By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Serbia cruised past Estonia at the 2025 EuroBasket opener in Riga, finishing the first day of the tournament with a convincing 98-64 victory.
After the game, head coach Svetislav Pešić spoke at the press conference, starting with a simple request.
“I have one request. It’s 23:30—please respect our time. We cannot stay here an hour after the game waiting for the press conference. We want to hold it, but not for 30 minutes,” Pešić said.
😅🇷🇸 Coach Pesic would love to get out of work before midnight #Eurobasket pic.twitter.com/5djt6x23I4
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 27, 2025
He then commented on the victory over Estonia, emphasizing the importance of staying grounded.
“We started the competition with a win, but we don’t want to underestimate or overestimate this triumph. The win is important for us, as always. That was our goal. But winning alone is not enough. We want more. And more. And more. We focus on finding solutions, giving players opportunities, and progressing individually. We are satisfied with our approach, concentration, and defense,” Pešić added.
Pesic also addressed Group A, which saw Portugal defeat Czechia and Turkey overcome Latvia in Round 1.
“I’ve already said this is a very tough group. There are three teams that are medal candidates. And now we’ve seen how strong Turkey is. I think Latvia can do much better—maybe they were under pressure—but we know it’s a team we highly respect. For me, this first day changes nothing. Serbia, Turkey, and Latvia are all candidates for the next round and for a medal.”
He highlighted that there’s still room for improvement.
“We are a team developing both individually and collectively. Tougher opponents than Estonia await us. The guys gave their all on the court and should be congratulated. Their approach to defensive tasks was excellent. There’s always room for improvement, and we continue working on it. We coordinate and train as much as possible. We must also refine what we do well. We move forward. The next opponent is completely different—they have both inside and outside threats. Vanja can attest—we don’t watch or listen to what others do or say, but focus on our own game and discussions. We stay disciplined, making it difficult for anyone to get past us, and then we sit down to decide our next step,” Pešić concluded.
Photo Credit: FIBA