Zeljko Obradovic Brings Joy to His Former Team, Olimpia Milano
Panathinaikos kicked off the new EuroLeague season with three decisive home wins against Paris Basketball, ASVEL, and Maccabi, laying the groundwork for a run at major titles under the guidance of Željko Obradović, the most decorated coach in the history of European basketball.
Although the Greens have a particularly favorable schedule at the start of the competition—considering they’ll play seven of their first eight games in front of their home fans—the team’s response and the speed with which the players are adapting to the new system of play are fueling great optimism within the organization.
Due to the absence of several injured teammates, power forward Dinos Mitoglou has taken on a particularly important role in the rotations, currently averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds per game. In an interview with Novasports, the Greek national team player made no secret of his enthusiasm for his daily work with the Serbian coach, emphasizing how Željko Obradović’s influence on the team is evident in every little detail.
“First of all, I’m really happy to be able to ask Željko questions and to know that he’s always ready to correct me, both during practice and in games. Whatever we need, he’s always there for us. We all need an authoritative figure like him. He constantly wants to correct us and teach us everything we need to know about basketball. Whether it’s a detail that came up in the previous day’s practice or the level of concentration we need to maintain on the court, everything is directly linked to basketball and the winning mentality he consistently demands from us. We’re all trying to adapt as quickly as possible to the new system of play, and so far, things are going very well. “However, we’re aware that we still have plenty of room for improvement,” Mitoglou said.
Panathinaikos, a seven-time European champion, faces its first real test of the season this Thursday at 8:15 p.m., when Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe arrives in Athens. However, the matchup drawing the most attention across the European basketball scene is the one scheduled for the fifth round.
On October 13, in fact, Panathinaikos will fly to Belgrade to face Partizan in its first road game of the season, in front of a Beogradska Arena that promises to be packed to the rafters. It will mark Željko Obradović’s first return in front of Partizan’s fans—the famous “Grobari”—and into the fiery black-and-white atmosphere following his turbulent and emotional departure from the club. In Belgrade, therefore, an evening is shaping up that promises to be a true spectacle—not only from a sporting perspective but, above all, because of the strong emotional significance tied to the Serbian coach’s return.
