SRB - Ivkovic: 'The toughest part of our goal is ahead of us'

BELGRADE (EuroBasket Qualifying) - Serbia is back on track, according to their national team coach Dusan Ivkovic.

Gold medal winners at the 2002 FIBA World Championship when the country was called Yugoslavia, the Blues have not won a medal in any competition since and last year, they crashed out of the EuroBasket in Spain after three successive defeats.

Serbia won seven of their eight games in this year’s qualifying campaign for next year’s final round, winning twice against Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary and splitting two games with Finland.

Nevertheless, Ivkovic looks ahead to next year’s challenge in the Final Round in Poland as a "long and hard journey".

"We've done what we've expected to do,” he said.

“We've qualified for the European Championship. But now, I hear comments like ‘great success’, ‘fantastic’, and so on.

“Well, we didn't achieve anything spectacular, there was nothing special. We've just - qualified.

“And that's all, for now.”

With one goal achieved, Ivkovic and the very talented Serbian group that he is in charge of can now refine their aims.

“The toughest part of our journey is ahead of us, and our goal is to qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey,” he said.

“So, we are just at the start. And it was a good start, I must admit."

FIBA