By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Dusan Alimpijevic is announced as the next play-caller of the senior national team of Serbia.
His contract will last through the next three years, as Meridian sport first announced. Therefore, his international project will stretch from a likely berth in the FIBA World Cup 2027 and possible participation in the Los Angeles Olympic Games 2028.
The contract of departing head coach Svetislav Pesic expired on Tuesday, making his position officially available. After thanking the 76-year-old tactician with an attached note about remaining in a counseling role and intending to provide his expertise to the next selector and coaching staff, the Basketball Federation of Serbia, KSS, officially welcomed Alimpijevic.
Overlapping schedules prevent the 39-year-old Serbian tactician, currently employed at BKT EuroCup and Turkiye Basketbol Super Ligi outfit Besiktas Gain, from coaching in the World Cup Qualifiers. The first outing for Serbia is in late November.
Upon completion of a six-game double-legged round-robin schedule opposite Bosnia-Herzegovina, Switzerland, and Turkiye in Group C, the top three seeds will place in Group J alongside the top three among Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, and Lithuania. Carrying W-L tallies, another six-game schedule will decide the holders of three tickets to the final stage, which will be held in Qatar from August 27 to September 12, 2027.
From there, the top seven countries on the final standings of the World Cup, except for Team USA, will earn a spot in the Olympic Games 2028. The United States has secured an automatic berth as hosts. The remaining four tickets will be delivered through FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.