MIHAILO PETROVIĆ: “WE ARE AIMING FOR VICTORY IN EVERY GAME, MEGA WILL PLAY IN THE ABA LEAGUE PLAYOFFS”

Until the 12th win in the ABA League this season, Mega’s basketball players reached it in a spectacular finish of the game against Zadar. Mihailo Petrović hit a three-pointer just one second before the end of the match for a final score of 75:74, and deservedly celebrated with the home team. The speedy point guard thus took home the MVP title for the best player of round 19, as well as the “match-winner” label in this extremely important victory in the battle for the playoffs of the regional competition.

“Zadar is an atypical team. They force a lot of play in the low post, and that doesn’t suit us because they are physically stronger than us. We had to match their strength with energy and speed, so we tried to play as fast as possible. The whole game was close, but I think we wanted the win more. We were diving for every ball, supporting each other, and in the end, I think we deserved the victory,” Petrović summarized his thoughts after the match against Zadar and then added:

“Coach Barać prepared us in advance that the game would be very close and difficult, and for that reason, we were focused for all 40 minutes. This was probably the most important win of the season. I looked at the ABA League table, and in the battle for the playoff spots, we are up against Spartak, Zadar, and FMP, but now we have a better head-to-head record against both FMP and Zadar. So, we are in a slight advantage, but in the next round, against Borac in Čačak, we must confirm this win against Zadar, as only then will it be properly valued. We have five games left until the end, and every one of them is like a final in the battle for playoff placement.”

Petrović analyzed the exciting finish of the game in detail:

“To be honest, the last play was not drawn up for me. We passed the ball to Filip Jović, but there was one foul away from the bonus, so we had to inbound the ball with nine seconds left. The idea was to create something out of a ‘Spanish pick’. They switched on defense, and I saw I couldn’t make a good pass and that there wouldn’t be enough time. The clock showed four seconds, the ball was in my hands, and that’s when I knew I was going to shoot. I got lucky and made it, even though until that point, I was 0/4 from three-point range. But luck favors the brave. I really wouldn’t make too much of that shot because if Malovec hadn’t hit two three-pointers earlier, I wouldn’t have even been in the position to take that shot. By chance, I solved this game, but someone else will do it in the next one. It just happened that way this time,” explained the 22-year-old Petrović, who is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 assists per game this season.

On Mega’s chances of making it to the playoffs, Petrović says:

“Mega, with an even younger team compared to last year, has continued to achieve good results. We had some fluctuations, unexpected losses to Krka and FMP, but that’s all normal for such a young team. Interestingly, no player on the team was born in the 20th century. Half of the players are playing in the ABA League for the first time this season, which is extremely physically and tactically demanding. That’s why we can be satisfied with what we have achieved so far, but we just need to keep training well. For all these reasons, I honestly see Mega in the playoffs. We approach every game with the mindset to win because Coach Barać has managed to build that mentality in us, so I’m optimistic about our playoff placement.”

Although he comes from a basketball family, Mihailo Petrović first started playing football in his hometown of Prokuplje:

“My father Boban, as well as my uncle Zoran, played basketball and later became coaches. My father founded the club Topličanin in Prokuplje and started with a selection of players born in 1997 and 1998. My older brother Đorđe went to play basketball, and I went to the football field. However, after less than two years, at around seven or eight years old, I also started playing basketball.”

At 15, Mihailo moved to Partizan, went through all the younger national team selections, and after an unsuccessful stint at Borac from Čačak, it would turn out that the meeting in the youth national team with Vuleta Avdalović, who was Nenad Čanak’s assistant, would be crucial for his further career.

“Marko Marinović asked me to come to Borac on loan from Dunav, where I was playing as a Partizan player under dual registration. That happened, but after just two games, Marinović was dismissed, and Dejan Mijatović took over as head coach, and I didn’t fit into his vision of the team. I practically didn’t play for five or six months, but in the under-20 national team, coach Nenad Čanak gave me the ball, showed great trust, and that meant a lot to me. In the end, we finished in fifth place, losing in the quarterfinals to France, who went on to win the title. But the good thing for me was that I met Vuleta Avdalović there, and I continued my career under him at OKK Beograd.”

Petrović doesn’t hide the fact that this moment fundamentally changed his basketball development:

“I built a perfect relationship with Vuleta Avdalović, and that year, without a doubt, I made the most individual progress. He was an excellent point guard, a national team player, and a EuroLeague player, and he simply opened new perspectives for me. Every day, we worked on my shot, game review, and that season I, along with Bogoljub Marković, shined in the OKK Beograd jersey. I also have to emphasize that working with Avdalović’s assistants in the coaching staff, Vesa Petrović and Aleksandar Rašić, meant a lot to me. That season was definitely a turning point for me and the best possible preparation for what awaited me at Mega.”

What makes Petrović recognizable, and which ultimately secured him a spot among the chosen ones of coach Svetislav Pešić in the national team, is certainly his exceptional change of pace, explosiveness, outstanding first step, and quick change of direction, all of which break down the opponent’s defenses.

“I didn’t train that; it’s innate. I probably inherited it from my father and uncle. I didn’t watch them, but according to other people’s stories, they were very fast and explosive, so I think it’s all innate. It’s something I try to use to gain an advantage on the court, and I strive to perfect it as much as possible to help the team. Many have compared me to Miloš Vujanić, who played for Partizan, Panathinaikos, and the national team. I watched his clips, and I must admit that I really enjoy those comparisons,” says Petrović, adding another interesting detail:

“Now I mostly watch Facundo Campazzo. He is the prototype point guard I would like to be. I look up to him because I’m not tall, and I also like Aleksa Avramović and Kostas Slukas. Of course, Miloš Teodosić and Vasa Micić are top-notch masters, but they are taller than me and play in a different way,” concluded Petrović.

Photo: Mega Superbet