RIGA (Latvia) - Montenegro seems to have entered a new basketball era.
After coming close to historic victories at EuroBasket 2022 (against Germany in the Round of 16) and at the 2023 FIBA World Cup (against Team USA), they're heading to Riga hoping to achieve an extraordinary outcome: qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time in the country's history.
The Roster
Continuing the project he initiated since being appointed head coach in 2019, it's clear Bosko Radovic would have liked to shape this summer's roster with the same approach he used before the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Sadly, five key players of the Montenegrin national team (Bojan Dubljevic, Nikola Ivanovic, Vladimir Mihailovic, Marko Todorovic, and Nemanja Radovic) won't be traveling to Riga due to uncertain injury statuses and the desire to take time off after a tiring season.
With that being said, the Balkan country can still rely on one of the most skilled players from Montenegro, Nikola Mirotic, and the team's combo guard Kendrick Perry, who has been on board with No. 55 on his red-and-yellow jersey since EuroBasket 2022.
In a squad full of talent, they will be reinforced by several other participants from previous competitions, including Marko Simonovic, born in 1999, and Dino Radoncic, who represent the present and future of the country's basketball scene.
The Question
After winning the Basketball Champions League with Unicaja Malaga, is the job still not finished for Kendrick Perry? Since debuting for the Montenegrin national team at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, where he scored 15.2 points per game, the Florida native has fully embraced the reasons behind representing a national team.
"Honestly, it’s humbling," he thanked the Montenegrin Federation for such an opportunity.
Kendrick Perry was a huge reason why they concluded last year's international tournament with their best-ever classification, earning the 11th spot. He even made it to SportsCenter's Top 10 with a thunderous poster dunk in transition over the Egyptian Amr Zahran.
This year's Basketball Champions League Final Four MVP doesn't want to end his exciting individual campaign, getting straight back to work to put the red-and-yellow flag among an Olympic rainbow under the Eiffel Tower.
The Hope
Right after entering the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup against Mexico with a dominant double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds, Nikola Vucevic was described as "the best player nobody talks about." And rightfully so.
Proving his prowess under the rim for the Montenegrin national team, the 33-year-old center has been a constant presence since Day 1. "I've been here since 2010, and I missed just one FIBA EuroBasket, played all the other major events, plus the Qualifiers," he said in Manila.
Nikola Vucevic stepped on the court for Montenegro's first-ever FIBA EuroBasket in 2011. He was there for his country's first appearance at a FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019. As Montenegro historically approaches the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, there was no way he was going to miss it.
Despite playing in 92.7% of Chicago's games this season (76 out of 82), he still gave his complete availability to spend another summer giving his best for the red-and-yellow jersey. Last year, he averaged 19.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. If this is Montenegro's newest basketball dawn, what better leader to restart with than him?
The Fear
Montenegro has experienced significant growth, going from an unbeaten 1st place in Group A of the 2009 FIBA EuroBasket Division B to finishing 13th eight years later, despite suffering a 32-point defeat to Latvia (100-68) in the Round of 16.
In a two-year span, it seemed they couldn't bounce back, as they finished their first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup in China with just one win over Japan after a rough four-game losing streak to Greece, New Zealand, Brazil, and Turkey.
That 25th final spot didn't qualify them for the following FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, signaling the need for new beginnings. After coming close to the Top 10 in both EuroBasket 2022 and the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, it's the right time for Montenegro to get the job done.
Facing off once again against Latvia in another potential turning point in their basketball history could be dangerous. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Montenegro's "Back to the Future" at the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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