Pesic: ABA League no longer in interest of Serbian basketball

BELGRADE - The head coach of the Serbia men's national basketball team Svetislav Pesic said on Wednesday the regional ABA basketball league was no longer in the interest of Serbian basketball.

"I have already become boring - there are reactions, but I see that there is no clear plan. I would like Red Star, Partizan and other clubs to speak a little more about the subject. I am certain the new (Basketball Federation of Serbia) top executives will raise this topic once the conditions are in place, but I do not know what direction the proceedings will be going in. Unless something changes about the ABA League, we will be in a situation where we will be happy to even qualify for the Olympic Games after Los Angeles," Pesic told the RTS.

He noted that the focus should shift to the national basketball championship.

"The ABA League is not interesting at all, no one even watches it anymore, people go to games out of habit. Red Star and Partizan will play in the final, the only thing you do not know is how many games there will be. The ABA League is no longer in the interest of Serbian basketball and we should see how to regulate our league," he said.

"Of course Serbian clubs should play against clubs from the former Yugoslavia, but in European competitions," Pesic added.