PODGORICA (Montenegro) - This was supposed to be a quiet summer in Montenegro, enjoying the weather, the nature and the sunshine. However, things were turned upside down in May, when the official announcement came that Montenegro were replacing  Russia at FIBA EuroBasket 2022.

The Montenegrin federation had to change their plans instantly, and they began the process to put together a team to compete in September. Do they go with a revamped selection and emphasize the youngsters from the talented U20 generation? Or do they go with the old school guys who have been a part of this program for years?

The answer is somewhere in the middle. Even without the boy wonder Fedor Zugic, Montenegro still has a relatively young group powered by Marko Simonovic, and even without Nikola Vucevic, they still have the experience of Bojan Dubljevic to put at the top seat of the table.

No Nikola Vucevic for Montenegro, but Bojan Dubljevic still brings star power in the frontcourt

Bosko Radovic got a chance to take all these guys to dance, and with the backing of big names such as Nikola Pekovic and Bogdan Tanjevic, Radovic can enjoy working at this level and try to make history already at FIBA EuroBasket 2022. Montenegro were already the smallest nation to ever qualify for a FIBA Basketball World Cup event, and now they are chasing a long run at the continental summit.

Montenegro managed to find another gem in up-and-coming Jonah Radebaugh, who is continuing a tradition of American-born players that started with Omar Cook in 2011, continued with Tyrese Rice in 2013 and 2017, saw Derek Needham take part at FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and also included players like Taylor Rochestie and Kendrick Perry.

Radebaugh, with his distinctive mullet, was a revelation in Ludwigsburg with his gritty defense and blue-collar work ethics making him an ideal player for a team such as Montenegro.  The Balkan team could be a dark horse in September with Radebaugh joining the likes of  Nikola Ivanovic, Dino Radoncic, Marko Simonovic and Bojan Dubljevic. They are that kind of a team that nobody wants to go up against. Just ask France, they learned the hard way in July, during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.

To be clear, Montenegro aren't just some wild card team that was selected randomly. At 3-3, they were two wins clear of Germany in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers, but Germany were already qualified as hosts, taking the 4-2 pair of France and Great Britain through to the Final Round.

With their track record of reaching the World Cup in China, of storming through the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, and becoming a regular at FIBA EuroBasket Final Rounds, it's only a matter of luck for Montenegro to put a serious run together and add another record to the history books. With their population of just over 600,000, they could become the smallest nation to ever win a medal at this event.

 IN THE LAST 10 FIBA EVENTS

HOW DID  QUALIFY: FIBA EUROBASKET 2022 QUALIFIERS - 3rd IN GROUP G (3W - 3L)

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