly had Grbović, Bogavac and Mirković in its plans. Unfortunately, NIL contracts, so that players can be paid in college, have changed basketball a lot, especially in Europe. The income they have there is perhaps far above the Euroleague, not only Buducnost. It is impossible to keep players. I think all clubs in Europe have problems with that. They are powerless to react, to offer work and consistency to the player, because what they get in the NCAA, especially in financial terms, is unrealistic for our conditions."
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