Podgorica Bemax begins preparations for the new season: Mladost in the foreground and the club's new vision

Podgorica Bemax basketball players have officially begun preparations for the upcoming season. The Podgorica team is entering the new competitive year with a significantly rejuvenated squad, with the club's clear commitment to providing opportunities for young players and established domestic talents, so like ŽKK Budućnost, Bemax's vision will be exclusively to develop domestic players, the club announced.

Several talented juniors have joined the first team, and Marko Sekulić will once again head the coaching staff. Sekulić is a former junior and first team coach of Podgorica, who last season served as coordinator of all junior teams, and in his career he also led the Montenegrin junior national team.

"He will be assisted in his work by a coaching staff consisting of: assistant coaches Petar Kusovac and Aleksa Đurišić, fitness coach Nemanja Marković, team manager Nikola Bulatović and physiotherapist Milorad Čukić," explained Podgorica.

When it comes to the playing staff, Podgorica's ranks have been strengthened by American defender Trevian Tenison, and in addition to Tenison, new faces in the team include Petar Dragović, as well as Montenegrin national team player Zoran Vučeljić, who arrives from SC Derby. Among the more experienced players from last season, Danilo Ivanović, Lazar Radetić and Srđa Bulatović remained in the team.

"This is certainly the youngest team ever, and that's what we wanted. I think that's the path this club should take, because we have young players from Montenegro, with one reinforcement from the side. That's why I think we have a beautiful story ahead of us," coach Marko Sekulić told the club's website.

Podgorica has definitely opted for a completely new story for the new season – a combination of several older and more experienced basketball players with extremely young players who have yet to establish themselves. For this very reason, the team is entering the competitive year without any result imperative, both in the First Montenegrin League and in the ABA 2 League. The main goal will be to gain the necessary experience through official matches and fully affirm the domestic playing potential.

"We play in the ABA 2 League and the First Montenegrin League, very interesting and difficult leagues to play in. There will certainly be interesting matches, and I hope for victories," added Sekulić, and then was crystal clear.

"The goal is certainly the development of young players from Montenegro, but of course we will go into every game to win it, because that's simply our character!"

Podgorica will complete its preparations at the “Bemax Arena”, where the training process will last throughout the entire preparation period. Traditionally, the team will travel to Zlatibor in September, where several test and friendly matches are planned to be played in order for the team to get better acclimated before the start of the season.

"There's no need to go anywhere, the conditions here are great. We have seven games scheduled, four in Montenegro and three on Zlatibor, so that's enough for us," Sekulić emphasized, noting that the roster is practically finalized.

"We expect reinforcements from America to arrive at the beginning of the week and perhaps if a tall player opens up on the market who would help us. Of course, we will look for it to be a local player from Montenegro," concluded the Podgorica coach.