Vujošević responds to Dodik: I am not a nationalist, I only divide people into good and bad

The Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team will play a pre-qualification match for the 2019 World Championship against Slovakia on Saturday in Sarajevo, the Patria agency reports. 

The match against Slovakia will be an opportunity for our players to achieve their first victory in the pre-qualifications, given that we were defeated in Sweden in the first round.

The selector of our national team, Duško Vujošević, called on all media and fans to stand behind this young, inexperienced team, which needs all the support it can get to achieve success.

- I hope the media will help raise the match to a higher level and that the team will receive significant support. The players have completed every training session with great energy. They have sacrificed for their own progress and team building. There have been all sorts of situations, injuries, insufficiently recovered players who played, and that deserves attention and respect - Vujošević emphasized.

The selector stressed that the match against Sweden showed all our weaknesses, but also the great fighting spirit of our young players, who simply burned for every ball on the court.

- This young team has shown that no one can count on BiH in this lineup being an easy team to play against. I would not speak specifically about individual performance; this national team should help these players become real players, to have love for this national team and to see it as their home - the selector said.

Vujošević publicly praised Alex Renfroe, an American who plays for our national team, who was late for preparations due to injury but showed in the match against Sweden how much he cares about the national team jersey. Renfroe announced that he will say goodbye to playing for the national team after these pre-qualifications.

- When it comes to Musa, he is a great talent and it would be a sin to ruin that. He works with enormous energy, is completely dedicated to basketball, it is the most important thing in his life. I think his nose was deliberately broken against Belarus, and it was questionable whether he would play at all, but he showed great desire. He has been given great rights, but also a great responsibility; he often gets carried away, but I hope that won't happen - the selector also praised Džanan Musa, who played against Sweden with a face mask due to a broken nose in the friendly match against Belarus.

The selector specifically addressed the criticisms of Igor Dodik, the son of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, who reproached the selector for not having any Igokea players in the national team.

- I am a Yugoslav man and I only divide people into good and bad. People from Republika Srpska know how much of a 'nationalist' I am and how much influence can be exerted on me. All players who came had the same treatment. After that, we looked at everything and changed the treatment. When Igor Dodik wrote what he wrote on Twitter, I thought it was a joke. This team needs peace; I do not want the team or any player to be a hostage of my statements. Gajić just came to Igokea, and how unfair I am towards him is shown by the fact that I gave him the captain's armband in the preparatory matches. He played some matches worse, and in agreement with my associates, I put him out of the team. Talić played an average of four seconds last season. Glogovac is a loaned player from Mega Leks to Igokea, while Draško Albijanić is not returning to Igokea, at least that's what he told me. I cannot understand that there are people who count blood cells. I am only interested in what kind of person and player he is. It is not good for the national team to have any kind of pressure exerted or for someone to be pushed - Vujošević emphasized.

After praising Renfroe and Musa, and responding to Dodik, selector Vujošević also commented on the match against Slovakia.

- Slovakia has created an image with their results so far that this is an easy match. However, it is hardest to win matches that are considered won in advance. I know some players; I know their strongest point is inside play and they try to build a game from that. They know we have a desire to win the match and will try to exploit that. They will probably play a zone defense to create additional problems for us. With maximum energy and great desire, we must reduce the nervousness that is present and achieve victory - Vujošević concluded.

Džanan Musa did not want to talk much, only stating that they will play everything they have to say tomorrow on the court of Skenderija.

- The selector has already said everything that can be said; it is up to us to try to do everything the selector has set out. There is no point in talking much, but rather to give our last drop of blood on the court and achieve victory - said one of the best young players in Europe.

Aleksandar Lazić had a similar thought, calling on fans to come to the hall and help the players achieve victory.

- As for the match, we will try to give our maximum. A very difficult match awaits us, but I think with the support of the fans we can achieve victory - Lazić concluded.

The match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovakia will be played tomorrow at 8 PM in the Mirza Delibašić Hall in Sarajevo.