Petar Mijovic, the coach of Buducnost from Podgorica, shared his impressions after his team’s victory over Zadar with a score of 103-73.
“We were genuinely worried about this game, primarily because of the quality that Zadar possesses. With Brendan Paul and Makoundou, we had only two training sessions, and it’s very difficult to play such a game under such circumstances. Being the favorite always comes with some psychological adjustment time. We opened the game well with a lot of solutions in offense. There was quality defense throughout most of the match; we conceded 70 points on 45 free throws by the visitors, which indicates that we allowed around forty points from the field, reflecting our quality” – Mijovic began and continued:
“We knew that with Ramljak and Bozic, they would try to bring the ball down. We tried to prevent that, but we didn’t succeed in some situations. There were also situations when we closed it down very well. We closed their transition defense except for some parts of the third quarter, where we allowed ourselves to be outnumbered. Overall, this is a very important victory for us, and winning by around thirty points means a lot to us on several levels. It gives us time to further prepare Brendon and Yoan, and we are turning our focus to Lietkabelis starting tomorrow”.
About the pivotal moment
Buducnost made a 12-point lead in the last minute, and the Montenegrin coach emphasizes that it was of great importance for the further course of the match.
“At that moment, we lost our offensive rhythm in the last three and a half minutes. From that rhythm, we missed the opportunity to catch up, as I mentioned. This is a team that attacks the most in the final 12 seconds. They found some solutions, returned from a 15-point deficit to six points behind. Psychologically, we entered the second half with a double-digit lead more comfortably than if it had remained at six or seven points. I think we played a good game, even offensively, which we didn’t show in preparation. I’m just concerned about the time it takes us to utilize the team’s potential” – Mijovic said carefully.
The decision not to play Marko Jagodic-Kuridza
“We have 13 senior players at the moment; the decision was that he doesn’t play tonight. We’ll see; it depends on how we play and the quality of the opponent in certain positions, and that’s how we’ll decide on the team for specific matches”.
Then he commented on the crowd’s support. Mijovic had some criticism for the Podgorica audience before, but now he speaks very highly.
“We are all professionals. Love can be born by playing for a certain club. Some players, especially foreigners, feel more comfortable here than elsewhere. They definitely come to do their job. Besides that job, how the audience supports you is essential for every team. Everything happens because of the fans. I have said that the Podgorica audience is basketball-educated, and I will always appeal from this position for people to come. Tonight, there was a great atmosphere, a large number of people, a great and positive atmosphere, and Buducnost with and without the audience is not the same team, regardless of the team’s quality”.
About the new players
“Brendon is an experienced player. He made good use of his 12 minutes. He worked through top-notch systems and is exceptionally vocal on and off the court. He can be very significant. Yoan is a bit younger; it will take him some time to show his potential. Our job is to try to integrate them as quickly as possible, which we are doing, and they will have more minutes and become more important to us in the next game” – said the Montenegrin coach.
About the game against Lietkabelis
In the end, he talked about the duel with Lietkabelis. The match between the teams from Lithuania and Podgorica is scheduled for next week, marking Budućnost’s opening game in the EuroCup season.
“It will be a serious test for us. With a modest budget, my colleague Canak has had exceptional success with them, and they have brought in an experienced coach. The idea remains the same, and they have acquired combo guards in the backcourt, so we will face a demanding match. They emphasize offensive basketball, so we will be burdened with a lot of things if we intend to win”.