Sasa Djordjevic shares his coaching methods in China, praises Partizan / News - Basketnews.com

Djordjevic revealed he makes Chinese players watch matches from the past to learn from European basketball players. He complimented Partizan on them getting to the EuroLeague playoffs and revealed a story about how he pitched both Belgrade clubs to be given an A license.

Credit: Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

After coaching several teams in Europe, Aleksandar 'Sasa' Djordjevic is now in China, preparing for the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup. As the head of the Chinese national team, he's in a totally different world than he used to be before.

As an established specialist from outside the continent, Djordjevic has a task to instill his coaching philosophy in the Chinese players in order to better prepare them both for the current-day performance and for the future.

In an interview with Djordje Samoilovic from Novosti, he tells that his goal is to return the Chinese NT to the Olympic Games.

"We've established very good relations, and my big goal was to establish internal communication and a way of working with a proven system with which we will transfer basketball knowledge. I came across guys with open hearts, a great desire and exceptional work discipline, and positivity towards the national team, since the national team is the most sacred thing for them, as it should be everywhere," the coach began.

Djordjevic then shared how he's approaching his players and how he's trying to improve their game.

"I try to be in contact with the players every day, not only to contact them with 'How are you, what are you doing' but also to send them videos, [some of them] longer, [some of them] shorter," Djordjevic said. "One player, for example, gets a task to watch Rudy Fernandez from the match between China and Spain in 2008 to see how aggressive Rudy was in defense, the way he played that time."

"There is also an analysis through matches in major competitions both from the time when Yao Ming was there and from 2019 and 2016 when we met with them [when I was coaching the Serbian NT]," the specialist continued. "I take care of the players, I follow them, I look after them, I go to matches with assistants Goran Bjedov and Mladen Mihajlovic. We've visited Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai to get a feel for the basketball and work atmosphere."

Although he's in a different part of the world and the time difference makes it difficult to watch the games live, the Serbian legend says that he follows the EuroLeague and the way both clubs from his home country - Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade - are playing in the competition.

A long-time Partizan player, Djordjevic is happy for his former club and remains optimistic about the team's chances in the playoffs.

"What Zeljko Obradovic, who came back and made this a reality, did with [GM] Zoran Savic is really fantastic. Lately, I think they've been the most successful team in the EuroLeague," he said. "These are great numbers, this is a great result. The black and whites have the best and most experienced coach who knows how to use all the players in the right way and not let them fly, except when they need to."

"Until they beat me on the court, I never admit that they're better. They can come with as many millions more as they want, but until that last siren rings, I won't admit it," Djordjevic said referring to Real Madrid's larger budget.

With Partizan shattering the record book with their impressive attendance numbers this season, Djordjevic shared a story of how he tried to convince then-CEO of the EuroLeague Jordi Bertomeu to give two A licenses to both Belgrade clubs when the organization was changing its competition format.

"The fans in Belgrade are, after all, something special. When I became the head coach of the Serbian national team, that gave me the right to invite the then-first man of the EuroLeague [Jordi Bertomeu] and make a proposal that both Zvezda and Partizan should be participants in the EuroLeague with an A license and that we deserve it," he shared.

"The first so-called weapon that I put on the table was that 20,000 fans [can come] one week, 20,000 fans [can come] the next week who create an atmosphere like nowhere else in the world," he stated. "It is the trademark of a city and nation that are unique in basketball."

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