Emil Rajkovic shared his expectations ahead of the tournament in Banja Luka and Laktasi, which will kick off with CSKA and Igokea.
Igokea is organizing the tournament to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary, and alongside CSKA, the participating teams include Turk Telekom, Hapoel Jerusalem, Galatasaray, and Partizan.
The “Army Men” will play their first match on the court of the National Tennis Center, adding a special allure to the event as the audience will have the opportunity to witness a basketball spectacle outdoors.
“Very high-quality clubs, all our coaches who do well, and there will be quality basketball, giving people a reason to come to the games, have fun, watch quality matches. I hope we will also build friendships that will last in the future,” said Emil Rajkovic, adding:
“We feel good, we arrived last night and have already had our first training session. This is the first phase of preparations, which have been going on for about ten days. The result is not primary because we have a new team that needs to gel, but I think it’s the same situation for the other teams. The opponents are extremely quality, one is the reason we came here to honor Igokea, and the other is that they are exceptionally strong opponents, and this will be an outstanding tournament. I expect the most from our improvement, and I hope it will be beneficial for us in this phase of preparations.”
He also commented on the fact that his team’s match will be played outdoors.
“I had the opportunity to see the court last night; it looks impressive and interesting. I think the players will enjoy it, and I hope there won’t be a need for shot adjustments, but from what I can see, it’s well-maintained, and I believe the players will be highly motivated.”