After more than six months of the pause, Milan Mačvan is back in the field. Knee injury in the match against Zenit St. Petersburg in late January, and then surgery, for the first time in a career, separated a strong wing center for longer from basketball. However, Mačvan has recently passed all medical tests and medical examinations and has been granted permission to return under the hoops. Bayern began preparations for the upcoming season a few days ago, and Mačvan made available to the coach Dejan Radonjic.
During a one-month break due to injury, Mačvan had enough time to think about the future, so he made the decision to enroll the University of Sports “Union – Nikola Tesla University”:
– I always wanted to study, but there were always some obstacles. However, at the recommendation of many of my friends, I decided to enroll at the Faculty of Sports in New Belgrade, because the system of study is fully adapted to active athletes. Education is very important for us athletes, because the career does not last forever. I definitely understood this during the break due to injury. I want to stay in basketball somehow, but the coach’s call is definitely not for me. That is why I have chosen the study program Management in Sports, so we will see what options will open in the future. When the gaming career ends, no one will look at me as a basketball player but will ask me which school I finished. So there is no doubt that I did the right thing – said Mačvan and then turned to the start of preparations with Bayern:
– It’s a great feeling to be back on the floor. The most important thing is that I completely recovered from injury and that I got the green light to begin training with the team. I feel great and I am very happy to be back on the field with my teammates. Six months is a really long period, the recovery was monotonous, but when it comes to real basketball training everything is much easier. The doctor’s estimates were that the rehabilitation would last from six to even 10 months, so in the end I can be satisfied because I managed to recover as soon as possible. I loved
basketball and I am very motivated to do this in the best possible way.
Considering that he is back in the competition again, the issue automatically imposed is whether he will be able to respond to the obligations of the national team. Serbia’s national team on September 13th and 16th expects to continue qualifying for the World Cup and very important matches with Greece and Estonia.
– I did not deal with forecasts and thought in that direction. Although the entire recovery was going well and running according to the plan, it was a bit ungrateful. We’ll see how things will unfold when I get in touch, but I do not think it would be. However, I do not know how realistic is that my first games after this long break will be in the national coat. It would be ideal to try some friendly matches, and these matches will not be until September 10th or 12th.
Mačvan is hoping that Serbia will be in the strongest qualification cycle in the September:
– The competition is very specific. It’s unbelievable for both players and coaches, because it is played in the middle of the club season, playing matches in a team that has never been together before and has not had the chance to play together. Points are transferred, so each match is very important. It is very important to get these two matches with Greece and Estonia, and I am optimistic, and I believe that we have quality. Also, I hope that one of the talented juniors who won the title of European champions might be able to get a chance – said Mačvan and thus made an interviewer to talk about the great success of our selection to 18 years at the European Championship in Bratislava.
– There is much talk about how younger selections should not be a priority to win medals, but to be a polygon for creating players for the senior team. However, it should be clear to everyone that top players are doing well through success. Generations of basketball players who were two and a half years younger and older than me, through younger representative categories, won medals and through these match games they stood as players – says Mačvan and adds:
– The gold medal of the junior is really a great success for Serbian basketball, and this medal will mean a lot to those guys in the field of self-confidence. It was seen in the work that there are very talented guys and now it is not only for them to knock that talent in quality, but also at the clubs that should give them a chance and give them enough minutes on the field. Only in this way will a good representative year turn into quality club season and continue the development in the gaming sense.
The fantastic trio of junior selection of Serbia Pecarski – Petrusev – Paunovic did not leave Mačvan
indifferent:
– They scored more than 60 percent of the team for our team. That’s fantastic. It would be a great disadvantage that they did not get a chance and that their wings were in that way. In real terms, I think that teams in Serbia do not have rosters to fight for big success on the international scene, so it would be a great pity not to get space to develop. Pecarski is a boy’s MVP with numbers that are incredible. Some says it is dominant because of his height in relation to others. But anyone who has played basketball knows that you cannot put 25 points on any opponent if you do not know how to play. I was lucky to play as a young senior basketball and that’s why I know how important it is. I also know those who did not get that chance, so I sincerely hope that these talented guys will get an opportunity to show themselves and make progress – said Mačvan.