Exactly two weeks ago, the Montenegrin national basketball team began preparations for the upcoming European Championship, which will be held in Latvia, Finland, Poland and Cyprus from August 27 to September 14. Our team is training in Bar, and in the meantime, they were defeated away by France (81:75) in the first test match.
Coach Boško Radović emphasizes that he is not dissatisfied with the performance in the duel with one of the favorites for a high ranking at the upcoming continental competition.
"A very strong and difficult test against the favorites for a high ranking in the upcoming championship. We are not dissatisfied. We played in a crunch in the first half. We were with one point guard the entire game. Igor Drobnjak played more than 30 minutes, it is difficult to play with one point guard. When Kyle Olman joins us, we will have two players in the one position," Radović told "Vijesti".
He pointed out that the team had oscillations, which is normal for this period.
"We entered the game after a period of 10 days of training, during which we worked on physical strength, but also basketball. We had oscillations, which is normal, but also good minutes, good defenses. The attack has to be more precise than it is currently. We have this period ahead of us with training and control matches. After the game with Greece (August 14), we will know where we are, what we need to correct. All in all, a strong test, as the others will be. The team is in good condition, there are minor injuries, but nothing serious. We are healthy. We will try to correct mistakes as we go," said Radović.
Kyle Olman, who succeeded Kendrick Perry in our national team, will join the team today. Olman is expected to get his first minutes in the next friendly match, on August 10th in Sarajevo against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Olmen is coming, he will do a few training sessions, and then travel with us to Sarajevo for the match against BiH. We will see how ready he will be to play immediately. But, from the match against Greece, he will have a role that awaits him in the national team," explained Radović.
It is known that Montenegro is weakened, so Radović is working to ensure that players who did not play a major role in the team can play with the seeded teams at the upcoming EuroBasket as soon as possible.
"These are all guys who either didn't have a role before or that role was small. They will need time too, to be given a chance and minutes in the next games. This is a much higher level of basketball than the one they play at. They need to adapt, they will have to get into more gear. We played against France with seven or eight players, which is what we can do when it comes to one game. But, when the championship comes, we will have to have at least a dozen players ready to be in the rotation, so that we can play the entire tournament and try to get a result," explained the coach.
The relationship and atmosphere are, as always, at the top level.
"The players' attitude towards training and the national team is excellent both on and off the field. As always, we have no problems with the relationship, training, gym... I hope it will remain that way until the end of the European Championship," concluded Boško Radović.
Bonus video:
