SRB – Ivkovic to be volunteer coach of Serbia

BELGRADE (EuroBasket 2011) - The reward of knowing he tried to help his country stay among the elite in Europe is apparently all Dusan Ivkovic needs to coach Serbia’s national team.
 
The veteran tactician decided recently to continue leading Serbia, something that was confirmed after Belgrade major Dragan Djilas was elected as the president of the Serbian Basketball Association (KSS).
 
After being named as the new supremo of the sport in Serbia, Djilas said the financially-strapped KSS wouldn't be able to make good on outstanding payments to Ivkovic, who has steered the club to EuroBasket 2009 silver and a fourth-place finish at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
 
"I've told Mr. Djilas, when he informed me that he'd be a candidate for KSS's presidency, that if he really did that - he could count on me," Ivkovic said.
 
"It's an honor and pleasure for me to lead our national team.
 
"During my 1992-1995 stint at the helm of our national team, I worked without any payment for that job.
 
"And I'll do the same even now. That will be my modest contribution in these tough times."
 
As for the veteran tactician's announcement two months ago that he would not be able to coach the national side, Ivkovic said: "I never officially resigned. It wasn't like 'I'm quitting', I was just trying to make something like a wake-up call for the KSS.
 
"In fact, my contract expired in July 2010, but no one noticed.
 
"It isn't easy for me to speak about it now, but the most important thing is that I'll continue to work as head coach of Serbia."
 
Serbia will be in Group B of the EuroBasket in Lithuania with Israel, France, Italy, Latvia and Germany, a team that upset them in the Preliminary Round last summer in Turkey.
 
FIBA