Bogdan Tanjevic, the legendary coach, spoke to Basketball Sphere about the fundamental difference between Crvena zvezda and Partizan.
Although he will turn 79 in February, Bogdan Tanjevic remains sharp, lively, and instantly energized the moment the word “basketball” comes up. That kind of love never fades for the legendary coach.
Naturally, the conversation could only begin with Bosna, the team he led to the European championship on that unforgettable April 5th night in Grenoble, France—now back in the regional elite after 15 years, where, as he says, it truly belongs.
“I did not follow too much, I can remember maybe two games, and it seems to me the team is strong enough to achieve the main goal — to stay up and avoid relegation from this beautiful competition. For me, staying in the league is a good or even excellent result.” Bogdan Tanjevic began, before continuing on the ABA League and the conflicting opinions about its necessity:
The importance of the “beautiful competition”
“For me, the ABA League is a very beautiful competition, which is confirmed by the addition of Cluj-Napoca, Vienna, and Dubai. What I mean is, that confirms the authority of the competition. When I hear various colleagues and their opinions that we should break this apart, go back to our little countries, and create some magical national leagues that are never strong enough for players to develop…
Competition is for the fans, but also for the players, who are the protagonists. The stronger it is, the more they grow. That reflects on the national teams. I like this competition, and the addition of these clubs proves its value.”
Coaching changes have become an everyday occurrence. Ioannis Sfairopoulos has left Crvena Zvezda, and even for the greatest of all time, Zeljko Obradovic, there were calls for his head—before he decided on his own:
“I am against all coaching changes, especially during the season, but it happens. This is today, yesterday, the day before yesterday — it has always been the way coaches end up. I was lucky to always work in places where there was enough time to plan, to build something for the future, to push younger players. That is a life well spent for a coach. Today, it is everyday reality.”
Claim Now Psychology of the players
It is clear as day that the red-and-whites made a perfect decision by appointing Sasa Obradovic as head coach. Still, Bogdan Tanjevic points out that much also depends on the players themselves, who, thinking they might be next on the chopping block, suddenly show their full potential and push harder to prove the problem was not them. Naturally, that has varying success.
“What can be said, unfortunately, is that this is the psychology of the game and the players. After a coach gets fired, players suddenly remember that they know how to play and know how to fight. Knowing how to fight is its own special category in a player’s skill set. It sounds banal, but that too is a kind of knowledge — just like knowing how to use a towel. Meaning, those sitting on the bench are participants just like the five on the floor. I pulled that from the case of M. L. Carr, who sat on the bench cheering so brilliantly that he eventually became the general manager of the Boston Celtics. That is a kind of knowledge as well.
So, the players show — to prove it was not their mistake, but the coach’s — that they can perform. And with the assistant coach, our guy (Tomislav Tomovic, formerly of Bosna), they showed exactly that. You see how he handled that game (against Fenerbahce), I can see the man knows what he is doing, that he knows the craft. I liked it a lot. They could have almost continued with him.
Again, Sasa Obradovic is an excellent coach, which is no revelation. Things worked out perfectly for them. Crvena Zvezda is playing very good basketball, even above the individual value and quality of their players. Even the new additions, Izundu and Moneke, are very good players. Butler will show his game once he gets into form and gets his time. They also had a stretch that really helped them — no travel, consistent practice rhythm, without the fatigue that travel creates and which prevents additional or supportive training. They used that in the best possible way. Now we will see what happens when they enter the opposite situation with more road games and more travel.”
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“They get caught up in the atmosphere and produce more”
The legendary coach points out that the foundation of Crvena Zvezda’s success lies in the fact that domestic players — no matter how “old-fashioned” that may sound to some — still set the tone. Partizan, he says, simply does not have that element, and it can turn into a serious problem.
“What is important to say — in Crvena Zvezda, domestic players still lead the way. That is the difference between Crvena Zvezda and Partizan. It is a very important factor that gives the club its identity. The presence of homegrown players who always have extra motivation to play for that club. Crvena Zvezda has had a large group of domestic players for years, and they are not just sitting on the bench. Then the foreign players join in and sometimes even become key contributors. They behave better, they give more. Fired up by the passion and connection the domestic players have with the club, they get caught up in that atmosphere, and as a result, they produce more.
For years now, Crvena Zvezda has had a big group of domestic players who lead the team. A foreign player who comes in cannot just mess around and play for himself. He has to follow their style of play, their sacrifice, and their connection to the club’s colors. That is the clear difference between Partizan and Crvena zvezda. Much more of that on one side.
It is crazy — I do not even know who to list first. Lazic, who retired, was the captain. That is unbelievable sacrifice and quality that defines the whole team. Fighting for every ball, diving for every ball. Then the ones who are there now — Kalinic, who returned after a long time but is a true leader in every sense. Then Dobric, who in some places did not show how much he is really worth, but here he shows it because he is in his own atmosphere. Davidovac, last year Petrusev who was excellent — all of them are proof of that.”
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The first condition
Because Partizan came so close to reaching the very top of the EuroLeague, every missed opportunity afterward feels even more painful. The “what if” mindset is problematic, yet completely normal — especially for fans, since they are the ones who live through every win and every loss, and whose entire week can be ruined by the latter. That is why the black-and-whites still struggle with the same issue from 2023: accepting that it is in the past. The sooner it is forgotten, the less it will interfere with progress and the development of some new fan favorites.
“For me, that is the first condition. First of all, the season in which the Final Four was missed because of one incident — it would have been 3–0, and it turned out that Real Madrid, who advanced by luck, became the future champion. If Partizan had finished the job — a job done not well, but brilliantly — it would have been the same, because Obradovic was on the bench, and he is a true coaching beast in those final blows when you are attacking the title. They probably would have won that year.
Then came the big roster turnover, and that also has to be built, synchronized. One of the reasons was, surely, because they had to pull out this center, whom Obradovic turned into a player, and then half of Europe fought for him (Mathias Lessort), and then for Punter as well.
Those are European parameters — the teams with the bigger wallet have everything. ‘Look at this guy here, I like your best player, let me take him.’ Players, as usual, kiss the jersey while they are in that club, and then as soon as someone gives them one hundred thousand more, they go to another club. Partizan must wake up.”
To wrap things up, we briefly touched on the teams that impressed him and the ones that disappointed after the first quarter of the season.
“Fenerbahce started unexpectedly poorly, and Panathinaikos too, considering their quality, the amount of money on the floor, and a coach like Ergin Ataman, who is fantastic. Their start is weak, and Anadolu Efes as well. The biggest surprises for me were Zalgiris and Crvena Zvezda — they disrupted the established order at the top, but also Paris, who continue to play well. Despite the coaching changes and everything else, they play very beautiful basketball.” said Bogdan Tanjevic for Basketball Sphere.
