EuroBasket ends tonight, with the grand finale between Germany and Turkey. The dust has just settled on Montenegro's (too) early elimination after the group stage, and our team's point guard Igor Drobnjak is summarizing his impressions after more than a week.
Boško Radović's team was eliminated by Great Britain in the final round of the first phase. It was a painful elimination, especially after the victory over Sweden, when it seemed that our team had taken a decisive step...
Summarizing the impressions in interview for MeridiansportsDrobnjak points out that the national team played a little below expectations in Tampere, but that there are objective reasons for that.
"Preparations went well. I think we were at a high level in all the test matches and that we prepared in the right way. We were unlucky in terms of injuries. Jovan Kljajić was out with an injury before the championship, while Zoran Nikolić was injured at the very beginning. After that, we were forced to further shorten the already shortened rotation. I believe that all of this was reflected in the championship and that is why we did not show our best," says Drobnjak.
Nikola Vučević and Vladimir Mihailović, two senators, said goodbye to the national team.
Drobnjak regrets that this farewell did not happen in a slightly nicer way - at least by advancing to the round of 16.
"The biggest regret remains for those two. I'm sorry they said goodbye to the national team jersey in this way. They both did a lot for our jersey and are going into a well-deserved retirement as far as the national team is concerned."
Drobnjak, along with Vučević, was our player with the most minutes at Eurobasket.
"First of all, it is a great honor and privilege to play with Vučević together in the team. One can certainly learn a lot from him both on and off the field. A true example of a great professional and a great man. It will certainly be difficult in the coming period without players who have finished their national team careers."
This was Drobnjak's second European Championship.
"The second European and third major competition for me with the national team, this time with a much greater role and responsibility. I think I justified that trust in the right way."
With an average of 10,8 points per game, he was our second most efficient player...
The former playmaker for Buducnost and SC Derby believes that his performances would have been more prominent if our national team had secured a place in Riga.
"This summer I was given a much bigger role and I think I justified it. I always think that I could have done better and contributed more. I am certainly satisfied with my performance, from the very beginning of the preparations. Both in friendly matches and during the championship. As the group progresses, individual performances will come to the fore more."
Drobnjak, a former player for Buducnost and SC Derby, will wear the jersey of Spartak Subotica starting next season.
"Apart from Mega, this will be my first time leaving Podgorica. I arrived in Subotica a few days ago and joined the team. Spartak has great working conditions and in a short time they have made a lot of progress and raised the level of the club. Last year they had a great season. Several new players have arrived, so it is still too early for me to talk about their achievements. We are certainly entering the season with great ambitions in all competitions," concluded Drobnjak.
Bonus video:
