Montenegrin basketball player Filip Barović has a long history of notable performances and results. At 35 years old, the former national team center aims to achieve success with his hometown club, Sutjeska.
He has won 12 trophies in his career, including the one from the ABA 2 League, which he won with SC Derby in 2021.
Five years later, he finds himself on the same task.
He has been wearing the Sutjeska jersey since 2023, and in his third season he wants to help the club from Nikšić on its way to a historic placement in the ABA League.
Marko Simonović's team is in an excellent position heading into the final round of the regular season of the ABA 2 league. Sutjeska has six wins and one loss, just like Široki, whom the team from Nikšić defeated away from home at the start of the season (87:77). The playoffs are secured, and if they beat Sloboda from Tuzla in the final round (March 4th at 8:30 PM) in Nikšić, Sutjeska will win first place at the end of the regular season and will have home field advantage until the end of the playoffs.
The former center of Buducnost is among the most experienced players in Sutjeska, and statistics show that he still has something to show on the courts of the regional basketball league.
So far in the regional competition season, Barović is averaging 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, but in an interview with Meridian Sport, he noted that he is not interested in individual statistics at the moment.
"My main goal is the same as the team's main goal - to get as far as possible in the playoffs and try to reach the ABA League. At this age, I have no desire for any personal proving or individual statistics," Filip Barović said clearly at the start of the interview for Meridian sports.
Barović shared a locker room with current Sutjeska coach Marko Simonović at the start of his career - it was in the Buducnost jersey. Although he is only four years younger, the best Montenegrin basketball player of 2017 emphasizes - regardless of age, a coach must be respected.
"The cooperation is excellent, I think you can see that on the field. Until recently, he was a player and he understands the team very well. There is nothing unusual in that relationship, because there has to be respect from the player towards the coach, and for me it is even more of an obligation, because we used to be teammates."
The greatest successes in Barović's career are related to the period from 2017 to 2019.
The highlight was winning the ABA League trophy in 2018, and Buducnost fans do not forget Barović's contribution, especially in the fourth match of the final series against Red Star.
In less than 18 minutes on the floor, he scored 14 points, had two blocks on Matijas Lesor, two assists, two steals, and three rebounds.
The big responsibility was on the center of the "blues" and in the decisive moments, when he excelled with precision and calmness.
He hit eight of nine free throws in “Morača”, bringing the score to 70:70, after which Nikola Ivanović took over as the hero.
Great togetherness characterized Aleksandar Džikić's team at the time, and as Barović stated in an interview for Meridian Sport, it continued throughout his life.
"The first thing that comes to mind when I think of that season is the great togetherness that has continued throughout life. When you're in a game with such a big stake, you never think about any side issues. It's important to stay focused and make the most of your minutes. I think that was the case in the final with all the players who entered the game," Filip Barović continues in an interview for Meridian Sport.
This success brought the Euroleague back to Podgorica, where the "blues", among other things, in addition to setting a record for the number of three-pointers in the game against Baskonia, also achieved a victory over the then current European champion, Real Madrid (73:60).
In a match that was remembered for the fans' creative banner: "Do you know, king, where you came from!?", Barović scored six points in 12 minutes spent on the court.
From the Euroleague season, the Meridian Sport correspondent highlights the game from the 19th round, when the "blues" achieved their fifth victory in the elite competition.
"That victory over Real Madrid in Podgorica was special. It was an unforgettable moment to beat the current European champions."
He was always there for the Montenegrin national team, with which he only appeared in one major competition due to injury – the European Championship, which was played in Finland, Israel, Turkey and Romania.
Bogdan Tanjević's call allowed him to help Montenegro on its way to a historic result in 2017.
Montenegro qualified for the knockout stage of a major competition for the first time since regaining independence, and with a record of three wins and three losses, they finished the competition as the 13th national team in Europe.
"I am very happy because I was part of the team led by Boša Tanjević in Romania and Turkey. That was when I fulfilled my dream of playing with our national team in a major competition."
He was scheduled to compete at the World Basketball Championship in China two years later, but had to withdraw due to a serious injury he suffered in the final series of the national championship against Mornar.
"I'm sorry I wasn't in the competition for the World Basketball Championship in China, but I'm comforted that I helped to reach that great competition through the qualifications."
At last year's World Basketball Championship, Montenegro, with one win in Tampere, was left without the knockout phase in Riga, but also Nikola Vučević and Vladimir Mihailović, who played their last matches for the national team at this championship.
Barović points out that it is difficult for him to watch the "reds" defeat from the sidelines, but he believes that the situation must be viewed more realistically because the large number of absences is a heavy blow for such a small player base.
"I'm sorry when we lose and every match brings nervousness, but we have to be realistic. The large number of dismissals, which were for objective reasons, is a huge handicap for such a small player base. I think we need to be realistic. Nikola Vučević should be a role model for all young athletes on what it's like to be a top professional."
The change of generations requires new patience from the Montenegrin public.
The center from Nikšić believes that seven Montenegrin basketball players (Žugić, Mirković, Bogavac, Grbović, Radunović, Čičić, Sudar) from the NCAA will be available to the coach in the coming period.
"As far as the roster is concerned, I think we have a tough time ahead of us precisely because of the generational change. Now new guys need to take on the role of leaders, and some who may not have been in the system need to join in. The NCAA will make things difficult for us during the year, but I hope those guys will be able to play during the summer. That would be a big deal for us," Filip Barović concluded his interview with Meridian Sport.
In addition to the aforementioned trophies in the regional competition, Barović won the title with the Bulgarian Akademik (in 2016), while with the Buducnost team he lifted the Montenegrin Cup trophy five times and won four national championship titles.
He received recognition from KSCG as the best basketball player in Montenegro in 2017.
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