BELGRADE (FIBA U19 World Championship) - Stefan Lazarevic captained Serbia to second place at the 2014 European Championship and a spot at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship which will take place in Heraklion (Crete), Greece (27 June-5 July) where he believes his team has the talent and big-game experience to reach the podium.

The Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade youngster, who is playing for FMP in the Serbian first division, was named to the All-Tournament Team at the U18 European Championship. He also won the Nike International Junior Tournament (NIJT) title last season with Crvena Zvezda.

Lazarevic took time to talk to FIBA.com about the upcoming U19 Worlds, Serbia's expectations and his talented teammates.

FIBA.com: What do you think in general about playing at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Greece?
Lazarevic: I think it is going to be a big experience because we will have opportunity to play against national teams from all around the world, not just Europe.

FIBA.com: What are your thoughts on Group D where Serbia have been drawn with hosts Greece, the Dominican Republic and Korea?
Lazarevic: I think we can expect a hard game right at the beginning against Greece. And of course we have to give our max against Dominican Republic and Korea.

FIBA.com: What are the expectations for Serbia going against Greece, which will be a rematch of the Semi-Finals at the U18 European Championship last summer?
Lazarevic: I expect an extraordinary big motivation from the Greek national team to defeat us.

FIBA.com: And then waiting for Serbia in the Round of 16 will be one of the following teams - Australia, Italy, Canada or Tunisia. What are your thoughts on them?
Lazarevic: I think Australia, Canada and Italy would be our rivals, and I think if we win that game in the Round of 16, we are going straight to the medals.

FIBA.com: What does Serbia have to do to be successful?
Lazarevic: I think that all of us must be like one and that every player is prepared to give his best and also help the other teammates.That is the beauty of our national team.

FIBA.com: The Serbian team is loaded with talent, but also with a lot of big game experience - playing at last summer's U18 European Championship, the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship as well as having success at the Nike International Junior Tournament/Adidas Next Generation Tournament. How much will that help the team?
Lazarevic: Yes, that is our advantage because it doesn't matter if we have players who are one, two or three years younger on our roster. I believe and they believe they have experience to play those big championships and tournaments.

FIBA.com: Not only is the 1996-born generation strong but so are the 1997-born players. Even a couple of 1998-born players such as Aleksandar Aranitovic are among others could play at this competition. How close are these generations and how important is that for Serbia's success?
Lazarevic: Well, like I said before, I believe in all of them, especially the ones I have played with - (Vojislav) Stojanovic, Aranitovic, (Borisa) Simanic, (Stefan) Peno, (Vanja) Marinkovic. These guys are phenomenal, not just as basketball players. I have known them for a long time, and I have thousand reasons to believe in them - and not just them but in all of our generations.

FIBA.com: You mentioned Marinkovic and Peno. Both are getting some minutes with big clubs like Partizan and Barcelona, respectively.
Lazarevic: Well, both of them are playing for big clubs, and there is no doubt that they are good - 18-year-old guys in A teams of Barcelona and Partizan. I know that they are prepared for everything, that they have big motivation and that their time is coming.

FIBA