“I love this game,” goes one of basketball’s most renown slogans, which has been used to promote the NBA in the past.
Zoran Zupcevic certainly concurs with that view.
The Bosnian coach has been tasked with preparing the UAE squad for the Fiba Under 17s World Championship, which starts today in Dubai.
It is a modest, but willing, team.
“They are such a nice young group, we cannot complain about them, they really practice hard,” Zupcevic said.
“But this tournament is a good opportunity for them to experience what the top of the basketball world means at this age.”
There is little expectation that this team will progress beyond the group stage, but Zupcevic is looking at the bigger picture. He is keen to instil a love of basketball culturally, and the word “positive” peppers his conversation.
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“We are not exposed enough to this level of basketball in general, not only here, but in the region,” said Zupcevic, who is also coach of the senior UAE team.
“The reason why we organised the World Cup is basically to try and move basketball in our country forward, and the only way to do so sometimes is through radical measures, opening the doors and windows in the house and seeing what is outside.”
In his two years overseeing this group of players, he has seen their attitudes mature considerably.
“The benefits which the kids are gaining are really high,” he said.
“In every aspect of their lives, tradition, culture, travelling, school. I’m happy to say that every one of the 15 players passed their final exams this year; last year they didn’t.
“This means we were able somehow to use basketball [discipline] to force them to pass their exams.”
It is performances and habits that concern him over the coming week and a half of action, not scorelines.
“For us, the scoreboard is not going to be a measure of success or failure,” he said.
“All those other things we are trying to gain before, during and after the tournament are going to be more important.”
Widespread engagement in the sport across the UAE is one of those aspects that Zupcevic wants to achieve.
“I’ll give you an example – the American University of Dubai is hosting this game,” Zupcevic said. “We established a connection with them, and they are willing to be partners, so maybe when we need to, we can use their [facilities].”
Zupcevic has been encouraged with the work and progress that he has seen the Emirati players make.
But he acknowledges those efforts are unlikely to be recognised on the court during the action in Dubai.
“Is it enough for this tournament? It’s not,” he said, answering own question.
“But the bottom line is that, if we are able to get some positive experiences for them to pass on to kids who are four, five, six years younger, then we are going to succeed in the future.”
Zupcevic agrees with UAE Basketball Association president Ismail Al Gergawi that the onus is on clubs and schools to promote basketball at grass roots level.
“For a person that loves basketball, I was taught all my life that I’m supposed to learn on a daily basis,” he said.
“I believe this tournament has a great opportunity to be fun, and also to be eye-opening for everybody involved in basketball about the way to go forward.”
The way forward for the UAE is to find bigger, stronger, better players. It is a tall order.
“We are never going to find 10 kids at the same time, but it does not mean that we are not going to look after them and try to find them,” the coach said. “We cannot be satisfied with what we have, and we have to continue to look for those jewels, because they are out there. But who’s going to find them first, which club will find the jewel first?”
As his team prepares to face Italy tonight in their opening Group C game, Zupcevic has called on fans across the emirates to help make the event a success.
“I would love for everyone who has time to come and watch this amazing tournament,” he said.
“It would be great to have people supporting our team, but we want everyone who loves the sport to come and see what basketball is about.”
akhaled@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
