Solid Check: We Must Minimize Turnovers and Control Rebounds
Radović with Olmen at last night’s match, Photo: KSCG
The Montenegrin national basketball team showcased strong performance against Greece for the first three quarters last night, leading throughout. However, a dip in performance during the fourth quarter allowed the host team to make a comeback and secure the win (69:61).
Coach Boško Radović chose to rest Vladimir Mihailović for this match against Greece, while Kyle Olman made his debut with the national team.
“It was another valuable test for us against a tough opponent. Neither team had an excellent shooting game, but I believe we played well for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, we faltered in the last quarter, both in energy and focus,” stated coach Boško Radović following the game.
Montenegro has faced three formidable opponents recently, where Nikola Vučević and his teammates have proven they can compete at the European Championship level.
“It’s crucial that we had solid minutes in all three matches against strong teams, but we do have noticeable issues—primarily with turnovers and ineffective shot construction. We also missed seven free throws. Despite that, we achieved a decent result, especially as many of these concerns surfaced in the final quarter. We need to address this before the championship starts, particularly in reducing turnovers and better controlling our opponents’ offensive rebounds. I trust we can make these improvements in the next two tests to be ready for the European Championship kickoff,” shared coach Radović.
Montenegro is set to face Israel in Bar on Sunday (16:30 PM), followed by a match against Turkey in Istanbul on August 22nd.
Post the Turkey matchup, the team will proceed to Tampere. Montenegro falls into Group B alongside host nation Finland, and teams from Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, and Great Britain.
The team’s opening match is scheduled for August 27th against Germany, with a subsequent game against Lithuania on August 29th.
Montenegro will take on Finland on August 30th, Sweden on September 1st, and Great Britain on September 3rd.
Four teams will advance from the group stage to the knockout round, which will take place in Latvia.
In addition to Latvia and Finland, Poland and Cyprus will host the group stage matches.
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