06 April 2019 - Montenegro made a historic success by finding itself among the 32 teams bound for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, which will be held in China from August 31 to September 15.
One of the key the contributors to this accomplishment is Bojan Dubljević.
In an interview for the Onogošt News Agency, the Montenegrin Centre said that he was surprised by the qualification for the World Cup. "I was more than surprised. No one believed in us, especially after the first match with Spain. The players left their heart on the field during the qualifications, and one of the key games was played in Slovenia when we were quite weakened as a team but still managed to beat the Slovenes. That was practically our ticket to China! We have achieved a historic success as a team and every player who took part in the team, from the first day to the last match, is responsible for that. Of course, we show great appreciation for the professional staff who did a great job," said Dubljević for Onogošt.
"The Red Team" will play at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 with tough rivals and national teams that are regular participants of the World Cup, so they have to be prepared to take on unpredictable opponents.
Montenegro will play its first game against Greece, after which the national team will face New Zealand. At the end of the group competition, they will play against Brazil. "The group is extremely difficult, I don’t think we got off easy as we expected, but it is the World Cup and anything can happen. It is up to us to present Montenegro in the best way possible," said the long-time player of Valencia Basket who featured in the FIBA EuroBasket teams of 2013 and 2017.
Generally speaking, taking part at FIBA EuroBasket in 2011, 2013 and 2017 were tremendous accomplishments for Montenegro, yet making it through a grueling and at the same time exciting World Cup Qualifiers campaign to be a part of the 32-team field in China is exceptional.
"The credit goes to amazing guys, coaches, the atmosphere... I don't know if anyone can be prouder than me in the whole world. Thanks to the fans, they are the best in the world. Come with us to China," said Dubljević, inviting all the fans to support their team during the Cup.
Montenegro will be the country with the smallest population that plays at the World Cup.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw, presented by Wanda, takes place in Shenzhen, one of the competition's eight host cities, on Saturday, March 16.
