MANAMA (Bahrain) - It wasn't long ago when Coach Miodrag Perisic found himself challenged by time constraints in trying to instill his philosophy upon taking over the head coaching reins of Shabab Al Ahli.
We really worked very hard and I think everyone of us wants to do something this season.
Fast forward to now and the Serbian mentor is all smiles, for all the hardships they've gone through have led the reigning UAE League Basketball champs to the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-Gulf League Final.
"It's a very important result, and a very big result because this is the first time for us that we qualified for the Final," he reflected. "The players gave all their maximum [effort] in the game."
Perisic said as much moments after Shabab Al Ahli completed a sweep of inaugural WASL champions Manama by way of an 88-81 result in Game 2 of their best-of-3 Semi-Final encounter at the BBA Arena.
The victory has also sent the club to the Final 8 in May, but it's reaching the Sub-Zone League's Final which each and everyone in the squad felt extremely happy about, for they've never done as much until now.
Yes, the Dubai-based organization is one of the league's pioneers, but they have never gotten past the Semi-Finals as the Bahraini powerhouse and Kuwait Club fought for the Gulf League title twice in as many seasons.
In fact, they've never even won a Semi-Final game until their eventual ouster of Manama - it could be recalled that they got swept by Kuwait Club in their 2022/2023 series as the latter went on to win the trophy.
That's why it couldn't get any sweeter for the rest of Shabab Al Ahli that they've finally broken through the Gulf League Final in another proof that their runner-up finish in the first-ever BCL Asia last year is no fluke.
And that's big thanks, too, to the change brought by Perisic, even though it didn't start out in the most ideal of ways as he initially needed to juggle his team's busy schedule playing in the UAE League and WASL.
The decorated bench tactician has been someone who puts a premium on practices but it proved to be a luxury they could hardly afford during the early days of his tenure, as they had more games than preps.
Yet they managed to rack up wins along the way. They actually haven't lost in the Gulf League under his watch and are now in the midst of a four-game winning streak, which began with a 91-88 escape of Al Ahli last January 13.
Now, the whole team is talking about title hopes as they're now set to fight for Gulf League supremacy against newcomers Ittihad Club of Saudi Arabia in a best of-3 series that starts April 8 in the 'City of Gold.'
"My guys absolutely deserve everything because of the way they've been playing in the last two months, they really gave their maximum [effort]," said the 52-year-old, who replaced Oualid Zrida.
It's the Perisic effect for some fans and pundits alike but the concurrent Lebanon men's team chief think-tank isn't taking all the credit, but rather deflected as much to his players for all the work they've been putting in.
For him, it's his charges that built and brought Shabab Al Ahli to where they've gone this season, for they all had the purpose to succeed as a collective. And that is why he couldn't be any prouder as a coach.
"Sometimes, chemistry happens; sometimes it doesn't," offered the former Basketball Africa League champion, reflecting on the progress he and the team had since their collaboration commenced.
"We really worked very hard and I think everyone of us wants to do something this season," he added. "I'm very proud of my guys. Honestly, I'm very proud of them. I hope that we will make better results in the future."
FIBA