Srbija - nacionalna revija - broj 55 - engleski - niska rezolucija

W I N N E R
mofarm” and “Partizan”, victories and titles
came one after another. Even the objectives
of the national team were multiply surpassed
at the very beginning, because our
plan was to become one of the best teams
only in a few years. It sometimes scares me,
but also motivates me to achieve even more.
I consciously took that path and I am happy
for every challenge awaiting me.
MYSTERIES OF LONGEVITY
The strength of her character was best expressed
in collective sports, always burdened
by the specific features of those participating
in it.
– The first objective you set before you
is to win something and then to repeat
the same success. It is a kind of mystery of
longevity. Basketball sets strict conditions,
which are not always related to sport. I
have a group of twelve girls and the same
number of different characters. My task
is to recognize them, to take out the best
from them and make them believe in what
I request from them. Whether my team
will resemble my wishes and ideas is up
to me. That makes the gold we won at the
European Championship even more precious,
because we showed that we can do
it, with the strength of our spirit, will and
talent. We now have a new objective – to
repeat our success and perhaps even make
a step further, because challenges will not
be the same, just like we are not the same
anymore. It is up to me to strengthen
those girls, enriched with a wonderful experience,
into a fighting unit, ready to go
from the beginning and fight till the end
with the same vigor.
Coaches know well how requesting working
in a sports team is.
– It is so intensive that you simply have
to try to rest along the way. My principle of
working is such that sometimes even colleagues
from male basketball are astonished
by the intensity of my trainings. I consider
it normal, but I also understand my need,
as well as the need of my players, to take a
break. Wherever I work, I find myself time
and a place to rest, which is something I
advise them to do as well. Without that, the
exhaustion would be unbearable. I cannot
imagine my working week without at least
one day break. If I’m in Serbia, it is often
a trip out of Belgrade, going into nature,
to recharges my batteries. You simply have
to find a retreat, perhaps even be alone, to
keep yourself in balance. Without that, you
cannot last long.
Working with girls is very specific and
creates an additional burden.
– Luckily, I can speak about it according
to my clear personal experience, since
I also worked with seniors in “Ušće”. For
me it was incomparably easier than working
with women. They are simply more requesting,
with specificities about which I
could talk for days. Sometimes I joke, but it
is actually very serious, and say that I will
rest when I move to male basketball.
We can expect it in the future.
– I have no problem with that. My only
task is to kick out Sonja, Jelena, Ana and
other players from my head and transfer to
the male story. That’s all. I consider myself a
98 SRBIJA • BROJ 55 • 2016.