Svetislav Pesic, the head coach of the Serbian national team, shared his thoughts before the upcoming preparation match against the Puerto Rican team.
After two closed-door matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland, as well as two games at the Acropolis Cup against Greece and Italy, Serbia is set to play another preparation match for the FIBA World Cup, this time against Puerto Rico in Belgrade.
Interestingly, these two teams will also meet in the same World Cup group.
π·πΈ Srbija sutra u 19:00 protiv π΅π· Portorika u @arenabeograd
— KoΕ‘arkaΕ‘ki savez SRB (@KSSrbije) August 15, 2023
πΊ https://t.co/rHz13Nt25G#FIBAWC #KSS #WinForSrbija
Coach Svetislav Pesic expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress so far.
“We’ve been working excellently; the guys have put in all their enthusiasm. Good concentration, and we’ve had a lot of discussions. We lack the finishing touch for everything we’ve gone through in training. We’ve played those four matches. In my opinion, it’s been quite good for this phase of preparation. Now, we have three more matches ahead. Facing Puerto Rico in front of our fans at the Stark Arena,” said Svetislav Pesic, and added:
“We expect the crowd to support us a bit, to give us the wind in our sails to become even better. This match is significant for us because they play differently from European teams, with a lot of fast breaks and zone defense, which is what we need to prepare for the World Cup. We have two more matches in Shenzhen that will serve us for acclimatization. After that, we’re heading to Manila.”
Injuries and illnesses have significantly influenced the preparations for the upcoming World Cup, according to coach Svetislav Pesic.
“We’re in a pretty good state now. Stefan Jovic has joined us. His experience is crucial for this young team. We’re waiting for him to reach the required physical readiness for this tournament. The guys are doing well. We have a good medical team. For now, I can say that we hope to avoid injuries and then everything will be in our hands,” emphasized Pesic. He further added:
“Some players haven’t been lucky with injuries. Jaramaz had to end his role in the team earlier due to an injury. Unfortunately, we can’t count on Smailagic; he had a severe viral illness. He lost six to seven kilograms and wasn’t able to participate in training at all. Regarding Trifunovic, he’s been dealing with an injury that’s been lasting a bit longer. He started, but couldn’t continue.
I feel sorry for them as they are good guys, but let’s hope luck serves us well to make it to the Olympics so that they also get a chance.”
The young Nikola Topic has joined the national team.
“He’s a fantastic guy; he deserves to be among the best players here. He learns from the older players and supports them. He’s here to gain experience.”
Serbia will face Puerto Rico in a preparation match at the Stark Arena on Wednesday at 7 PM.
Svetislav Pesic’s team is placed in Group B for the World Cup, alongside China, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico.