Dragons back in Stožice
On Tuesday, the players of Cedevita Olimpija gathered in the Stožice Arena for the first time after the summer break and spread their wings on the floor of the small hall and stepped into the 2020/21 competition season.
(Photo: Cedevita Olimpija/Ales Fevzer)
In the opening practice, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija Jurica Golemac welcomed Jaka Blažič, Edo Murić, Ivan Marinković, Mikael Hopkins and Rok Radović, that have introduced themselves to the Ljubljana fans in the 2019/20 season and Alen Hodžić, Kendrick Perry, Žiga Dimec, Roko Leni Ukić and Dan Duščak, that have joined the team this summer. In the practices during the preseason, youngsters Egor Sytnikov and Alen Malovčić will be present as well. Mangok Mathiang, Rion Brown and Sytnikov will join the team a bit later in accordance with the agreement with the club.
Before the start of the training process, the players and members of the coaching staff also took a test for the new coronavirus, but all those currently in Ljubljana tested negative. The medical examinations that the Dragons have been attending since the end of July have passed without a hitch, and the Ljubljana players will now finally be able to lock themselves in the hall and prepare for the new season in peace.
Teo Čizmić will continue to help the head coach of Ljubljana players Jurica Golemac from the bench, and the new face in the coaching staff is Jan Šentjurc, who already worked with Golemac at Koper Primorska and was part of the greatest successes of the Koper club. Dragiša Drobnjak is no longer part of the coaching staff of Cedevita Olimpija.
The start of the new competition season 2020/21 awaits Cedevita Olimpija on Thursday, September 17, when the Dragons will face Koper Primorska in the match of the Slovenian Super Cup.
As the training camp has begun, head coach Jurica Golemac told: “We are happy to be reunited and to start training for the new 2020/21 season. Most of the players are already in Ljubljana. Everyone is hungry for training and can’t wait to get started. We are happy to have gathered all the players we were able to bring to Slovenia at this time. We have to lock ourselves in the hall, work hard and create chemistry within the team. There was also a replacement in the coaching staff. On this occasion, I greet the newcomer Jan Šentjurc, who has already worked with me. At the same time, I would like to thank Dragiša Drobnjak for all the work done. I wish him all the best in his future career, and we may meet again someday in the future.”
Captain Jaka Blažič added: “We are all looking forward to the training camp starting as planned, in early August, as in previous seasons. There was a lot of uncertainty that still exists. We will train and work day in and day out, and hopefully the season starts at the end of September.”
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Zmaji preizkusili parket ogrevalne dvorane v Areni Stožice
Košarkarji Cedevite Olimpije so se v torek prvič po poletnem odmoru zbrali v Areni Stožice in na parketu male dvorane razširili krila ter zakorakali v tekmovalno sezono 2020/21.
Na uvodnem preizkusu stoženskega parketa je glavni trener Cedevite Olimpije Jurica Golemac pozdravil Jako Blažiča, Eda Murića, Ivana Marinkovića, Mikaela Hopkinsa in Roka Radovića, ki so jih navijači Zmajev lahko spoznali že v sezoni 2019/20, ter Alena Hodžića, Kendricka Perryja, Žigo Dimca, Roka Lenija Ukića in Dana Duščaka, ki so se ljubljanskemu moštvu pridružili letošnje poletje. Na treningih bosta v uvodnem delu priprav prisotna tudi mlada Egor Sytnikov in Alen Malovčič. Mangok Mathiang, Rion Brown in Sytnikov se bodo trenažnemu procesu po dogovoru s klubom priključila malček kasneje.
Pred začetkom trenažnega procesa so igralci in člani strokovnega štaba opravili tudi test na novi koronavirus, pri vseh, ki so trenutno v Ljubljani, pa je bil test negativen. Zdravstveni pregledi, na katerih so se Zmaji mudili od konca julija, so minili brez posebnosti, ljubljanski košarkarji pa se bodo zdaj končno lahko zaprli v dvorano, in se v miru pripravljali na novo tekmovalno sezono.
S klopi bo glavnemu trenerju ljubljanskih košarkarjev Jurici Golemcu še naprej pomagal Teo Čizmić, novi obraz v strokovnem štabu pa je Jan Šentjurc, ki je z Golemcem sodeloval že pri Koper Primorski, in bil del največjih uspehov koprskega kluba. Dragiša Drobnjak ni več del strokovnega štaba Cedevite Olimpije.
Začetek nove tekmovalne sezone 2020/21 Cedevito Olimpijo čaka v četrtek, 17. septembra, ko se bodo Zmaji na dvoboju slovenskega Superpokala udarili s Koper Primorsko.
Ob začetku priprav je trener Jurica Golemac dejal: „Veseli smo, da smo znova zbrani, in da začenjamo s treningi in pripravami na novo sezono 2020/21. Večina igralcev je že v Ljubljani. Vsi so lačni treninga in komaj čakajo, da začnemo. Veseli smo, da smo zbrali vse igralce, ki smo jih lahko v tem trenutku pripeljali v Sloveniji. Zapreti se moramo v dvorano, garati in ustvariti kemijo znotraj moštva. V strokovnem štabu je prišlo tudi do zamenjave. Ob tej priložnosti pozdravljam novinca Jana Šentjurca, ki je že sodeloval z menoj. Hkrati pa se želim zahvaliti Dragiši Drobnjaku za vso opravljeno delo. Želim mu vso srečo v nadaljnji karieri, in morda se bomo v prihodnosti še kdaj srečali.“
Kapetan Jaka Blažič pa je dodal: „Vsi smo veseli, da se priprave začenjajo po načrtih, v začetku avgusta, kot v prejšnjih sezonah. Bilo je namreč veliko negotovosti, ki še vedno so. Trenirali in delali bomo dan za dnem, in upajmo, da se sezona začne konec septembra.“
