Dubai Basketball enjoyed a dream start in their ABA League debut at the Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday, defeating defending champions Red Star from Serbia 86-84 and providing an unforgettable evening for the fans.
The opening game had everything that the new Dubai franchise wished for, as fans filled up the arena with an official count of 4,761 in the 5,000-capacity venue.
Dubai BC, as the team are also known as, had assembled a 12-member squad in just over three months with players from nine countries – Croatia, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Serbia, Slovenia, the Philippines, Turkey, and USA. And the entire group delivered when it mattered.
“All credit of this success should go to the organisers and the players. It was not only a win but a historic game,” Dubai BC head coach Jurica Golemac said at the end of the game.
“Everybody gave everything. The players really fought hard on the floor. Only six offensive rebounds over the Red Star and it was the key to the game and for the win.
“It was not realistic that we were going to be up all 40 minutes for an easy game. They [Red Star] came back a couple of times but we showed character and won the game.”
Golemac was delighted with the support his team received at the Coco Cola Arena in what was an electric atmosphere for the ABA League's first game in Dubai, adding that he was hoping to make their home stadium a tough place for opposition teams to play at.
“I want to really congratulate the fans,” Golemac said of the crowd. “I was really surprised that they came in big numbers to support us. They gave us the extra energy. I really wish in the future that Coca-Cola Arena is going to be an even bigger hit and that more fans are going to come. With that kind of backing, it’s going to be very, very hard to beat us here.”
Dubai BC travel to Slovenia for their second game in the league against Olimpija at the Arena Stozice, Ljubljana, on Sunday. They did not have to rely too heavily on a couple of heavy hitters with NBA experience in their team; American Isaiah Taylor did not take part in the game while Latvian Davis Bertans was on court less than 10 minutes.
According to Golemac, both are of high quality and are expected to play key roles for the team whose target is now to build on what was a superlative start.
“The league is long, there's going to be ups and downs,” added Golemac. “We've got time to rest, we've got time to prepare. We are up against another very strong opponent.
“Every game we're going to treat like the next one. Every game we've got quality to go for the win. We are going to play like that with a lot of confidence.
“The most important thing is that we fight like this and that we never lose this kind of sharpness. When you play against a reigning champion, it's easy to make the motivation.
“Now we need to be the same in every game. Whether you play a good or an ordinary team, you need to be the same. This is the key to the success, to stay humble in victory and to stay normal in the loss and to have your own way.”
Nate Mason, the diminutive guard who led the charge by scoring 18 points, descried the night and result as “amazing”.
“My teammates and my coaching staff, I think we prepared really well for this upcoming week. It was amazing and was great to see how it turned out,” the American said.
“I just go out there and play hard. I wanted to go out there and be the first one to punch. I think we did that.”
