By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Serbia opened its 2023 FIBA World Cup with a monster victory against China, without even leaving dust to their former head coach Sasha Djordjevic’s team, beating them 105-63.
Leading his national team as one of the most experienced players on the roster, playing his third straight FIBA World Cup, Bogdan Bogdanovic ended the game with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Talking to the mixed zone, he analyzed what to expect from the other two games in Group B, against Puerto Rico and finally South Sudan. “We expect the next two games to be much harder than the first against China. They’re both experienced teams, with a lot of good players”, he said.
Moving on to the African team, he underlined the importance of not underestimating them despite being debutants. “We know this is the first World Cup for South Sudan, but they came with a lot of players who can really hoop”, he said before going on to talk about the Caribbean team. “Puerto Rico is always tough to beat at the World Cup, they know how to play the game”, the 31-year-old guard added.
During his senior national team career with Serbia, Bogdan Bogdanovic managed to get three silver medals, at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, at EuroBasket 2017, and at the Olympic Games of Rio 2016. Setting the bar higher, he may want to come back from Manila with gold on his neck. For the moment, however, he admitted two main goals of him: “To qualify for the Olympic Games and to win a medal”.
PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA World Cup
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