A new season is ahead for the Wolves from Zagreb and it looks promising from what I am seeing and hearing. With a new coach, Neven Spahija who has set the bar very high for his pack this season expecting them to meet these goals has said little to the press other than that he is confident in this roster. Cibona fans were relieved to hear that DJ Strawberry and Jerel Blassingame renewed their contracts for the season and the new recruit Matt Janning coming from Montespaschi (ITA) is looking like a good pick from the front desk.
Cibona’s mix of veteran and young players could very well be what they need to bring home the A1 and ABA trophies this year and make a serious splash in Europe. The experienced Davor Kus and Marin Rozic along side with Andrija Zizic should be able to hold it down and control the tempo of the game without letting their guard down too early. The franchise has been floundering the past few seasons since the issue of funding made it difficult to retain new talent and keep what good they had at home.I am hoping Kus will be playing the passer this season and will be getting it to the right players on offense oppose to making mistakes in the crucial seconds of the game. Davor you are not that guy, you spent your entire career in Cibona so stop trying to play at a level your not. I got nothing but respect for your loyalty and determination but you got better players on your team who should see the rock a little more when the chips are down.
DJ Strawberry has earned his spot on the team and still plays at the level he had in the NBA. Strawberry’s stats were not too impressive concerning his rebounds and turnovers but he plays his role and now with more players it could work for him on the stats sheet. When it comes to Jerel I only want him to get more confident in his defense because his scoring is good and his dimes are accurate so a more aggressive Blassingame is what the fans are looking for this year. Matt Janning is an athlete I never heard of until I met him a week or so ago when I was in Zagreb. Researching him I found he played of the North Eastern Huskies where he played for seasons, getting better with time before spending two seasons in the D-League. A few more years playing the Italian has got him ready for the league. He told me he wants to go all the way this season and from what I am seeing happen in Zagreb this year I believe it.
Marin Rozic, I hope you step up and be the captain I know you can be. Keep your guys motivated and try to keep your cool this time around. He voiced how he was personally disappointed in their performance in the regional league but did say it was his favorite season thus far for the team. But at the end of the day Marin you are the guy your players are going to look to, if you they don’t already ask yourself what you are doing wrong. He mentions how problems with the point guards may have cost them to struggle last season but I will not go into that. It is your responsibility to make sure Dario Saric is developed the right way and learns how to play hard in the paint. It is your job to make sure all the players are meshing on the court, the coach can only do so much without the captain doing his part too. Saric if coached and mentored right can come out to be a true beast on both sides of the court as well as Planinic, these are young players who can still benefit from coaching and mentoring.
The team is looking better than it has in a while, the foreign back up has arrived willing to put numbers on the board and a coach that is sounding determine. I am looking forward to a lot of attractive basketball from Cibona this year and will hope to see them do well in Europe.
Team Profile : KK Cibona ( Euro League, ABA Liga, A1 Liga ) 2013-2014.
Mic's corner 