Serbia NT 2009

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Serbia Positive But Keep Feet On Ground





No country has been more mystifying on the international hoops landscape the past five years than Serbia.



Educated and fanatical hoops fans in this basketball kingdom have watched as Serbia have floundered since their gold-medal win at the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis.



Since that overtime victory over Argentina, when the country was known as Yugoslavia, nothing has been added to the trophy cabinet, at least at senior level.



Signs of recovery appeared this summer when legendary coach Dusan Ivkovic returned to the helm of the national team and steered the Blues to victories in seven of their eight games in a successful EuroBasket 2009 qualifying campaign.



Reaching the Final Round in Poland is one thing, but winning a medal is something else all together.



"There won't be any participant in Poland that could be described as weak," Ivkovic said after the recent draw for the EuroBasket.



"It's a continental championship, and only good teams have qualified."



Serbia fell into a group that could end up being the toughest of all.



They will go up against 2006 FIBA World Championship winners Spain, neighbors Slovenia and the talented new kids on the block, Great Britain, a team that like Serbia won a qualifying group but unlike the Blues has no tradition of winning in the sport.



"Our group is the most equal among all four groups," Ivkovic said. "The Spaniards can be called favorites, but there will also be a very quality team of Slovenia, while also a very ambitious Britain, with lots of naturalized Americans and NBA players that will be tough rivals, too.



"One thing is for sure: there won't be easy games."



If Serbia have managed to do anything during their five years without a medal it is this. They have lowered expectations among their fans.



The country bottomed out one year ago in Spain, losing all three games at the EuroBasket. That not only ruined their chances of reaching the Olympics, but also forced them to go through qualifying again for next year's EuroBasket in Poland.



The importance of bringing back Ivkovic, who once led the country when it was Yugoslavia, was monumental.



He ushered in a new generation of players and immediately won the backing of fans who turned out in droves to watch them play qualifying games in Belgrade.



Ivkovic never gets too high after wins, nor does he get too low after defeats.



He is methodical, organized.



Ivkovic always has a plan with clear objectives.



"Our primary goal until the EuroBasket is to be focused on the form of our players, to be in constant contact with them so we can be well prepared for championship," he said.



"We want to be among three teams that will continue to play after first phase. If we qualify for second stage, I think we'll have a bit easier schedule since our rivals will be teams from Group D (hosts Poland, Turkey, Lithuania and Bulgaria)."



Then, while delivering the remarks, Ivkovic stopped himself.



"But, it's too early to speak about the second phase," he said. "We have to prepare first for the start of competition."



It's almost impossible for a country like Serbia not to be confident, or to believe they are most certainly among the favorites.



Clearly, however, there is a common aim to be humble and that was the approach the president of the Serbian Basketball Association (KSS), Dragan Kapicic, adopted when offering his thoughts on the draw.



"I think that the group we've got is very tough, as we'll face two very good teams such as Spain and Slovenia, while our third rival is Britain, called 'impressive surprise of qualifications" for a reason," he said.



"Still, Eurobasket 2009 is a chance for us to show the quality of Serbian basketball, and therefore we'll do our best to be ready for the forthcoming challenges in Poland."

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