Danilo Andjusic, Partizan’s player, spoke to Basketball Sphere about individual games, the goals of the black and whites in the new season, the new EuroLeague trend, and also touched on the preparation period.
“Soldier” – this word has always been used in sports terminology to denote a defensive specialist, a “workhorse” ready to, regardless of the situation on the floor and the minutes in the game, approach every task to the maximum.
In this case, it is time to demystify a certain part of the above. It is time to call him a “soldier” who, in 2011 and 2015, but also in 2022, decided to respond without question.
Danilo Andjusic said “yes” to Partizan when it was clear in 2015 that that period did not promise too much. He said “yes” when 2022 began, the second year of Zeljko Obradovic‘s project to round up to 10 and once again win the EuroLeague.
Andjusic brings instant productivity with his shooting talent
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For someone who was always “there”, regardless of whether he was wearing the Belgrade black and white jersey at that very moment (during his career there was also the Italian one from Bologna), regardless of the moment in which the club was, a current story “steamroller” is a specific type of reward for the loyalty of Partizan’s “soldier”, who is entering the second year of his third-term contract this fall.
In the past season, Andjusic won the ABA League with his club, while the EuroLeague season ended on the last step before the Final Four.
Partizan’s shooting guard contributed to success with an average of 7.5 points per 14 minutes in the regional championship and with an average of 6.3 points per 13 minutes in the elite European competition, with a three-point shooting percentage of 42.4%. It was the second consecutive season that the 32-year-old basketball player had over 40 percent from distance in the EuroLeague.
“My motivation is to get better every year. Given the role I had in the team, I gave the best I could at that moment, which was enough to make a result. That was asked of me, and I tried to fulfill it. Of course, I have much higher expectations and a much greater desire to provide as much as possible.
It all depends on the role, the coach, minutes and everything. We’ll see how it goes. I am preparing for all that, to submit to the collective, for whatever it takes to achieve success.”– said Andjusic at the beginning of the conversation with Basketball Sphere.
“We do not hide that our ambition is the Final Four”
The Euroleague odyssey last season was ended after the defeat in Madrid in the fifth game of the quarterfinal series. They led 2-0, the smell of the final tournament could be felt, but the quality of the rivals and the circumstances influenced the Belgraders to end the competition before the Final Four.
Thanks to the great season in the EuroLeague, some of the players signed lucrative contracts with other clubs and left Belgrade. One part of the team extended their contracts, while the team was strengthened by P.J. Dozier, Frank Kaminsky, Ognjen Jaramaz and Mateusz Ponitka.
“Appetites have increased. The fact that most of the players stayed and extended their contracts speaks to the continuity we want to have and the goals we want to fulfill, which we didn’t last season, although we were close to it. We believe we can, as we believed last year.
We made a great result. We do not hide that our ambition is the EuroLeague Final Four and the playoffs. Let’s go step by step, we shouldn’t rush. With these players that have stayed and with the reinforcements that we have brought in, we can do great things.” – said Andjusic.
Andjusic about the new trend in the EuroLeague
Many players came to the EuroLeague from the NBA this summer. The most resounding was the transfer of Kemba Walker to Monaco, Jabari Parker and Willy Hernangomez strengthened Barcelona, Juancho Hernangomez Panathinaikos, Serge Ibaka Bayern, Dozier and Kaminski came to Partizan…
“The EuroLeague has become much better competitively. There are 18 teams, each of them can beat each other. No game is easy. Everyone is stepping up, everyone is playing basketball at that level nowadays. The competitive spirit that the EuroLeague carries and the uncertainty until the very end, which we saw last year, which was perhaps the best in EuroLeague history, attracts NBA players to come and feel it all.
Especially when they see the fans and the atmosphere. I am glad that it is so, that it is not just the other way around, that they go from here to there. I hope that this trend will continue in the future and that the EuroLeague will continue to be so successful in the years to come.”
“There is a sense of relief because of the title in the ABA League”
Behind the black and whites is the preparatory period in which they lost in the final of the ABA Super Cup against the SC Derby. They played a total of eight games and registered five victories. Andjusic is satisfied with how everything went, but he is aware that there is a lot of room for improvement, so that his team is ready for the biggest challenges.
“It went quite well. We saw where we are and what we are at this moment, although the preparations were not that long. We were all motivated to the maximum for work and full of enthusiasm and desire. Of course, there are still a lot of things that need to be put in place, before the start of the season and during the season. As time goes on, I believe we will be more coordinated. We adopted new things faster because a lot of players stayed, and the new guys fit in very well. Everything will be as it should be, when it matters most.”
For Partizan, ABA League begins on Monday against Mornar in front of their fans, who broke the EuroLeague record for the number of season tickets purchased.
“In addition to Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, there are several other teams that have strengthened themselves in the ABA League, so I believe that it will be much more interesting than last year. We will see when the league starts, how who has prepared and who is at what level.
We are hungry to defend the title. That is the goal of all of us. It is more difficult to defend than to conquer. Last year, we had much more pressure in the ABA League, because it was a long wait to return the title. Now there is relief. We are all motivated and ready to get to the ring again and to win other trophies that we are missing.” – concluded Danilo Andjusic‘s interview with Basketball Sphere.