Svetislav Pesic discussed Dubai, Partizan, Crvena Zvezda, the national team, and the Serbian Basketball League in an interview with N1.
The coach of the Serbian national team openly shared how he suggested to Dubai’s officials to compete in the Serbian Basketball League instead of the ABA League.
“Dubai must fulfill many conditions if they want to play in the EuroLeague or EuroCup, and one of them is participating in another competition. They chose the ABA League, being in the center of Europe, where travel isn’t an issue. I recommended to them to play in the Serbian League and questioned why they want to join the ABA League, which only increases expenses. I believe it’s best for them to play in the Serbian League. Their response was that they want to play in a professional league, which Serbian League currently isn’t.
Therefore, whether I will be the coach of Dubai or not, my stance remains unchanged. I am committed not just because I am the national team coach, but because I am from here. I know we cannot develop our basketball without a professional basketball league. The ABA League has been beneficial for us and others. I believe it’s time to establish our own league.”
Svetislav Pesic is particularly frustrated by the fact that no Serbian team besides the “eternal” rivals competes in European competitions.
“For years, no Serbian team has participated in European competitions except for Crvena Zvezda and Partizan, and there can be no progress without exposure to Europe. The ABA League is the only league in Europe without foreign player restrictions, all 12 players on every team can be foreigners. Everywhere else, there are rules and limitations regarding foreign players. We have created the sporting conditions, we have teams for our professional league, and basketball has the highest popularity here in its history.”
The experienced coach asserts that the Serbian national team is the only state project at the moment.
“The state supports basketball in various ways, it is the only state project at the representative level. Neither Partizan nor Crvena Zvezda are state projects, only the national team and the professional league can be. We must not wait for any moment. Will Pesic be the coach of Dubai? It could happen, I don’t rule out anything, everything is possible. At this moment, the only thing in front of me is the Serbian national team and one goal – the Olympic Games, the rest is irrelevant, and I don’t think about it.”