Serbian U20 National Team 2009

[AlbionGate]

Next summer, this team will take part to the 16th edition of the Mediterranean games in Pescara (Italy) and to the U20 european championship in Rhodes (Greece).

Slobodan Klipa will coach the team once again (last year he won the gold medal with the 1988 generation). Although he is considered to be one of the best coach for individual work with young players in the country, I'm really not keen of his coaching abilites during games.

Nevertheless, I expect this team to win the European Championship with or without Milan Macvan.

[Straight forward]

Nevertheless, I expect this team to win the European Championship with or without Milan Macvan.

Why Milan Macvan is not sure thing?

[AlbionGate]

Macvan is a legitimate candidate for our senior national team.

[Straight forward]

Macvan is a legitimate candidate for our senior national team.

As well as D. Motiejūnas in Lithuanian NT. I don't know about Macvan's chances to play for senior team, but Motiejūnas is surely not strong enough for Lith NT yet.

[rikhardur]

I think Mačvan has chances of making the senior NT. He might not play more than let's say than 5 minutes, but he already has quality enough to be there. He can play against seniors as he demonstrated in Hemofarm.

[Srle]

I hope he willl be selected for our Senior national team.He has nothing else to prove in youth competition,thats just a waste of time for him.

[pep]

I hope he willl be selected for our Senior national team.He has nothing else to prove in youth competition,thats just a waste of time for him.

yep, agreed.

Tonight he had 16 points against Partizan, by the way

[viridianus]

I have read in some serbian forums that Macvan could be, at his best, a little better than Dejam Milojevic, and, at his worst, a copy of the former basketball player of Partizan Stevanovic (not a man, in my opinion: a real bull!:-)))...well' I think he is going to be one of the most important BB players in Europe and should not commit the mistake of going overseas, but, like Bodiroga, become the go to guy of a final four euroleague team...I would not mind if, for example, in five ears , he will be playing, say, in Pana alongside with...Lebron James....definitely something worth watching, isn't it?:-)))))

[Srle]

He is much more skilled than Dejan Milojevic and he is taller too.Milojevic is the hard worker but Macvan is way more talented and he posses finsese that Milojevic never had in his game.Macvan and Stevanovic have only two things in common both are large and they have soft hands.

[AlbionGate]

The preliminary team will be known tomorrow. Power forward Stefan Bircevic (209 1989) will be in the list.

[pep]

The preliminary team will be known tomorrow. Power forward Stefan Bircevic (209 1989) will be in the list.

the youngest player in the biggest surprise of the serbian league (metalac), I´ve been trying for months to find some information about him in the net, to no avail.
Now he´ll become better known I guess.

[AlbionGate]

PG Dušan Katnić (193, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
PG Filip Čović (178, 1989, FMP)
PG Aleksandar Vlahović (190, 1990, Partizan / Vizura)
SG Stefan Stojačić (195, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
SG Branko Lazić (195, 1989, FMP)
SG Andreja Milutinović (198, 1990, FMP)
SF Aleksandar Mitrović (202, 1990, Mega Hypo Leasing)
SF Vladimir Lučić (202, 1989, Partizan)
SG/SF Dragan Milosavljević (197, 1989, Napredak Kruševac)
SG Filip Šepa (199, 1990, Crvena Zvezda)
SG Stefan Živanović (196, 1989, FMP)
SG/SG Bogdan Riznić (201, 1990, Partizan)
F Uroš Petrović (207, 1990, Hemofarm)
PF Nikola Marković (207, 1989, FMP)
PF Dušan Cvetković (205, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
PF Stefan Birčević (209, 1989, Metalac Valjevo)
PF Stevan Jelovac (204, 1989, Partizan / Vizura)
PF Bojan Subotić (206, 1990, FMP)
C Nikola Maravić (210, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
C Đorđe Gagić (211, 1990, Crvena zvezda)
C Uroš Luković (212, 1989, FMP)
C Duško Bunić (208, 1989, Novi Sad)

Stefan Perunicic (198, 1991, St.Francis NCAA) is not in the team. Averaging 10 pts as freshman is not enough ?

[AlbionGate]

Slobodan Klipa changed and shorted his preliminary list. Six players are no more in the list (Filip Čović, Stefan Stojačić, Branko Lazić, Andreja Milutinović, Nikola Maravić and Dušan Katnić). Katnić is out due to injury and Nemanja Nedović, firstly selected in U18 NT, will replace him. It's seems that other players have been left at the disposal of their teams, because all of them are already playing with their clubs first teams.

The current list:
PG Aleksandar Vlahović (190, 1990, Partizan / Vizura)
PG Nemanja Nedović (190, 1991, Crvena Zvezda)
SF Aleksandar Mitrović (202, 1990, Mega Hypo Leasing)
SF Vladimir Lučić (202, 1989, Partizan)
SG/SF Dragan Milosavljević (197, 1989, Napredak Kruševac)
SG Filip Šepa (199, 1990, Crvena Zvezda)
SG Stefan Živanović (196, 1989, FMP)
SG/SG Bogdan Riznić (201, 1990, Partizan)
F Uroš Petrović (207, 1990, Hemofarm)
PF Nikola Marković (207, 1989, FMP)
PF Dušan Cvetković (205, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
PF Stefan Birčević (209, 1989, Metalac Valjevo)
PF Stevan Jelovac (204, 1989, Partizan / Vizura)
PF Bojan Subotić (206, 1990, FMP)
C Đorđe Gagić (211, 1990, Crvena zvezda)
C Uroš Luković (212, 1989, FMP)
C Duško Bunić (208, 1989, Novi Sad)

[AlbionGate]

Very strange things definitively happens in this selection. Once again changes in the list. Four players are no more in the team. All are Partizan or Crvena Zvezda players (Stevan Jelovac, Bogdan Riznić, Aleksandar Vlahović, Filip Šepa) while five others replaced them (Stefan Stojačić, Nikola Maravić, Filip Čović, Branko Lazić, Miloš Dimić). All of them are from teams (Mega and FMP) linked to significant managers.

The current list (18 players)
PG Filip Čović (180, 1989, FMP Železnik)
PG Nemanja Nedović (190, 1991, Crvena Zvezda)
SF Aleksandar Mitrović (202, 1990, Mega Hypo Leasing)
SF Vladimir Lučić (202, 1989, Partizan)
SG Miloš Dimić (194, 1989, FMP Železnik)
SG Branko Lazić (196, 1989, FMP Železnik)
SG Stefan Stojačić (195, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
SG/SF Dragan Milosavljević (197, 1989, Napredak Kruševac)
SG Stefan Živanović (196, 1989, FMP)
F Uroš Petrović (207, 1990, Hemofarm)
PF Nikola Marković (207, 1989, FMP Železnik)
PF Dušan Cvetković (205, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
PF Stefan Birčević (209, 1989, Metalac Valjevo)
PF Bojan Subotić (206, 1990, FMP Železnik)
C Đorđe Gagić (211, 1990, Crvena zvezda)
C Uroš Luković (212, 1989, FMP Železnik)
C Duško Bunić (208, 1989, Novi Sad)
C Nikola Maravić (210, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)

Big prospect Andreja Milutinović (198, 1990, FMP Železnik) is still out of the list. His absence is probably due to animosity between him and head coach Klipa. Klipa was FMP coach at the beginning of the season.

[AlbionGate]

PG Filip Čović (180, 1989, FMP Železnik)
PG Nemanja Nedović (190, 1991, Crvena Zvezda)
SG Branko Lazić (196, 1989, FMP Železnik)
SG Stefan Stojačić (195, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)
SG/SF Dragan Milosavljević (197, 1989, Napredak Kruševac)
SG/SF Aleksandar Mitrović (202, 1990, Mega Hypo Leasing)
SF Vladimir Lučić (202, 1989, Partizan)
PF Nikola Marković (207, 1989, FMP Železnik)
PF Stefan Birčević (209, 1989, Metalac Valjevo)
PF Bojan Subotić (206, 1990, FMP Železnik)
C Duško Bunić (208, 1989, Novi Sad)
C Nikola Maravić (210, 1989, Mega Hypo Leasing)

These players have been selected to take part to Mediterranean Games. Unless injuries, they will also take part to U20 European Championship. The five last cut players were Luković, Gagić, Cvetković, Živanović and Dimić.

BTW, Aleksandar "Aljosa" Mitrovic will play for Partizan Belgrade next season.