SRB - Stimac inspired by the greats

BELGRADE (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Vladimir Stimac remembers tuning in to watch the former Yugoslavia dominate international tournaments during his childhood.

The national team was awesome.

In 1989, Yugoslavia captured the European title and the following year, the FIBA World Championship.

In the 1991, '95, '97 and 2001 European Championships, and the 1998 and 2002 FIBA World Championships, the national team again reached the top of the podium.

Looking back, was there a player that the 25-year-old Stimac, a 2.11m center with Turkish outfit Banvit, looked up to the most?

"I had a lot of favorite guys but I like Zoran Savic," Stimac said.

"He's the same type of player like me, the hard man.

"That's a good player to look up. He was a great player. We had a lot of great centers, point guards and guards, everybody - I loved them all.

"But particularly, because it's the position that I play, I liked Zoran Savic.

"He's so physical and he almost never loses Finals."

Savic was in the gold-medal winning sides of 1990, '91, '95 and '97.

A real bruiser, he also helped Yugoslavia capture silver at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Has Stimac ever met his favorite player?

"Yes, many times," he said.

"I'm not that close to him. But the first time I have a chance, I'd like to talk to him about the game because he was a great player."

Rich in talent

Though he didn't know it in his youth, Stimac would go on to one day put on the national team shirt himself.

This summer, he helped Serbia survive a difficult Qualification Round campaign for EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia.

"It was a great experience for me because I was with such a great coach (Dusan Ivkovic) and players," he said.

"I learned a lot and I hope that I can improve even more."

Serbia finished third in their Qualification Round group behind Montenegro and Israel, but the country is still considered to be one of the leading basketball nations.

In 2009, the national team finished runners-up to Spain at the EuroBasket and the following year reached the Semi-Finals of the World Championship in Turkey.

It currently holds the number 12 spot in the FIBA World Rankings.

"This is the thing," Stimac said.

"Serbia is so rich with potential, talented kids. You will see the younger guys come.

"It's so rich with the talent and potential for the game. The kids love it.

"They have a passion for the game because of (Vlade) Divac, (Zarko) Paspalj, (Dejan) Bodiroga.

"I don't want to forget any of the great players that we have had in the past, but there are some great players that we can look to and you don't care about the money.

"Okay, that comes later but first, it's the love of the game."

Learning from a legend

Stimac didn't just rub shoulders with terrific players this summer.

He also had a chance to receive instruction from one of the all-time great coaches in Europe in Ivkovic.

"For me, I was very proud to be next to a legend like that, to work with him in practice and learn his style of the game so it was pretty nice for me," Stimac said.

As for Serbia's difficulty in getting desired results?

In addition to Montenegro and Israel, they faced Estonia, Iceland and the Slovak Republic.

Serbia finished with six wins and four defeats, narrowly qualifying for the EuroBasket.

"We had a difficult group but we had some bad times," Stimac said.

"We should be better at the EuroBasket.

"That was not the real face of Serbia because we know how much potential we have and so does everyone else."

Building momentum

One benefit to playing for the Blues is that the experience seems to have made Stimac sharper at the beginning of this season.

He is playing in both the Turkish Basketbol Ligi and the Eurocup.

"Always when I have the national team, a summer like that, I always improve in some aspect of my game but I still have a long way to go,"
Stimac said.

"But I have the time to do that, to be an even better player than I am right now."

To play for Orhun Ene, a former Turkey national team point guard and coach, has helped Stimac.

"He's a great coach and a great guy," Stimac said.

"He was a great player, so he understands us. He creates a nice atmosphere for the players to feel comfortable around him.

"He'll let you know if you are not doing something right, but he'll also tell you if you are doing something right. That makes him a great coach. So far, I love playing for him."

Does Stimac envision himself being with Serbia at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain?

First, they will have to qualify and that won't be easy following Sunday's draw because they will be in the same group with Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD), Lithuania, Latvia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"It depends," he said.

"Everything depends on me and how I develop.

"I need to practice, work hard and hope for the best. I can't see that far ahead but I will give my best and work as hard as I can."

FIBA