Serbia went winless in FIBA Window 2, and coach Dusan Alimpijevic criticized the scheduling and lack of top players, calling the situation “ridiculous” and urging FIBA and EuroLeague to find a better solution.
Serbia finished FIBA Window 2 winless, dropping both games in just three days to EuroBasket silver medalist Turkiye. The team now sits at 2-2 in Group C.
After Monday’s 94-86 loss in Istanbul, the focus quickly shifted to the absence of top talent in the qualifiers – a challenge many European powerhouses face.
Serbia head coach Dusan Alimpijevic addressed the issue in the post-game conference.
“It’s terrible. I already said this – for me, this is totally insane. This is ridiculous,” Alimpijevic said. “You know, I’m for that to ban everybody or to give a chance for everybody to play. This is very funny. This is ridiculous.
“My federation did a lot of great things, made our job very easy as a coach. But unfortunately, your [Turkish] players are mostly in your country, and communication is much easier with your own clubs. In my case, we as a Serbia, we as a federation, we as a national team, we need to talk with some other countries’ clubs, GMs. It’s complicated.
“So, for me, this is really ridiculous. But it is what it is. We have to fight for the best.”
Alimpijevic also spoke about what EuroLeague and FIBA could do to better support players and coaches.
“Nothing, they need to sit and find a common language, to find a common solution to stop this kind of thing,” he said. “We need to know what we are doing in FIBA windows. How is it possible to play EuroLeague or maybe some other leagues?
“It has to be some break and pause for the players to rest, for the coaches to rest, you know, to organize something. We had seven days. In every FIBA window, I’m meeting new people, which is very difficult for them to adjust to a system in just a couple of days.”
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