Svetislav Pesic addresses Vasilije Micic's case: 'We're a bit sad about that decision' / News - Basketnews.com

Svetislav Pesic talked about Vasilije Micic's absence in Serbia's coming game vs. Turkey. He also praised Melih Mahmutoglu and commented on his team's EuroBasket performance.

Credit: D.Lukšta/ ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix Credit D.Lukšta/ ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix

Serbia NT basketball coach Svetislav Pesic held a press conference before the duel with Turkey on Monday evening that can bring the team significantly closer to the 2023 World Cup final stage.

Vasilije Micic

Team:Anadolu Efes IstanbulPosition:PG, SGAge:28Height:195 cmWeight:92 kgBirth place:Kraljevo, SerbiaProfileNewsStatistics

Serbia come off a tough win over Great Britain, and also took the first game vs. Turkey in Istanbul by 79-72. The new clash between the two selections will take place at 20:00 in the Aleksandar Nikolic hall.

Pesic was asked to comment on Vasilije Micic's situation. The Anadolu Efes point guard stayed in Istanbul because the Turkish club didn't give him permission to join the NT, as Ergin Ataman (who's coaching both Turkey and Efes) admitted. Ataman also pointed out that the reason for not granting permission to his player was Shane Larkin's absence, combined with the upcoming EuroLeague clash with FC Barcelona.

Pesic confirmed that the player had already booked his tickets for Belgrade, conceded that he was "sad" about the way things turned out, but added that he'll need to get more details in order to provide a comment on the issue.

"We have no reaction. We don't want to bring it to the fore," Pesic said.

"We want to focus on the things we can control. Vasa was already on his way, he had booked a ticket. We are a bit sad about that decision. Not only because of Micic, but also because of the decision that was made," the 73-year-old tactician stressed.

"I wouldn't comment too much on that. We don't have all the exact details about it, that it was done because of the preparation for Efes' game against Barcelona. That's the reasoning. I would not like to comment on that," he repeated.

Pesic also pointed out that Serbia's EuroBasket performance was not a fiasco.

"It wasn't a debacle, but a failure," he said.

"At the same time, it was kind of a success," he added. "Those of us who have been in this sport for a long time do not make excuses when we lose, but we're trying to look at the process a little bit, to make something out of it that is important for the future.

All players responded, we provided a good game that represented Serbian basketball, we created a spectacle in front of almost 20,000 people against Greece," Pesic holds.

"There are a lot of positive things there."

The Serbian specialist, who cannot count onNemanja Nedovic, praised Turkey's captain Melih Mahmutoglu.

"He's in the shape of life," he said. "You saw his percentages against Zvezda in the EuroLeague, then against Belgium. They have three top class point guards, and a good balance between backcourt and frontcourt.

They are a fighting team. The atmosphere in Pionir won't be a big surprise, as their players have probably gotten used to it," Pesic commented.

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