It's been three years that Vasilija Micic has been one of the best players in Europe.
Together with Shane Larkin, he is the main person responsible for the control of Anadolu Efes in the Euroleague.
He is also the owner of the Serbian national team, especially after Milos Teodosic was removed from the squad before the European Championship and injuries to several key players.
Apart from Nikola Jokic, Micic is the leading player of the Serbian national team.
He is first in assists (9), second in the index (19.5) and third in points (14).
On the assumption that stopping the giant center is an almost impossible task, nevertheless twice player of the season in the best league in the world, the limitation of the Serbian center may be what will leave any chance for Israel in the game against one of the favorites to win.
Vasilija Micic training the Serbian national team // Photo: Yaakov Meir, Prague
"We came to the championship prepared professionally and mentally," the excellent player told Israel Hayom after one of the last training sessions.
"We worked to be ready because it's been quite a while since we had a serious tournament."
Both in Serbia you are nominated to go all the way and in Anadolu you are constantly marked to go far. How do you deal with such constant pressure?
"Pressure is not something we don't know. We all play in big teams and big tournaments, so the pressure is mostly mental. If you come with the right attitude then you have nothing to worry about. Serbia is a basketball country and we know that all the people in the country are very passionate now, but that's the part Theirs. Our part is to stay focused every second we are on the floor."
Michic (left).
"We arrived at the championship professionally and mentally prepared", photo: FIBA, official website
What is it like to play with Nikola Jokic?
"I honestly can't describe it in words. I can tell you that he is aware that he is really good. I think his approach to every game and his idea of enjoying every game is also very unique. You can see that all the big names of the last few years like Luka Doncic , Nicolas and Giannis Antetokounmpo all enjoy the game very much. This, in my opinion, is the most important thing about them, of course beyond the great professionalism."
Jokic.
"His approach to every game and his idea of having fun is very unique", photo: FIBA, official website
What do you think of Danny Avdia?
"I respect him very much. He develops all the time and works very hard, which is something that is not easy to find today in the younger generation where everyone wants to succeed early and quickly. He is very humble and very dedicated to basketball, so nothing surprises me about his success. He is the leader of your team In general, Israel is in the midst of a great positive development in the youth categories and for several years it has been producing very good players."
Avdia
"Nothing surprises me about his success", photo: FIBA, official website
Finally, what are your chances of finishing the championship with a medal?
"Ummm... I don't know, there are many good teams. It's hard for me to know now."
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us