The basketball players of Mladost are preparing for the challenges of the new BiH League season, under the leadership of coach Siniša Jovanović.
The team from Mrkonjić Grad began preparations on September 1 and has so far played two friendly matches, both losses to Promo from Donji Vakuf. Coach Jovanović was not satisfied with his players’ performance in those games and announced even more intensive training.
“We started preparations later than about 80 percent of the clubs in the BiH League, so the players have not fully adapted to one another. We played poorly against Donji Vakuf and must do much better. Already on Saturday we face Student, where we will see if we have learned anything from the previous two games. After that comes the duel with Borac on September 27, and after that match we will have a clear picture of the team. Then we will know how much each player can contribute and whether we need to strengthen the roster,” Jovanović told Glas Srpske.
He currently has 13 players at his disposal, most of whom arrived over the summer: Marko Andrić, Aleksandar Smiljanić, Filip Bošković, Strahinja Jekić, Ahmed Jerebičanin, Nemanja Kovačević, and Erik Radišević.
“We brought in the players we could, and that is our reality. I hope we will play like last season, although it is already clear that next season the BiH League will be one of the strongest ever, since it will feature five ABA 2 League teams, so every round will be a major battle,” Jovanović noted.
In addition, captain Đorđe Aleksić, Dejan Ćup, and David Marković extended their contracts, while juniors Vasilije Komlenić, Dejan Vučinović, and Mihailo Konjević have joined the first team.
“Alongside proven players like Aleksić and Ćup, I am glad that our own Marković has started making use of his opportunity. It seems he stagnated in previous seasons when he was unfairly overlooked, and I believe he will make a big step forward this year. I trust the others will also progress alongside them and quickly adapt to the conditions in the BiH League, which most of them have not yet played in. On top of that, we have four homegrown players in the team, which is excellent for our club that doesn’t have a large player base,” Jovanović emphasized.
Player development
Jovanović stated that the club’s goal is to bring in younger players eager to prove themselves.
“It is clear that we cannot follow the trend of investing large financial resources into the team, so one of our aims is to recruit younger players who want to prove themselves. I want them to see the club as a place where they will advance in their careers, where they will gain recognition, where they won’t stagnate, and where both sides will benefit. They will have support and playing time in a strong competition, while it will be up to them to fight for their place,” Jovanović said.
Source: Glas Srpske
