Serbian League FinalsBy:

Game1 Part
– CZ 70-58 (1-0)

Game2 Part
– CZ 68-54 (2-0)

Game3 Part –
CZ 58-63 (2-1)

Game4 Part –
CZ 73-76 (2-2)

Game5 Part
– CZ 73-61 (3-2)

After cruising to a 2-0 lead,
Partizan looked to be on their way to an easy Championship in the domestic
league. However, Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) had other plans, and coach Pesic
decided to give his younger players more playing time. This resulted
in CZ winning the next two games in very dramatic fashion. It
was only fair that this rivalry went the distance, but in the end, Partizan
just had too much firepower. Below are the top draft prospects
from both teams…

PARTIZAN

Milenko Tepic 6-6 PG/SG
1987 Projection- Mid to Late 2^nd Round

Game1
6 PTS, 3-13 FG, 4 REB, 1 AST

Game2 10 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST,
2 STL

Game3 10 PTS, 2 AST, 4 REB

Game4 8 PTS, 3 AST, 2 REB

Game5 5 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB

His shot was nonexistent the entire series, and even though
he was able to make contributions in other aspects, overall he was not as effective
as he could have been. His game off the dribble has shown some improvement,
and he is now able to get into the lane for a nice midrange pull-up, but when
getting to the basket, his sub par leaping ability makes it difficult for him
to finish. He is a steady ballhandler, but did not show much in terms of creating
many opportunities for his teammates off of penetration or the pick and roll.
He lacks great quickness which is exposed on both ends, especially when matched
up against opposing PGs. He seems more comfortable playing off the ball, using
screens to get shots for himself, rather than setting up others.

	Jan Vesely

Jan Vesely 6-11 PF 1990
Projection- Lotto to Mid 1^st Round

Game1 12 PTS, 6-6 FG, 3 REB

Game2 5 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 3
BLK

Game3 9 PTS, 4-4 FG, 5 REB,
2 STL

Game4 9 PTS, 3 STL

Game5 11 PTS, 5 REB,

Has continued to flourish in
his role as the energizer. He does not get many touches out of
the offense, but he moves extremely well and finds seams in the defense
to get easy buckets. His forte is attacking the O glass, where
due to his length, athleticism and active approach, he is able to get
a hand on many balls. In this offense he is not asked to do much
offensively, which means that his true scoring ability is not on display,
but he shows glimpses of being able to handle the ball on the perimeter
as well as stroke the long ball. He consistently gets matched
up against opposing wing players, which is a testament to his quickness
and lateral foot speed. He struggles defending and boxing out
in the post because of his light frame but he works hard to battle for
position nonetheless. He needs to become stronger and he needs
to become more assertive on the offensive end, but for a young player,
he is making major strides while contributing at a high level.

CRVENA ZVEZDA (Red Star)

Nemanja Bjelica 6-10
SG/SF 1988 Projection- Early to Mid 2nd Round

Game1 DNP

Game2 4 PTS, 2 REB, 2 STL

Game3 6 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 2
BLK

Game4 13 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST

Game5 7 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST

	Nemanja Bjelica

After not playing at all in the first game, Bjelica started the
remaining games and played big minutes. Even though he plays spot duty at the
PG, he looks more suited to be on the wing, where he can still be a facilitator,
but he won’t get tired out by handling the ball in the backcourt. He has great
size and length and shows some great flashes of brilliance on occasion. He can
handle the ball in transition comfortably and has a variety of crafty moves
off the dribble. His passing ability and vision are very rare for a player his
size and age. His first step is only marginal, but he has long strides and deceptive
moves that allow him to get by defenders. His shot looks good; he sets his feet,
has a high release and a smooth stroke, but he lacks confidence and will only
shoot when left completely open. At times he looks overwhelmed by the competition
and his frail body struggles against the more physical players, when he gets
crowded on the perimeter he gives up space and has a hard time getting by the
more physical defenders. Played big down the stretch of games, where he wanted
the ball in his hands and was aggressive attacking to draw contact.

Marko Keselj 6-9 SF
1988 Projection- Late 2^nd Round to Undrafted

Game1 6 PTS, 5 REB

Game2 3 PTS, 3 STL

Game3 7 PTS, 2 REB

Game4 5 PTS, 2 REB, 2 STL

Game5 4 PTS, 4 REB

Even though his stats don’t
show it, Keselj’s package shows some great promise. Operating
full time on the perimeter, at a good 6-9 he moves extremely well and
can comfortably put the ball on the deck and attack. His shooting
form looks good and he has a very smooth and efficient release, although
his consistency is still not where it needs to be. He does not
get steady minutes, and it hurts his rhythm, but the reason that Coach
Pesic has such a short leash with him is because he tends to shoot the
ball every time he touches it. If things are going good for him
he is very dangerous, where on the other side, if they are not, he hurts
the team. His decision making is very questionable as he gets out of
control and dribbles into traffic far too often. He needs to add
bulk to his skinny frame, and he needs to learn to contribute in aspects
other than scoring. Defensively, he is a liability as he does
not move well laterally and shows very little determination to stop
people in general.

Elmedin Kikanovic 6-9
PF 1988 Projection- Undrafted

Game1 14 MIN, 0-2 FG, 0 points

Game2 6 PTS, 2 REB

Game3 7 PTS, 4 REB

Game4 14 MIN, 2 REB

Game5 3 PTS, 2 REB

The active and mobile big man
was not able to contribute in the same fashion that he has during the
season. He is a role player and gets most of his touches thanks
to his ability to get to the glass or to open spaces. He is able
to spot up, and knock down shots from mid all the way to the three.
He has a fairly skinny body that will need a lot of work before he can
hold his own in the post. In this series he did not capitalize
on the limited opportunities that he got and it caused his minutes to
suffer.