By Alex Madrid/ info@eurohoops.net
A lot of excitement is coming for the last weeks of the Basketball Champions League regular season and Stelmet Zielona Gora is one of the reasons why Group D is one of the tightest. Five teams – Avellino, Oostende, Bonn, Aris alongside the Polish champs – are fighting for the last spot in the Round of 16.
Right now, Zielona Gora fills that fourth place. When everything seemed lost, three consecutive victories allowed them to stay in a privileged position that they will try to defend in the last two weeks of the group stage.
The hiring of legend Andrej Urlep – who has won five Polish championships – was a decisive factor in Zielona Gora’s improvement. The team has won seven of their eight games under the Slovenian coach. But there’s a guy on the team that also deserves most of the credit.
Vladimir Dragicevic has guided Zielona Gora trough the competition and he avoided elimination before Urlep arrived. The Montenegrin has been included in the Team of the Week twice and his MVP performance against Oostende – 24 points and 12 rebounds for 37 index rating – allowed them not just a blowout win but an important victory for their playoff hopes.
Dragicevic is a globetrotter but it seems that he had found his place in Poland. He doesn’t play anywhere else as well as he does with Zielona Gora. In 2010 – 2011, four European strong performances with his home country team Buducnost gave him a ticket to the top level. Dragicevic would end the season in Vitoria with Baskonia, but he didn’t have enough chances to show his talent.
The center played enough minutes near the end of the regular season but his opportunities decreased during the playoffs. He participated in just five games with less than five minutes on average. Baskonia didn’t offer him a new contract and the center packed his luggage for his next stop.
After two decent seasons with Spartak Saint Petersburg, Zielona Gora recruited him for 2013–14 season. The Polish champs had a spot in the EuroLeague and that was a new challenge for him. Dragicevic averaged 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and once again the big European clubs turned his attention to the big man. With Mirza Begic out, Olympiacos was close to signing him but Vladimir ended in Turkey.
Now, the 31-year old is living his second experience in Zielona Gora, where he plays his best basketball. Dragicevic is the sixth scorer in the Basketball League in points per game with 16.8 – shooting a solid 67.9% – and he also grabs 6.8 rebounds in average. As it happened four years ago, the beast has awakened and the playoffs are waiting for him.
Photo Credit: BCL