Mihailovic excited about Montenegro future with youngsters coming up

WURZBURG (EuroBasket 2017) - Montenegro had a pretty thrilling 2016 summer, qualifying for FIBA EuroBasket 2017 and having two teams earn promotion to Division A in youth European Championships, pointing to an influx of talented young players that has guard Vladimir Mihailovic excited about the near future.

Mihailovic played a major role for Montenegro this summer, averaging 7.3 points and 2.7 assists as Montenegro grabbed second place in Group F of the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers with a 5-1 record to book a ticket to FIBA EuroBasket 2017, seeing them return to the continental championship after missing out in 2015.

"We missed the last one and it was really bad for us. We had to get back to the level," Mihailovic said.

The Cetinje native was playing in his fourth qualification campaign and next summer would like to appear in his second EuroBasket. He played at EuroBasket 2011 as a 21-year-old but then missed EuroBasket 2013 with an injury.

"I'm excited - as is the whole team. We're practically a new country - with FIBA only since 2006," said Mihailovic, who is playing his third season in Germany and first with s.Oliver Wurzburg.

The 26-year-old believes Montenegro, whose only loss in Qualifiers came to Georgia when they had already booked their FIBA EuroBasket 2017 spot, have a chance next summer to finally to make their mark on the European landscape.

"We have a lot of good players but we never made any great achievements at a major championship. So I think the first goal is to go through the group and everything else will be a success for us because at the other EuroBaskets we didn't advance from the group. We had talent before too but couldn't get it done."

Montenegro picked up only one victory in five games in their first EuroBasket in 2011 - beating group winners The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in overtime. Two years later, Montenegro beat the same opponents again, along with Serbia, but a 2-3 record wasn't good enough to advance.

In addition to the senior team securing their spot at FIBA EuroBasket 2017, Montenegro fans had plenty more reason to celebrate this summer as both the U18 and U20 national teams were promoted to Division A at their respective youth European Championships. That means for the first time in the country's history all three youth national teams - U16, U18 and U20 - will play Division A European Championships next summer.

"It's important of course, but that's where we belong," said Mihailovic, who played U18 Division B in 2008 and Division A at U20 level in 2010.

Mihailovic saw this summer first hand one of the big reasons why the U20 team was promoted as 1996-born Petar Popovic averaged 6.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals during the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers as a 19-year-old.

"Petar did a good job with the national team. He's young and talented and if he keeps working hard and going the way he is then he is going to be a very good player," Mihailovic said of Popovic.

Even younger than Popovic on the Montenegro qualifiers roster was 17-year-old Dino Radoncic, who was making his international national team debut. The Real Madrid talent chipped in 5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals.

"I see big things from him for sure. He just needs to keep working and get every possible chance because he's on a great team and he can make great progress there," Mihailovic said of Radoncic.

The arrival of the likes of Popovic and Radoncic excites Mihailovic about the future of the Montenegro programme, especially because more talents will join the senior national team mix soon.

"It's a good thing to know it's coming. That helps you believe that you can make some good achievements, especially when you know you have a lot of good players. Why shouldn't we do it - for example at FIBA EuroBasket 2017?" 

FIBA