MEGA MIS TO FACE CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA IN ABA LEAGUE PLAYOFF START, BARAĆ: “TEAM IS FULL OF CONFIDENCE”

The basketball players of Mega MIS, with a record-breaking seven consecutive victories in the final stages of the league phase, secured fourth place in the ABA League standings and qualified for the playoffs. They will have a home-court advantage in the quarterfinals against Cedevita Olimpija. The first match of the quarterfinal series is scheduled for Monday, April 15, at 8:00 PM at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall. Admission is free, and tickets can be picked up at the sports hall ticket office from 7:00 PM until the start of the match.

Coach of Mega MIS, Marko Barać, shared his thoughts at the press conference ahead of the series against the Slovenian champions, which will be played in a best-of-three format:

“For the second consecutive season, we are in the playoffs. It’s a great satisfaction and honor for us. The league phase of the season was more than successful, but now something different is coming. Playoffs represent a completely different basketball, and we are eagerly looking forward to gaining experience. We have two players who played in the playoffs last year. The team is full of confidence, riding the wave of good basketball throughout the season, stringing together several victories, and I hope we will be the most prepared for the first game,” said Barać.

Mega MIS and Cedevita Olimpija have faced each other three times this season, with Barać’s team winning twice:

“Cedevita Olimpija is a team composed of players with extensive playoff experience. They have players who have won titles and played in finals; they know how it’s done. In all playoff competitions, there’s this aspect where players take ownership when it comes to playing for the title, and they have an advantage in that part. We are extremely young and eagerly waiting to see where that will take us,” concluded Marko Barać.

Mega MIS player Stefan Miljenović knows what it takes to secure a victory:

“I would like to congratulate my teammates and coaches on a great success. It’s not a small thing to be fourth as the youngest team. Cedevita Olimpija is an experienced team with good players, and we have a tough task ahead of us. I would like to invite all the fans to come and support us. Let’s give our all and play our basketball; hopefully, that will be enough for a victory. The entire season is played for the playoffs. We finished the season in the best way. We are still young; we work even harder in every practice, and I hope we will show that,” added Miljenović.

The second match is scheduled for April 21 at 8:00 PM in Ljubljana, with a potential third game on April 27, again at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall in New Belgrade.

Photo: Mega MIS/Ivica Veselinov