Dusko Ivanovic outlined his expectations for the upcoming season during a media day, where Crvena Zvezda will compete for four trophies.
During the summer, the Red and Whites underwent significant changes to their roster ahead of the new season. The club from Mali Kalemegdan played eight games during the preseason, recording four wins and four losses.
“We had a preseason with a squad that wasn’t complete, as some players were at the FIBA World Cup. I believe we’ve successfully completed our preparations, with a special mention for the time we spent in Stara Pazova, where we prepared ourselves physically and implemented certain systems. I think the new players have shown their quality in the games we’ve played so far, and it’s now just a matter of time before they integrate” – said Ivanovic.
The Montenegrin head coach emphasizes that newcomers will need more time to adapt, but he has no doubts about their basketball abilities.
“We need time for all these players, and there are quite a few of them, to find their rightful place in the team. I’m quite satisfied with what we’ve done so far. The issue with newcomers has been that during the preparations, we were reaching a satisfactory form, but as soon as a new player arrived, the rhythm was automatically disrupted, but that’s how it is. We have three or four days until the start”.
Dusko Ivanovic also highlighted the ambitions he has as the season approaches, where his chosen players will compete on four fronts.
“In a big club like Crvena Zvezda, the goals are always the highest. I want us to take it one game at a time, and we’ll see how far we can go. The primary goal is to win the first game. I’m confident that we’ve signed good players, but a collection of good players doesn’t necessarily mean a good team. We need to work on that. This is an entirely new team; we need time, but we don’t have too much of it; we must be ready for the start of the season”.
Crvena Zvezda opens the new ABA League season with an away game against Igokea on September 30th, while their first game in the EuroLeague will be against Asvel.