SIMONOVIC: “GOOD PREPARATIONS KEY TO OUR GOOD RESULTS AT THE START OF ABA LEAGUE”

At the moment when the competition in the ABA league was stopped last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Marko Simonovic was on the third place in the list for MVP. Where he left off in March 2020, Mega Soccerbet’s brilliant Power Forward continued into the new season of regional competition. After the introductory three rounds, Simonović is again at the very top in terms of index points, and what is the difference compared to last year’s competition year and what gives this data additional importance is the fact that Mega is incomparably better on the standings.

Coach Vladimir Jovanovic’s team is the most pleasant surprise of the ABA League caravan, considering that as one of the youngest teams in Europe (average age 20.4), they recorded the same number of victories in the introductory three rounds, which only Crvena zvezda and Buducnost did the same. Simonovic was a real revelation last season, and the consistency of his good games in the now long interval, indicate that this 21-year-old from Kolasin has obviously matured and that he has started to turn great talent into quality.

– We started preparations for this season earlier than the others. I think that is one of the key reasons for our good game and three consecutive triumphs at the start. We really worked hard for two months and that well-done preparation period brought results. We recorded very important victories at the start, which meant a lot to us to gain the necessary self-confidence, because we are a very young team – Simonovic summarizes his impressions from the start of the season and then comments on his games:

– I am satisfied with my performance. I started the season well and it is all the result of great teamwork. However, the victories over Igokea, Zadar and Cibona are more important to me than anything. This season, we got a great reinforcement in Filip Petrusev, and I think we complement each other very well. Nikola Miskovic is in rotation with us and all that is working quite well for now – Simonovic states and then comments on the assessments of many that he and Petrusev are currently the deadliest center tandem of the ABA league:

– We didn’t know each other before. However, in a short time, we “clicked” what is being said. We have a fantastic relationship on the field, but also off it, and I think that will greatly help us to function well in the future. With a height of 210 centimeters, we can both shoot for three points, expand the defense and thus give each other much more space under the basket, and that is a big plus for the team.

During the break between the two seasons, Marko Simonovic had offers from numerous clubs on the table. This is not surprising if you take into account his statistics and performance of 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per match. However, he decided to stay in Mega this season as well:

– The reason for that is very simple. I applied for the NBA draft, which should take place on November 18, and the best environment from which you can go to the best league in the world is Mega. Just look at the number of players who have been drafted from the Mega’s jersey to the NBA in the last few years, and it will be clear to you that Mega is on a par with the most prestigious American universities and far ahead of all European clubs. Well, Filip Petrusev came to Mega from Gonzaga University with the same goal. My goal is to play in the NBA, and Mega was the best way to do that, and I was personally convinced of that based on the extraordinary work with young players and the attention that is paid to them – stated Simonovic.

On Sunday at noon, Simonovic and his friends will face the most difficult exam so far – a duel with Crvena zvezda:

– We are facing a match with by far the best team in the ABA league. They have really top players and that is why this match will be a great challenge for all of us. We will try to provide the best possible game and try to outplay Zvezda, which showed strength in the first three rounds and a  point difference of +100. It will be a good opportunity to see where we are in relation to the strongest team in the league, they are without a doubt big favorites, and we will do our best, if the opportunity arises, to make a surprise – concluded Simonovic.

Photo: Mega Soccerbet/Ivica Veselinov