How big and successful was Dejan Milojević? Listen to what Petrović, Paspalj, Dončić had to say about it…
Source: YouTube/ABA Liga jtd/MN Press
The death of the Serbian coach Dejan Milojević it is still a painful and yet the most current topic in the basketball region. This was also discussed in the podcast of the ABA league, “Admiralbet ABA talks”, in which host Edin Avdić and guests Aco Petrović, Žarko Paspalj and Saša Dončić said goodbye to the great Miloj.
“After that tragic event, it is logical that a lot of these things come to light. Dejan is one of the few who has absolutely no stain behind him, he has never been in conflict situations, all of us as coaches, as athletes, come into conflict situations, but it never happened to him. He was always a smiling man, he gave advice to everyone and it was very good for me personally, and I think that the Assembly of the ABA League should, as a first point, see that the MVP award of the ABA League is named after Dejan, because three sincere condolences to the family, to everyone who worked with him. And there are so many players who worked with him, that it is unimaginable.”
The former representative of SFR Yugoslavia and former coach of Croatia is convinced that Milojević would realize his great desire to become the coach of Serbia. “I’m sorry. His ultimate goal was to become the coach of Serbia, sooner or later it would have happened and I’m sorry that it didn’t happen because of this tragic act,”
Although Milojević rejected the idea that he “made” Nikola Jokić, Petrović claims that he provided him with great support and taught him important lessons. He also spoke about Miloj as a player and as a coach. “Nikola was at a crossroads a couple of times, and Dejan was there to push him towards the right path. In modern basketball, we talk about an ‘undersize’ five, and Milojević was a perfect ‘undersize’ center 25 years ago, way before his time. He had is 195, 196 centimeters, but he had a low post game, opened the racket, solved…”
“You know that in the NBA league, all clubs are rigid when it comes to selecting a coach, that Željko Obradović has to go for an interview. But when they realize that this is an already formed person with an older coaching profile, then you see that you are not that close to the job. And, Dejan opened that time. And for sure, if he hadn’t made a career here, in a couple of years he might have had the opportunity to become an NBA coach. But when you look at the man and what he said, it’s fascinating to me that he lived happily day by day, lived in every training session, for every player he taught… All of us in this sport should have that image.”
Saša Dončić, Milojević’s former rival on the field and Luka Dončić’s father, was also close to the Serbian legend. “I had the honor of playing against him, we even hung out when we last saw each other in San Francisco, he was a man who seemed to be without the slightest problem. Always positive, in a good mood… He came out of hard, Balkan schools, but he had an American touch and had a great feeling for young players. He made a large number of players in Mega, he led them on the right path, he knew how to be both tough and smart. To show them tenderness, to be both father and coach.”
How difficult is it to appear there as a coach? “I spoke once with (Neven) Spahija and I was interested in that system and as Aco says, they prefer to get an undefined coach, to teach him and direct him as they want. Spahija told me that they have been there for years and years.. . You really have to start from the lowest levels and there is a lot of analysis, scouting to get to the second line of assistants. As far as I know, Milojevic was in the first six assistants of Steve Kerr in Golden State. I think it is much more difficult for coaches to come to the NBA than to the players.”
Žarko Paspalj asked the same question to his former NBA coach and great friend for decades, Gregg Popović – for many, the greatest of all time. “I asked Greg if our coaches could be there, he said ‘of course they can’. But I think that language barrier is very important. When you look at what and how, how Željko would fit in with his English, the late Duda , not to say Pešić? How do you fit in without being entertainment for the players in a serious business? And of course, the way they think, because you come with a completely different philosophy that you should apply in a perfect language, which you are far from,” he finished is Paspalj.
This Monday, one of the most emotional matches of this season, Partizan – Mega, will be played in Stark Arena and it started with a sad picture, Milo’s jersey from Partizan placed on a golden chair in the first row near the field.
Aco Petrović Dejan Milojević Source: YouTube/ABA league etc