Serbia NT 2009

[rikhardur]

Nilsen: Tripkovic Home Grown





When Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic spoke of the need to put some hunger back into the National Team ahead of EuroBasket 2009 qualification by focusing more of his attention on Serbian based players, it is a fair bet that Uros Tripkovic was near the top of that list.



For having quite literally grown up within the Partizan Belgrade basketball family, players don't really come any more home grown than this.



Still only 22-years-old, the guard not only played right through the Junior ranks but is now astonishingly in his seventh professional season having made his debut when he was just 16-years-old.



More impressively having picked up a stack of winners medals in the Serbian Superleague and Adriatic League, he is also playing in his seventh Euroleague campaign and only last week underlined his experience and value with a joint top score of 12 points in a thrilling 60-59 win for Partizan over group rivals Unicaja Malaga.



Even on the International stage Tripkovic has a raft of experience having played at the FIBA World Championships in Japan during 2006 although did endure the agony of missing out on EuroBasket 2007 in Spain due to an injury.



With underrated defensive skills and a huge perimeter threat, he played a pivotal role during qualification for Poland averaging 8.5 points per game in 17 minutes and shooting over 48 percent from outside.



That is why Tripkovic remains one of a number of key players whom Ivkovic will put his faith in when what could continue to be a youthful looking Serbian National Team head for Warsaw hoping to replicate that impressive form during qualification.



I caught up with the sharp shooter last week to talk about how things are going during another typically manic season and with the small matter of EuroBasket 2009 rapidly approaching on the horizon.



FIBA Europe - Hi Uros, Coach Ivkovic stated before qualifying last year that he wanted to put pride back into the Serbia National Team and get the country back to the very top. We guess a strong EuroBasket qualification campaign was a good start on this journey for a young team?



Uros Tripkovic - Coach Ivkovic is a good trainer and a coach with great experience. He has brought together a young National Team and we had some good results last year during those qualification games. We played well and we all got to know each other. I think that we have a good chance to make sure we do get a good result at EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.



FIBA Europe - What were your feelings on the EuroBasket Finals draw that was made? What are your feelings on Spain, Slovenia and Great Britain and do you think it is the toughest group in the tournament?



Uros Tripkovic - I think that we are definitely in one of the toughest groups of the tournament. Spain is obviously a great team while Great Britain and Slovenia both have NBA players so it will be very hard in our group. However I believe that with some good play and also a little luck, we can achieve a good result and get past the group stages.



FIBA Europe - We guess that EuroBasket 2009 in Poland will mean a lot more to you than others because of the disappointment of missing the last tournament with an injury?



Uros Tripkovic - Every tournament means a lot to every single player, so I think about that along those kind of lines. Every one of us from the team will have to really work hard to make sure that we get the results that we need for the team in Poland.



FIBA Europe - Does it help when you are a young player in a young team all learning together or would you prefer some more experienced players to help you? For example the likes of Vule Avdalovic back playing in good form with Pamesa Valencia after his long term injury.



Uros Tripkovic - I like it more that we are a young team because we have all known each other for many years and we have shared some great experiences together. I have played with Vule Avdalovic for many years and I am sure that he will come back in good form.



FIBA Europe - Is it possible that Eurobasket 2009 in Poland maybe come a little too early for this Serbia team? Are prospects of success perhaps better in future FIBA tournaments such as the London Olympics 2012 when the team could peak? If so, do you think the fans of Serbia can show the patience you might need?



Uros Tripkovic - The more time we spend together, the more chance we have to make sure that we get ourselves some good results. We probably will have even better chances in the future when we could peak in both form and maturity but I think that we can still achieve some good results even during this EuroBasket tournament in Poland. I am sure that our fans will have a good comprehension of where we are as a team and they will definitely give us the support that we need.



FIBA Europe - Do you feel under more pressure playing for a famous club like Partizan with a tradition of winning trophies or do you feel more pressure playing for the National team because of the pride and great history of basketball in Serbia and the desire of everyone to succeed and be strong again?



Uros Tripkovic - There is always pressure on both sides for the club and for the National Team but it is normal for any professional basketball player and I'm always trying to just make sure that I do not to fall down under that pressure.



FIBA Europe - There was and still is a lot of expectation on your shoulders as a young player in the backcourt. Do you watch the likes of Ricky Rubio of DKV Joventut and Spain and feel some sense of understanding what this is like on a similar career path, making debut as a youngster in Euroleague and for the National Team?



Uros Tripkovic - Every time you play for the National Team, everybody always expects a lot from you and it is that kind of pressure that we were talking about. Ricky Rubio is a player who I am sure that is going to find the way to handle that pressure too.



FIBA Europe - Finally Uros, tell us about your current form and what you are hoping can happen between now and EuroBasket 2009 with Partizan, now of course into the last 16 of Euroleague?



Uros Tripkovic - I think that I am in okay form at the moment and I expect that with Partizan we are going to successfully defend our title in the Serbian National League and that we will be an equal rival to any other team in the last 16 of Euroleague.

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