As the European season of Cedevita Olimpija started badly, it also ended. Three rounds before the end of the regular season, it is already nailed to the bottom of the European Cup group and has no chance of promotion.
All the time already they are dragons at the bottom of group A. The season they are started with six European defeats, in continued to collect only three victories, so that they are was the door in the playoffs have been on hold for some time. Only theory kept them realistic in games, Lietkabelis but it is with victory in Stožicah (87:94) finally sealed Ljubljana’s fate. “We were there for about 35 minutes in game, but we couldn’t control the rebound and we couldn’t find a way to stop their main player Orelika. We missed some open shots, made some stupid moves and everything is a guide in defeat” said the coach of the Slovenian champions Jurica Golemac.
He is convinced that despite the failure from The European Cup will not lack motivation for his wards: “I believe it will be enough. They are competitive and by the end of the season they will wanted to show.” After great difficulties throughout the season, Golemac now has an almost complete staff at his disposal, at least all of whom he counted on before the start to have more specific roles. During the break for national team qualifications, most of the dragons stayed in Ljubljana, after returning to the floor they are in They beat the ABA leagues quite reliably Igokeoand the European barrier was once again too high: “For sure, we expected a more physical response, but I can’t blame the boys for anything. We have to analyze everything together, both after wins and losses. We are together for two weeks and I can’t expect everything to be in place like that.”
Same mistakes all season
All the time they are in the game has the same flaws and errors occur practically from games in match. Offensively, there are tons of individual actions, and even more problems in defense, which is the most modest in European Cup. The main problem continues to be the jump that it is Lietkabelis for example, won too strongly with as much as 40:20. Guests they are in attack caught 13 rebounds. The disjointedness of Ljubljana’s defense is visible from afar, and it is quite easy for the opponents to outwit it and they are coming to open throws. Besides the jump issues and defense was in In key moments against the Lithuanian team, the home team was not very well assembled in attack. Olimpija lost 11 balls in the whole match, Lietkabelis 18, but in last quarter they are dragons five, four of them in moments when they are basketball players from Panevezys made a crucial difference.
“I agree that the same mistakes are happening. We have problems with the defense and against Lietkabelis we started the game badly again. This is something we do not understand. We got a lot of points from kota, ten triples, ko they are were left alone… The actors want to, but then Josh (Adams, op. a.) is late in defense, and then someone else misses again… It can be seen that in the defense doesn’t yet have the chemistry it needs to work as one. We expected that, just like last year, after the November national team action, we would rise, but we did not. We took a break last year reborn. I thought we were against it Lietkabelis at least in the defense looks better. I was hoping for a win. The desire of the players was great. We really can’t blame them for that,” added the club director Davor A scoundrel.
Now the focus is on the ABA League
When it’s clear that Olimpija can’t do it anymore in elimination fights, in which even filled Stožice last year, gave a sort of assessment of the European season: “Of course, our goal was to rank in second round. Minimum goal. That’s how we assembled the team. We wanted the season to be like last year to repeat the quarter-finals and tried to upgrade it. The season went from the beginning in wrong direction. There was a lot of damage and we just didn’t find the rhythm. Now we are complete, but we are still hunting him. We must now turn our thoughts to what we have left. We will play the European Cup seriously until the end, as we did this time. We have nothing to blame the players, because the desire was there. Everyone they are nervous because they are wanted to win. That’s what I promised at the beginning, that our players will not give up.”
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“The only such match was when Hauptman’s jersey was retired against Budućnost, for which we are very sorry. We gave up then. Everything else we fought to the end, coming back after falling behind and we didn’t give up. That’s why I respect the players and coach. When things went bad, they are did their best. Unfortunately, we did not meet the goal as a result. Go ahead. In the ABA League, we are where we planned to be. We will fight for the semi-finals and then we will see which Belgrade club we will face. We’ll try to do something. Of course, either of these two is the favorite, but our goal is the semi-finals, and we will not give up there and we will look for our opportunity. We still have the Slovenian championship left and to fulfill three of the four goals set in this way,” he added A scoundrel.
Last season didn’t start as expected either, but on time they are in the dragon’s nest reacted and changed the result trend upwards with personnel changes. After arriving in January Zoran Dragić began an extraordinary winning streak: “When we first saw how long Dragić would be gone and Matkovića, we are reacted and brought in Harrison. Then in at a given moment, we didn’t know how long someone would be missing. If we knew, we might reacted otherwise. Rebec came and gave us a lot. If we take into account that Gnjidić was chasing his own rhythm all the time and still can’t find it. Rebec brought us energy when there were only seven of us in training. Mulalic and The two Radovićs played four-a-side for a month in training. The biggest problem was that it was impossible to train. If we had known that, for example, Dragić would have such problems after rehabilitating his injury, of course we would reacted. Otherwise, we waited, because we could not predict. Matković also rehabilitated, yes they are other problems started. Radovanović is said to be missing for a month and half, a they are on surgery when they are opened, saw that it was a heavier thing and he lost the season. It is difficult to bring someone and to give money if someone will return. That’s why we didn’t then reacted. No one knew when anyone would be back. Looks like we were just waiting. It all had an impact.”
Becirović leaves for Panathinaikos
Lestvica: PROMETEJ 15 11 4 26 JOVENTUT 15 10 5 25 REYER VENEZIA 15 8 7 23 JL BOURG 15 8 7 23 LIETKABELIS 15 8 7 23 RATIOPHARM ULM 15 8 7 23 BRESCIA 15 7 8 22 BURSASPOR 15 7 8 22 ---------------------------------- CLUJ NAPOCA 15 5 10 20 CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA 15 3 12 18
In Ljubljana, they are slowly creating a mosaic for the coming season. With valid contracts with three experienced local basketball players (Dragić, Murić, Omić), they already have a core, and it also consists of six other young names, on whom Olimpija is seriously counting: “We are in preparations are in full swing and compiling a financial picture. Let us know in what kind of framework will the budget be? We monitor what is happening above all in the region, which is our primary competition. Red Star and Partizan bounced so much that we might have thought a little in direction of rejuvenation. It’s just a thought. But it is necessary to give more opportunities to young people. We signed Glas during the season, Ščuka will return from injury, here they are also Radović, Matković and Ngjidic. S loans will return to Ciana, who is even younger. The only one who is under question is Matković, where he was selected in the NBA draft last year. Together with three experienced actors, the skeleton is made. But the rest would be a new generation, not only of our club, but also of Slovenian basketball.”
A scoundrel he also said that the club supports the coach. He’s a giant in he has done a lot in three seasons, as he says, but this year is the result in He also missed the European Cup for many objective reasons. He has a valid contract until the end of the season, and then they will decide who is the most suitable to lead the Ljubljana team. in so which one will be more young basketball players. The sports director will no longer be involved in the composition of the team Sana Becirovićwho is moving in Athens. There has been talk of a move to Panathinaikos for some time, and Dnevnik has already reported that the deal has been concluded. Becirović played for Byewon the Euroleague with him and later in he worked as an assistant coach for the green giant, and at the same time he also performed a kind of assistant sports director role. “Sani has a contract until the end of the season. He will surely be with us until then. What will happen next? in I don’t know at the moment. Everything is happening in in a short time. We will keep everyone informed in due course,” A scoundrel did not confirm Becirović’s departure. You do in basketball circles are already mentioning the names of his possible successors, who they are also in wore the jersey of the Ljubljana club throughout his career.
Source: Rtvslo
