The Serbian basketball manager Miško Ražnatović in his interview for Sport Klub said that Igor Kokoškov is an excellent solution for the national team of Serbia.
The leading European manager and the owner of the Beobasket sports agency, Miško Ražnatović, talked with Saša Ozmo from Sport Klub about the Serbian national team, Nikola Jokić, and Vasilije Micić.
A few months ago, the Basketball Federation of Serbia announced that the new men head coach is Igor Kokoškov and Miško Ražnatović thinks that it is a good decision for the national team.
“Igor is an excellent solution, and I am glad he was able to get the approval of his club and the NBA league to accept the job. It isn’t easy at all. For the Serbian team, he is the best solution for the strategy and the motivation of the powerful team such as ours, made of extraordinary guys whose playing skill Igor will successfully combine for the common purpose – to Serbia brings the title”, said Ražnatović who is glad that his assistants’ coaches are Dejan Milojević (head coach of Mega Bemax) and Vladimir Jovanović (head coach of FMP).
“I like this practice where the best young domestic coaches get the chance to contribute, and at the same time to improve themselves in a national team like ours. That kind of practice will definitely bring a lot of energy and dedication, and these are very important things for achieving results that are expected from the basketball nation, such as Serbia”, Ražnatović was clear about new assistants’ coaches, and the leading European manager thinks that team of Serbia has more quality than their main rival in the qualification tournament – Italy.
“I think that Serbia has a huge advantage over Italy, looking at the team quality. And that advantage is especially notable under the basket. After all, that was visible last summer when Serbia beat Italy a couple of times without any effort, and our team didn’t look nor played well. And if we add home-court advantage, I really don’t think the winner is questionable”.
During the previous summer, the Serbian national team was fifth-placed squad at the World Cup, and Miško Ražnatović thinks that one of the reasons for this was the fact that the best players weren’t used the way they should be.
“From my point of view, too many compromises were made about the team, which led to a completely inadequate team structure with only four guards. Furthermore, the thing that ends us completely was the fact that our best players weren’t used in the proper way – I was talking about (Nikola) Jokić, (Nemanja) Bjelica, (Vasilije) Micić, and probably (Nikola) Milutinov. But, that is in the past”.
This EuroLeague season, Anadolu Efes is, for now, the leading team in the league and one of the best players there is Vasilije Micić.
“Vasa had a lot of offers this summer. I would like to say that the most interesting one came from Real Madrid, but the choice was Efes. He is very happy there. For Vasa, who is with me from an early age, I have a clear plan and strategy, so I can only say that the sky is the limit for him. His only job is to play, and mine is to find the best court for it. That will be in the next and in the future seasons”.
Besides Vasilije Micić, Miško Ražnatović also mentioned Nikola Jokić and Marko Gudurić who are playing in the NBA.
Jokić is playing fro Denver Nuggets and he is now playing better than at the beginning of the season.
“The West Conference is really strong and any improvement from the last year would be a huge success for Denver. Nikola is playing pretty well, and it is unrealistic to expect from any player to play great in every game. I don’t think it was such a big deal he had 15 bad days during November. When I talk to him, and I talk very often, all his thoughts and goals are turned to his team’s success – his focus is clear as always, so the next step should be the West Conference Finals”, explained Ražnatović Jokić’s situation.
On the other side, Marko Gudurić is playing his rookie season in the NBA league, for Memphis Grizzlies, but he lost his spot in the roster.
“For the rookies, such as Marko, the NBA is a rollercoaster and things are rapidly changing in both directions. First, Marko Gudurić definitely has the quality to play serious NBA basketball. He currently isn’t at the forefront but as a professional, he understood that correctly. Second, his head is in the right place, he is well-aware of the expectations and his capabilities, and that will all depend on his willingness to fight, and he is ready for that fight. Marko is working tougher and he will be ready to catch the next opportunity on his way”.
As this was an interview from the beginning of the year, Miško Ražnatović was asked about his wishes for 2020.
“My business wish is for the teams I like to stay at the same level of competition where they are now. Privately, I would like to finally win in Mega’s New Year’s three-point contest”.
On Mega’s New Year’s three-point contest, Miško Ražnatović is participating with his daughter Maša Ražnatović.
