Zvezdan Mitrovic on his season with Monaco: 'I was no longer happy to go to work' / News - Basketnews.com

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Zvezdan Mitrovic, who attended the Next Generation Tournament held in the Ranko Zeravica Arena in Belgrade during the Final Four, was interviewed by Mozzart Sport.

2-pointers this season

54%22,0Points made:22,0Accuracy:54,5%Place in standings:1Record max:32Record min:15Most made 2FGs:Donatas MotiejūnasTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

On this occasion, the former coach of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and AS Monaco spoke for the first time about the reasons for his exit from the Monegasque club in December 2021.

The Montenegrin tactician first talked about his 2020-21 season, which ended with Monaco winning the EuroCup after an unexpected run.

"We were a modest team. The club had problems with the city, and therefore the budget had never been so small. However, a group of guys had gathered and were ready to play. They followed the usual requirements.

It was bad at the beginning, but as the season went on, our level improved. In the end, we felt really dominant, like we couldn't lose a game. We played good basketball."

A historic victory for AS Monaco, which won its first international trophy and thus clinched a EuroLeague spot for the first time. But the Roca Team did not stop there. With the arrival of Mike James, new ambitions were born, and everything was ready for a great season at the European level.

However, following the team's bad start in the EuroLeague (5 wins and 9 losses), Zvezdan Mitrovic was released on December 13, 2021, and replaced by Sasa Obradovic.

"While there was still time to save our season, we agreed to make this change for the club. We sat down and agreed to my departure because I didn't know what I could do. Sasa came and did a great job. The players have been great. And in the period when we were no longer winning, we were still the second-best offense in the EuroLeague.

The bad dynamics were due to our relationships. It could have continued like that for another two months, but I was no longer happy to go to work, I didn't have good energy. But I'm not angry with anyone, I don't regret anything, no one killed me," Mitrovic said.

Among the regrets displayed, Zvezdan Mitrovic mentioned his choices during the budget increase in September - following the arrival of Fedcom - which made it possible to get Will Thomas and Mike James at the end of pre-season and then Dwayne Bacon once the season started.

The decision paid dividends for Monaco, as Sasa Obradovic finally took the club to the gates of the Final Four. Mitrovic, a three-time LNB coach of the year with Monaco (2017, 2018, 2021), left the Principality to take some time off coaching to watch the Serbian youth teams.

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