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| Zoran Slavnic in his playing days. | ||||
Biggest EuroBasket Success
It’s hard to name it: there have been so many successes. The former Yugoslavs, now Serbians, have been European Champions eight times (1973, 1975, 1977, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001), but have also grabbed four silver and four bronze medals respectively. If one has to pick the brightest gold, it would have to be the spectacular 1995 outing in Athens. After having been barred from competing in 1993 due to the war-related international embargo against the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia came back with vengeance. They out-powered the competition in dominating fashion in the preliminary round and eliminated the host team Greece in the semis. What ensued was arguably the most spectacular final game in the history of EuroBasket against Lithuania. In an amazing display of firepower from both sides (Divac, Danilovic, Bodiroga, Djordjevic vs Sabonis, Marciulionis, Kurtinaitis and Karnisovas) and quite a lot of controversy (the Lithuanians had left the court at one point in protest over allegedly biased refereeing), it took a gargantuan performance by Alexander Djordjevic (41 points and nine three pointers) to give the "FRY" a victory and the gold medal.
Biggest EuroBasket Disaster
On the eve of the 2005 EuroBasket, Serbia (competing at the time as Serbia and Montenegro) was in a similar situation as today. After a disappointing sixth place at EuroBasket in Sweden two years earlier and an even poorer outing at the Athens Olympics in 2004 (11th), the still to be feared Serbs badly needed a boost. Where better than in front of their own crowd in Belgrade, the capital of “Basketball Land”? Alas, it all went wrong from the start. The team’s superstar Stojakovic earned the nation’s wrath for not coming because of his “need to rest”, the aging leader Bodiroga was just a shadow of his usual self and the younger generation that was to replace them proved not to be up to the task. The Serbs were eliminated in the preliminary round by France and to make things worse coach Zeljko Obradovic, in an emotional press conference revealed all of his team’s dirty laundry. He cited a lack of chemistry, inflated egos, immature behaviour and fist fights in the locker room for making EuroBasket 2005 an event most Serbians would rather forget.
Best Individual Performance/Best Player of All-Time
Aleksandar Djordjevic has etched his name in Serbia basketball history after several breathtaking buzzer-beaters and countless clutch performances both in the jersey of the national team and with the European clubs he has played for during his illustrious career. Serbia has had many tremendous players and it is perhaps impossible to determine the very best one. With Partizan, Fortitudo Bologna, the Portland Trailblazers, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Scavolini Pesaro and Armani Jeans Milano, Djordjevic has stood out for his personal charisma and fantastic longevity. Ever since that fateful night in Istanbul in 1992 when he hit a running three-pointer at the buzzer to give Partizan its first and only European crown, Sasha Djordjevic has been a difference maker. Off the court, he has always been a gentleman and an active philanthropist, admired by teammates and opponents alike. Many in Serbia fear that they will never have a player like Djordjevic in their ranks again.
Scouting Report
At the World Championship in Japan, Serbia’s only player playing in the national league was the still young Uros Tripkovic. All its other performers came from the NBA or European powerhouses. Nothing unusual for a talented nation one would say, which was after all always plagued by the departure of their best talents. But did this situation bring any good? Judging by recent results, the answer is a resounding no. Serbia badly lacked clutch performers to help the constantly double-teamed Igor Rakocevic. This year’s top scorer of the Euroleague will probably again be “The Man” for Serbia. Rakocevic led Tau Ceramica to the Final Four and is enjoying yet another excellent season in the formidable ACB. However, Rakocevic can not do it on his own. The cruel reality is that Serbia will be absent from the Beijing Olympics unless they come up with an incredible performance. For that, they will need to gather their very best players, which is something less than certain. Darko Milicic was impressive in the paint last time we saw him at the World Championship but wouldn’t he be even more threatening coupled with Nenad Krstic? Unfortunately, New Jersey’s young center has missed most of the season due to a knee injury and his participation is doubtful. The same with sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, out with a herniated disc, who hasn’t seen much action with the New Orleans Hornets. Dejan Milojevic, who was to be one of the pillars of the team on both ends of the floor, has indicated that he would skip the competition in Spain due to an operation. All in all, it will be hard for the Serbs to gather the firepower necessary to achieve a miracle. On the other hand, a much needed injection of energy could come from Cleveland’s Aleksandar Pavlovic. The Montenegrin-born slasher and shooter played an unexpectedly solid role for the Cavs alongside LeBron James and should compete for the starting job at shooting guard.
Likely Squad
Everything related to this year’s Serbian team is a question mark. As outlined above, the biggest one is the participation of two NBA stars, Stojakovic and Krstic. With them healthy and in the starting line-up, Serbia would likely be a top-five contender at EuroBasket. Unfortunately, their participation will, due to the nature of their injuries, remain uncertain until the end of the summer. Serbia will probably count on Mile Ilic, playing alongside Krstic in New Jersey, to be a pillar inside. Size is one thing the Serbs do not lack. Competing for the center spot will be Partizan’s young stud Nikola Pekovic, his twin tower teammate Kosta Perovic, as well as veteran Ognjen Askrabic. At power forward, there is a big hole left by Milojevic’s absence, that Serbia will try to fill that with the versatile Miroslav Raicevic of Dynamo Moscow and FMP’s shooting big man Zoran Erceg. At small forward, the competition will be tough. In the best case scenario, Stojakovic will be assisted by one of the best shooters this year in Europe, Milan Gurovic, who has been fantastic with the Red Star. FMP’s shooter Branko Cvetkovic can play both on the “three” and “two” positions, just like Cavaliers’ Pavlovic. In the backcourt, the undisputed leader is Rakocevic, and the Serbs hope that Uros Tripkovic will finally live up to the high expectations invested in him. Running the show at point guard will be the well-known trio of Vule Avdalovic, Bojan Popovic and Marko Marinovic.
Prediction
It’s been some time since Serbia was considered a favourite on the world stage. One can’t always count on reputation, so there will probably be no wild card for Beijing in 2008 for the Serbs. In Spain, they need a strong showing and a medal if possible to return to the international basketball map. With their best players, it could be done. If injuries do take their toll and Serbia comes to EuroBasket devoid of its main assets, anything more than the quarter-finals would be deemed a miracle.
Last 10 FIBA Events
2006 - World Championship Saitama, 11th
2005 - EuroBasket Belgrade, 12th
2004 - Olympics Athens, 11th
2003 - EuroBasket Stockholm, 6th
2002 - World championship Indianapolis, Gold Medal
2001 - EuroBasket Istanbul, Gold Medal
2000 - Olympics Sydney, 6th
1999 - EuroBasket Paris, Bronze Medal
1998 - World Championship Athens, Gold Medal
1997 - EuroBasket Barcelona, Gold Medal