Partizan starts preparation, season opener against Fenerbahçe

Belgrade’s basketball club Partizan NIS started preparation for season 2017-2018 on Monday, August 7^th with new coach Miroslav Muta Nikolić, assistant coach of senior Serbian national team. First training was in Dinamik basketball hall and started at 8 p.m. sharp.

This season, Nikolić’s team will play in Eurocup, regional ABA j.t.d. league, Basketball League of Serbia and in Radivoj Korać Cup (Cup was named after the late legendary Yugoslav player Radivoj Korać, who is well known for holding the Euroleague’s all-time single-game scoring record, at 99 points scored, in a game versus Alvik Basket, during the 1964-1965 season).

Black and white players on first practice in Dinamik Sports Center were Mihajlo Andrić, Slobodan Jovanović, Nikola Tanasković, Đorđe Majstorović and also guys who will try to get contract with BC Partizan: Đorđe Tresač, Vuk Obradinović and Aleksa Novaković.

Also, basketball player Vanja Marinković was with the team but he didn’t practice due the health issues. There were also three more players who will play for Partizan NIS in season 2017-2018 but couldn’t make it to first practice. First is Obrad Tomić, who has games with Bosnia and Herzegovina national team and second two are USA players: Jamie O’Brien Skeen, 29 years old power forward-center signed two year deal with black and whites, and Ian Baker, playmaker who previously played for New Mexico State University. Both USA players will join the team on August 13^th.

New head coach, Muta Nikolić before first practice said for official site of BC Partizan: “This is the first practice, we are slowly gathering and forming the team. All questions about the composition of the team will be solved during the preparation process. We expect that Skeen, Baker and Tomić will join us soon”.

First preparation games, black and white team from Belgrade will have on August 26^th and 27^th against Timisoara and Oldenburg. After those matches, Partizan will play against Beşiktaş, Igokea and will participate in tournament that will be organized by BC Mega Bemaks. Also, black and white team will participate in ABA j.t.d. league Supercup, that will be held in Bar (Montenegro) from September 20^th till September 22^nd.

Partizan NIS will host Fenerbahçe on Tueasday, September 26^th from 7 p.m. in Aleksandar Nikolić hall. Two European Champions (Partizan won in 1992 and Fenerbahçe in 2017) will open 2017-2018 season where Partizan fans will be able to show their support to the new team and once more to say “thank you” to ex Partizan and the best European coach Želimir Željko Obradović and Jan Vesely, player who was introduced to Europe in Partizan NIS gear.

Partizan won only European Championship with Obradović as a head coach in 1992. It was Željko’s first season as a coach, and after that he won 8 more European Championships with different clubs (1992, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2017). Besides Partizan and now Fenerbahçe, he was a head coach of Joventut Badalona (1993-1994), Real Madrid (1994-1997), Benetton Treviso (1997-1999) and Panathinaikos (1999–2012). Also, Obradović was head coach of Yugoslavia national team from 1996 till 2000 and of Serbia and Montenegro from 2004 till 2005.

As a player, Željko Obradović played only in two clubs: Borac and Partizan. The first one was the club from his hometown, where he started his basketball career. And he never forgot Borac and Partizan and now when he is basketball legend and head coach of Euroleague Champion Fenerbahçe, his new team will play friendly games against his old teams. One with Partizan was mentioned before, and in Čačak against BC Borac, Obradović’s team will play on September 27^th at 7 p. m.