Vujosevic ready to develop next stars at young Partizan

REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - As a youth basketball columnist it's hard not to enjoy seeing what Partizan Belgrade are doing this season. After years of paying strong money for top foreign players and reaching the Euroleague Final Four in 2010 following quarter-finals showings in 2008 and 2009, Serbia's powerhouse club decided to switch their mentality and work with young players again.

Of course, a huge reason for the move was financial constraints. But the decision to go young was made easier by the return of head coach Dusko Vujosevic. The 53-year-old Podgorica native is after all a masterful developer of young talent.

And Partizan has unloaded all of their veterans from last season - Acie Law, Dusan Kecman, Miroslav Raduljica, Rasko Katic, Petar Bozic and Milan Macvan - and stocked it with a group of young players, who should learn the game from Vujosevic.

From 2001 through 2010, Vujosevic led Partizan to nine consecutive national championships, four cups and four Adriatic League titles. He started his pro career at the Belgrade club in 1985 and stayed until 1989. After a year in Spain, Vujosevic went back to Partizan for the 1990-91 season.

And through the years, Vujosevic developed a number of stars at Partizan. Among the names are Sasha Djordjevic, Predrag Danilovic, Vlade Divac, Zarko Paspalj, Kosta Perovic, Novica Velickovic, Aleks Maric, Jan Vesely, Nikola Pekovic, Milenko Tepic, Milos Vujanic, Vule Avdalovic and Nenad Krstic.

That's a who's who of superstars in Serbian basketball.

And now, Vujosevic has his next group of pupils to show and teach the game.

The 23-year-old Vladimir Lucic, 20-year-old Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Andjusic, 21, all were kept on the team as was the 19-year-old Latvian sharpshooter Davis Bertans after he had joined the team in January 2012. The 2011 Indiana Pacers second round draft pick fits in perfectly with the other youngsters on the team.

Drew Gordon is a professional rookie out of UCLA while Torey Thomas is the elder statesman as a 27-year-old American point guard with top flight experience in Poland and Russia.

Vujosevic's history likely had an impact on Dejan Musli coming to Partizan on a three-year deal from Mega Vizura after unsuccessful stints with Fuenlabrada and Caja Laboral in the past two seasons. The 21-year-old from FMP product is looking to take the next step to stardom like past big men Divac, Paspalj, Perovic, Velickovic, Maric, Pekovic and Krstic took under Vujosevic.

Jacked up playing in the Euroleague against the 29-year-old CSKA Moscow veteran Krstic - someone of whom he most likely looked up to for many years - Musli had a great game against the former NBA big man with 8 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals and a block while Krstic was held to 9 points and 5 rebounds with 8 turnovers.

But Vujosevic didn't just bring in top Serbian talent. He also brought in another highly-regarded prospect in Leo Westermann.

The French point guard has won U18 silver and U20 bronze and silver at youth European Championships. He also comes in with two seasons of Eurocup experience despite being just 20 years old. And through two games, the former INSEP product has shown that he belongs at the elite level. Westermann is making too many mistakes - with 10 turnovers through two contests - but he's still learning to play a leadership role with a team of other youngsters.

But Westermann and the rest of Partizan's young players are being given the chance to try and fail - and learn from those experiences. And the hope is that those talented youngsters will improve and keep Partizan at the level they have been for so long.

And at the center of it all - once again - is Dusko Vujosevic, the teacher.

David Hein

FIBA

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