Back in Ljubljana

On Friday, the Cedevita Olimpija senior team concluded the first cycle of preparations for the new competitive season with a preparatory game against Zlatorog from Laško. In recent days in Kranjska Gora, there was a strong focus on the team’s physical conditioning, and with the move to Ljubljana, the Dragons will continue their work with thoughts on the start of the new season.

“We’ve completed five days in Kranjska Gora, and I can say that I’m satisfied with what we accomplished. The focus was on physical preparation and a small introduction to the tactical part. There was a lot of running, transitions, and we touched on certain systems, but we haven’t yet reached the phase of preparation where we’ll talk more about tactics, including defense and offense,” said the head coach of the senior team, Zvezdan Mitrović, after concluding the first cycle of preparations. He also praised the players, as the intensity of the training sessions was extremely high. “The guys worked well, and this was our introduction to the preparations. Now we’re moving back to Ljubljana, where we’ll start focusing on more serious basketball matters.”

Until the end of preparations and the official start of the new competitive season, the senior team will spend all their time in Ljubljana. In the upcoming week, the Dragons will also face two new preparatory matches, both against direct competitors from the regional league. On Friday, Budućnost VOLI will come to the Slovenian capital, and on Sunday, the Ljubljana team will face Split.

“In Ljubljana, we will continue with what we started last week, but with a greater focus on the tactical part, especially on the defensive side of the game, which is a significant portion. The players are new, so we need to get to know each other. Building team chemistry and game play is a lengthy process. We will try to speed it up to achieve the results we want as soon as possible. If the players continue with the same enthusiasm and approach that we saw in Kranjska Gora, it will be very good,” Mitrović said as he looked forward to the week ahead.

The games against Budućnost and Split will be closed to the public. The sports public will be able to see the renewed Cedevita Olimpija in action for the first time on Friday, September 6, and Saturday, September 7, at the international basketball tournament in Tivoli Hall, organized by the Ljubljana club as part of the Ljubljana Sports Festival. Besides the Ljubljana club, Panathinaikos, Anadolu Efes, and Bayern Basketball will also participate in the tournament. Tickets for the games are already available at vstopnice.olimpija.com, and the matches will be broadcast live on Kanal A and VOYO.