Philip Petrosev (20) is flourishing in a factory for the production of NBA players, a mega-basket team from Belgrade • After sweeping Serbia to Euro 2022, it is clear to everyone that he will meet his goal: "to reach the strongest league in the world"
Philip Petrosev.
The new prodigy of the Serbian team
Photo:
FIBA website
Class
: Debut in the senior team uniform.
Framework: European Championship qualifiers.
Age: 20. Minutes Game: 33. Number of points: 27. Who is behind all this?
Meet Philip Petrosev, the new prodigy of the Serbian national team, who led her to victory over Georgia and helped her secure her place in the 2022 Eurobasket.
Between us, how many actors do you know that made their first national debut?
Well, few and rare is the answer, and the one who best explained the achievement was his team coach, Diane Miloevitch (took Igor Kokushkov's place on the lines), in an interview with Israel Today: "He played so much because he deserved it. I decided to open With him the game and I did not know how he would react.I saw that he felt good and played well, and that the pressure did not affect him at all, so I kept giving him minutes - and he responded with a great game.
"Resisting the pressure is one of the signs for great players," added the enthusiastic Miloevitch, who saw Petersov rising to a height of 2.11 m, continuing on his own in the next game as well.
No drop in tension came after the premiere, and this time he stood out in the Serbian victory over Switzerland with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while in the two games mentioned he averages an index that is close to 30.
Station on the way to the summit
Petrosev, and before him the Turkish Alpern Shengon about whom we wrote in the article that opened the series, prove that the great talents of European basketball do not only come from the Euroleague and can grow out of local basketball greenhouses.
The Serbian chin, for example, plays this season in the Mega Basque team from the capital Belgrade, which specializes in developing players and bringing them to the highest peaks.
In fact, it is the largest factory for the production of NBA players, which has brought in a very respectable amount of players at the gates of the best league in the world.
Whoever is behind the most intriguing project in Europe is the owner of Mega Basket, Mishko Resentovic, a super-agent who, among other things, sent Nikola Jukic to the Denver Nuggets in the 2014 draft, about whom Petrosev said: "He is my model."
Other examples of players who came out of Mega Basket to the NBA are Goga Bitadze (Indiana Pacers) and Ivica Zubac (Los Angeles Clippers).
Vasilya Mitchic, Andulo Zero star, will also reach the best league in the world.
Mega Basket is a magnet not only for local young people.
One can mention the Timothy Luo Cabaro of France, who developed in it before landing in the NBA and today belongs to the Brooklyn Nets.
"Can do almost anything"
Petrosev made two significant decisions last summer: to leave Gonzaga College and remove his name from the list of draft candidates.
He made these two moves to accelerate the pace of development in Mega Basket's large incubator.
Meanwhile the steps have been found to be very helpful.
He records tremendous numbers in the Adriatic League (see table), and as mentioned, has proven himself in the national team as well.
"All indications are that he was right in his decision. He has improved a lot," said Milojevic, "a player who hardly throws for three, he has become a good scorer from that range. Today a high-level player owes the shot outside the arc."
On Mega Basket, which he coached for nine seasons (until he moved to Budućnost in the summer), Milojevic says: "It's a club with a unique method and way. We know exactly where to identify the players who will suit the NBA."
Petrosev, in one of the interviews he gave to the European media, expands on the subject: "I came to the club because my goal is solely to get to the NBA. The atmosphere in this club you can not find anywhere in Europe. Thanks to the many young talents this is a team everyone looks at." .
The goal-focused prodigy added: "My goal is to reach the strongest league in the world," and to that end he is expected to sign up for the upcoming draft in the summer of 2021.
If there are no special surprises, he is expected to be selected at the top of the first round, and Milojevic lists all the reasons for this: "He is a great potential, a diverse player, works hard, very fast. One who takes on the game. He is constantly on the move, and like That coaches love, he can do almost anything on the field. "
Milojevic concludes confidently: "Petrosev will come to the NBA, there is no doubt at all. There are already many factors besides the ability to determine whether he will succeed, such as reaching the right team that will give him the right stage."