Mega-game...

Yesterday hockey, today okay

Just yesterday evening, the CSKA delegation was here to support our hockey teammates, greet the red-and-blue crowd, and invite them to a basketball game. When the players and coaches returned to the arena at 4:00 PM today for a full practice on site, there was little to remind them of the day that had just passed. The court, the stalls—everything was ready for tomorrow's show.

The red-and-blues were also ready, having watched video, studied their opponents, and worked intensively.

"This is a slightly different competition, mentality, approach, and opponent," said CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis. "The Cup will add a different flavor to the fans and the team. I expect to see a significant difference compared to league games. We prepared for the game against Mega with the utmost respect. We are a team that pays a lot of attention to detail. We haven't faced them before, so we had to do extra work to better understand our opponent and convey that information to the players."

Basketball life school

Our team has never faced Mega in an official game. However, three years ago, we played in Moscow as part of the VTB League SuperCup. CSKA won 101-76. Livio Jean-Charles recorded a double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds). Among the top scorers were Dallas Moore (14 points), Semen Antonov (13 points, 4 assists), and Anton Astapkovich (11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists).

The Belgrade team, essentially a project of renowned agent Miško Ražnatović to develop young players, isn't a powerhouse in Serbian basketball, but it boasts some of the most famous alumni. Nikola Jokic, Boban Marjanovic, Vasilije Micic, Nikola Pekovic, and many other well-known players spent their early careers here. It was from here that CSKA drafted Samson Ruzhentsev in 2022, who spent his first year as a professional in Belgrade after college.

Mega started the current Adriatic League season with a 1-2 record. In these three games, 19-year-old shooting guard Savo Drezgić has emerged as the first to shine (20.7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 44% three-point shooting). Overall, accuracy from beyond the arc is the main trait of Vule Avdalović's team: the young Serbs are shooting 38.6% from the perimeter.

Brief Profile

Mega Superbet (Belgrade, Serbia)

Year founded: 1998
Colors: pink, white
Home arena: Ranko Žeravica Sports Palace (5,000 spectators)
President: Velimir Mihajlović
Head coach: Vule Avdalović
Website: www.bcmegabasket.net
Achievements: Serbian Cup winner (2016), Adriatic League runner-up (2016), Serbian runner-up (2021)