The Anatomy of an Underdog: Partizan Belgradeby: Jonathan Givony - President
February 21, 2010
It’s another cold, rainy day in Serbia, and perennial Euroleague overachievers Partizan Belgrade are preparing to fight for yet another title, which they will eventually win, this time in the Serbian Cup.
No NBA scouts or (gasp!) journalists are ever allowed into the harrowed halls of Pionir Arena to watch head coach Dusko Vujosevic conduct practice, but somehow this American writer has been given access to take a rare behind the scenes look.
Armed to the teeth with 15 DVDs featuring every team in the D-League, an array of scouting reports of all the top players, as well as a list of the most intriguing talent coming out of the NCAA, this is a simple transaction benefiting both parties. It’s hardly a friendly exchange, though, and at no point do you feel particularly welcome in this setting—which makes sense considering that the team is in the midst of the most intense stretch of their season.
Pionir area doesn’t look like much on first glance. It’s a cold, box of a Soviet style structure, constructed some 40 years ago, and generally looking as such. The crowd sits right on top of the court, though, and the acoustics are simply amazing. As we saw a few days prior from attending the storied Belgrade derby between Red Star and Partizan, it’s an incredibly imposing building that acts as a fortress for its home team.
Partizan’s fan-base may be the most fanatic in the entire world, and is clearly a huge part of the team’s undeniable success. They are incredibly loud, obnoxious, loyal and organized, serenading the players and especially their beloved coach the entire game, and creating an unbelievable atmosphere that intimidates the referees and opposing team to the extent that the home team almost never loses.
Attending a game at Pionir arena is hardly for the faint of heart—the smoke makes it nearly impossible to breathe and coins and lighters regularly get thrown onto the court—but it’s an experience that every real basketball fan should go through at least once in their life.
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KOMPLETAN TEKST sa stručnog košarkaškog portala
www.draftexpress.comTeк из оваквог, стручног и неутралног угла, се добија појам о томе колико уствари Партизан и све ово што ради годинама уназад, вриједи и колико значи европској кошарци.
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