By Nikola Miloradovic/ info@eurohoops.net
Focusing on his assignment with the senior national team of Serbia, recently-hired head coach Dusan Alimpijevic addressed the peculiar demands in calling up players and listing the best possible roster.
“For now, we are being patient with arrivals. [Stefan] Nikolic and [Aleksa] Radanov missed morning practice due to club commitments. All 17 players we counted on to be here were part of the second practice,” he said on Monday, excluding seven EuroLeague players from the initial total of 24 for the first window dedicated to the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
“The EuroLeague season started with more intensity than ever, with two-game weeks from the beginning, making our job harder. Over the first eight games, there were 276 injuries across all teams. That’s 90 more than last year. That is official data that permits all clubs to decline call-ups from national teams,” added the 39-year-old play-caller.
Besides FC Bayern Munich’s Radanov, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet’s Stefan Miljenovic has also joined, and Zvezda’s Ognjen Dobric and Dubai’s Nemanja Dangubic are projected to be available in the second half of the upcoming window. However, Vasilije Micic of Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv is expected to sit out the upcoming window, while Dejan Davidovac of Zvezda, Arijan Lakic of Partizan Mozzart Bet, and Alen Smailagic of Virtus Bologna are dealing with injuries.
“I expect we’ll get the same response as from the other EuroLeague teams. We waited for Hapoel’s answer until the very last moment, and that’s why Micic was on the list. Micic wants to play for the team, but Hapoel hasn’t released any of their national-team players to any country,” he explained the situation surrounding 31-year-old Micic.
“We did not make any requests to NBA teams. I had positive talks with Euroleague clubs. They gave a lot of money to deal with the risk of injuries,” pointed out Alimpijevic, diving into the task of compiling the roster.
“We have been saying for years that closure is necessary, and for us to find a common solution. FIBA should make a clear rule for the Qualifiers, either everybody or nobody available. Just like in football. We need a new system and to go in a different direction,” he continued.
In Group C of the European Qualifiers, Serbia hosts Switzerland in Belgrade on Thursday and visits Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo on Sunday.
Besides taking over the senior national team of his country in September, Alimpijevic remains in charge of Besiktas Gain at the club level, with his side competing in the BKT EuroCup and Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi.