For the second time in its history, Montenegro will compete at the FIBA World Cup. Their goal is clear, to reach the second round.
The biggest boost for them and the fans is the fact that Nikola Vucevic will be part of head coach Bosko Radovic roster. Montenegro will play group stage games in Manila.
FIBA World Cup – Montengro: Previous editions and the best results of the national team
The national team of Montenegro never been at the World Cup until the tournament in China four years ago. They did not make a good result there and ended their journey as 25th out of 32 teams.
Montenegro held the record until this competition as the country with the least population to qualify for the FIBA World Cup. This year in that segment they were surpassed by Cape Verde with only 571,966 inhabitants.
FIBA World Cup – Montenegro: Road to Mundobasket
Montenegro took a slightly longer route than the vast majority of national teams to reach a spot for the World Cup. They dominated Iceland and Denmark twice each without defeat in the pre-qualifiers.
After that, Montenego competed against France, Portugal and Hungary. With a 4-2 record, they went to the final stage of the qualifiiers in second place behind France. It is worth mentioning that they beat France during their duel in “Moraca” by 70:69.
Key games in qualifying for the FIBA World Cup, Montenegro played against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The most important triumph was achieved precisely against the mentioned rival by 88:69 in Podgorica. Six months later, they met again. This time in Tuzla.
For Montenegro, it was necessary to preserve “+19” and they succeeded in that. Bosnia and Herzegovina won by 74:66, but it was not enough to overtake coach Radovic’s team in the standings.
FIBA World Cup – Montenegro: Roster and focus on those who are expected the most
You don’t need to be very wise to conclude that Nikola Vucevic is the alpha and omega of this team. Of course, Bojan Dubljevic will make a big contribution, as well as Kendrick Perry, but the fact is that a lot will depend on the NBA superstar. His former team-mate and new Crvena Zvezda player, Marko Simonovic, is also someone from whom much is expected.
Few days ago, Chicago Bulls and Vucevic signed an extension contract. He played 82 games for the Bulls last season and averaged a double-double. He scored 17.6 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and handed out a little more than three assists per game. Vucevic shot from the field with a success rate of 55%, while he significantly improved his three-point percentages (35%).
Second spot in the paint will be occupied by former Valencia player Bojan Dubljevic. He left one of the most beautiful cities in Europe after 11 years. Power forward left Valencia as the second player with the most appearances in the club’s history (629), and is definitely the foreigner with the most seasons in the team.
Additionally, he is statistically Valencia all-time leading scorer and rebounder. In the last season Dubljevic averaged 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. After the FIBA World Cup, he will play for Zenit.
Kendrick Perry as a driving force
After leaving Buducnost and going to Spain where he spent the previous season with Unicaja, Kendrick Perry played an extremely good season on all fronts. His club went to the FIBA Champions League Final Four, where they were beaten by the later champions Bonn.
Perry and Unicaja left a special mark in the Copa del Rey, where they lifted the trophy, defeating Barcelona, Real Madrid and Tenerife along the way. Perry’s numbers in the qualifiers are reflected in 12.4 points, four assists and two rebounds per game.
Along with Vucevic and Perry, Marko Simonovic will join the preparations a little later due to NBA regulations. In the previous two years, he recorded a total of 16 appearances in the Chicago Bulls jersey. He recorded only 1.4 points and a rebound per game during that time on court.
Vladimir Mihailovic defended the colors of Montenegro ten times during the qualifiers. He had a notable statistic with 15 points per game and 50% field goals made.
There are also Dino Radoncic and Petar Popovic as a players who could have an important role in coach Radovic system. The rest of the national team is mostly made up of players from the ABA League. Their contribution is also necessary for Montenegro to achieve their goals.
Extended roster: Nikola Ivanovic, Igor Drobnjak, Balsa Zivanović, Luka Bogavac, Petar Popovic, Vladimir Mihailovic, Dino Radoncic, Andrija Slavkovic, Emir Hadzibegovic, Andrija Grbovic, Aleksa Ilic, Nemanja Radovic, Vasilije Bacovic, Bojan Dubljevic, Marko Simonovic, Nikola Vucevic and Kendrick Perry .
FIBA World Cup – Montenegro: More about head coach – Bosko Radovic
The young Montenegrin expert started to work with the national team in 2015. Since then, until the departure of Zvezdan Mitrovic, he worked as an assistant coach. He also spent time in Bogdan Tanjevic staff.
He took over “keys” of the national team in December 2019. It can be said that this qualification for the World Cup is a great success for him and a sign that he is on the right path.
Along with already mentioned coaching names such as Tanjevic and Mitrovic, Bosko Radovic is the sixth head coach in Montenegro history. That role was also performed by Dusko Vujosevic, Dejan Radonjic and Luka Pavicevic.
FIBA World Cup – Montenegro: Expectations
Montenegro will once again see a well-known rival, Lithuania, thanks to the World Cup draw. Along with them, Mexico and Egypt will compete in Group D. The primary goal is clear. Second round guarantee a spot in the Olympic Games qualifiers.
Everything after that would largely depend on the outcome of the game against Lithuania. In the second phase, Montenegro will almost certainly play against Greece and the USA, which means that going to the next phase with a 0-1 record means absence from the quarterfinals.