Bogdan Bogdanovic: 'It's one of the best groups I've ever worked with' / News - Basketnews.com

Bogdanovic praised the Serbian roster and hoped that something could be build from the achievement in the World Cup.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Bogdan Bogdanovic led Serbia in scoring, but his team ultimately lost in the 2023 FIBA World Cup final against Germany. After the game, the start guard was sad about the ending but wanted to pay attention to the work the roster did.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Johannes Voigtmann Points 12 Accuracy 4-5 Rebounds 8 Assists 3

Talking with the Serbian media following the loss, Bogdanovic emphasized that Serbia will be going to play in Paris next summer.

"Our goal was to qualify for the Olympic Games. We were in the final, we took another big step," he said. "From a sports perspective, it's my fault, we were a shot away from maybe winning a gold medal."

"Honestly, they were better, they showed that throughout the tournament," Bogdanovic explained. "They know how to play tough matches. We lacked a bit of experience, a bit of everything... But that's basketball."

Serbia had to play without Ognjen Dobric in the final, who sprained his ankle in the first quarter of the game and could not continue.

"Dobric means a lot to us both offensively and defensively, it was bad luck. Sometimes, games are lost that way, you need a bit of luck. It wasn't on our side today, but that's it, we have to move on," Bogdanovic said about the unlucky injury.

Throughout the competition, Serbia lost Borisa Simanic, who lost a kidney after an unfortunate blow during the game against South Sudan. The entire roster came together and defeated Lithuania, a team came off a win against Team USA, in the quarterfinal and eliminated Canada in the semifinal.

"I hope we can build something from this," Bogdanovic said. "I'm proud of the way we worked. It's one of the best groups of players I've worked with. All of them are real competitors, professionals. I'm glad I was a part of it."

"We have to be proud. The tournament ended in defeat, but we had a great success," he concluded.

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