Milan Vučićević
Encyclopedia
Milan Vučićević is a Serbia
n professional basketball
player. Vučićević has played professional basketball in several countries including Cyprus
, Oman
, Ukraine
, Greece
, and Poland
.
In May 2010, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced that Vučićević will suit up for the developmental Philippine national basketball team, Smart Gilas
, in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2010
.
and power forward
positions. He has played for several Europe
an basketball teams including Age Halkidas (Greece), Unia Tarnow
(Poland), and Budivelnik Kyiv (Ukraine).
Outside Europe, Vučićević has suited up for a number of teams such as a.s Bond Shiraz (Iran
) and Al Sadd (Qatar
), to name a few.
In terms of inside players from Serbia
, Vučićević is considered one of the biggest prospects. Aside from having great individual skills, he is often described as a player who possesses a winning mentality and good attitude. He is frequently compared to Serbian basketball legend Zoran Savić
, a member of the 1990 FIBA World Championship
Yugoslavian team that won the gold medal.
, which represents the city of Pančevo
, at the start of the 2008-09 season of Basketball League of Serbia, the highest professional basketball league in the country. The Serbian has also played for several ball clubs in his homeland, namely: Vizura Beograd and KK Mašinac
.
, a professional basketball club based in Larnaca
, Cyprus
. AEK Larnaca coach
Jerry Hemmings was able to watch the skilled center play for Oman
basketball team, Al Nizwa, at the Arab Club Championship
held in Beirut
, Lebanon
, and was impressed with his dominating performance. Vučićević averaged 23.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game during his stint with Al Nizwa.
announced in May 2010 that Vučićević will play for Smart Gilas, the Philippines men's national basketball team, in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2010. He will play under coach Rajko Toroman
, former coach of the Iran national basketball team
, and will join notable Smart Gilas players such as Chris Tiu
, Japeth Aguilar
, and Dylan Ababou, as well as former Oakland University
Golden Grizzly Kelly Williams
, who will also join the national squad.
| align="left" | 2009-10
| align="left" | AEK Larnaca B.C.
| 3 || 2 || 19.67 || 46.15 || 0.00 || 80.00 || 5.67 || 0.67 || 0.67 || 0.33 || 6.67
|-
| align="left" | 2008-09
| align="left" | Vizura Beograd
| 3 || 0 || 16.70 || 72.70 || 0.00 || 54.50 || 3.00 || 0.30 || 0.30 || 1.30 || 7.30
that featured players such as Predrag Danilović
, Vlade Divac
, and Dejan Bodiroga
, has said that Vučićević's performance in the 2010 FIBA Asia Champions Cup will be the team's basis if they will consider him to become a naturalized Filipino
.
Smart Gilas officials have decided that, although the Serbian has made a good impression during the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Doha
, Qatar
, the team needs a bigger and stronger reinforcement. Vučićević will fly to Turkey
after his stint with Gilas.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. Vučićević has played professional basketball in several countries including Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
In May 2010, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced that Vučićević will suit up for the developmental Philippine national basketball team, Smart Gilas
Smart Gilas
Smart Gilas Pilipinas is a developmental Philippine national basketball team sponsored by Smart Communications and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
, in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2010
FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2010
The FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2010 was the 21st staging of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, the basketball club tournament of FIBA Asia. The tournament was held in Doha, Qatar in the hall of Al-Rayyan Sports Club Gharafa between May 22, 2010 and May 30, involving 10 teams and distributed to two groups as...
.
Player Profile
Vučićević is 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) tall, and plays the centerCenter (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
and power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
positions. He has played for several Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an basketball teams including Age Halkidas (Greece), Unia Tarnow
Unia Tarnów
Unia Tarnów is a Polish soccer, basketball and speedway team, based in the southern city of Tarnów. Their home arena is Hala Unii.Football stadium: Stadion Miejski w Tarnowie, 16,000 capacity.- 2006/2007 season in basketball :...
(Poland), and Budivelnik Kyiv (Ukraine).
Outside Europe, Vučićević has suited up for a number of teams such as a.s Bond Shiraz (Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
) and Al Sadd (Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
), to name a few.
In terms of inside players from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Vučićević is considered one of the biggest prospects. Aside from having great individual skills, he is often described as a player who possesses a winning mentality and good attitude. He is frequently compared to Serbian basketball legend Zoran Savić
Zoran Savic
Zoran Savić is a retired Serbian professional basketball player. The 208 cm forward played in various European nations.-Career:...
, a member of the 1990 FIBA World Championship
1990 FIBA World Championship
The 1990 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Argentina from August 8 to August 20, 1990.The competition final phase was held at the Luna Park, Buenos Aires.Yugoslavia emerged as the tournament winner...
Yugoslavian team that won the gold medal.
Serbia
Vučićević played for KK TamišKK Tamiš
Košarkaški klub Tamiš is a professional basketball club from Pančevo, Serbia. The club currently plays in the Serbian League.-Depth chart:-External links:* *...
, which represents the city of Pančevo
Pancevo
Pančevo is a city and municipality located in the southern part of Serbian province of Vojvodina, 15 km northeast from Belgrade. In 2002, the city had a total population of 77,087, while municipality of Pančevo had 127,162 inhabitants. It is the administrative center of the South Banat...
, at the start of the 2008-09 season of Basketball League of Serbia, the highest professional basketball league in the country. The Serbian has also played for several ball clubs in his homeland, namely: Vizura Beograd and KK Mašinac
KK Mašinac
KK Mašinac is a Serbian basketball club from Kraljevo, Serbia. The club competes in the Serbian League.- Roster : Nikola Tutus Nemanja Milasinovic Slaven Cupkovic Aleksandar Radulovic Bojan Popović Nikola Stojakovic Nemanja Arsic Milos Barlov Stefan Radojkovic Dejan Tomašević Miljan Radevic Dusan...
.
Cyprus
In 2009, Vučićević signed with AEK Larnaca B.C.AEK Larnaca B.C.
AEK Larnaca B.C. , is a Cypriot professional basketball club based in Larnaca, Cyprus. The club competes in the Cypriot League. The president of the team is Marios Ellinas and the current manager is Renos Pittalis.-History:...
, a professional basketball club based in Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. AEK Larnaca coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
Jerry Hemmings was able to watch the skilled center play for Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
basketball team, Al Nizwa, at the Arab Club Championship
Arab Club Championship
The Arab Club Championship is an annual basketball tournament for Arab teams.The 2011 tournament was won by Sharjah, who defeated ASS Sale in the final.The 2008 event was won by Jordanian side Zain....
held in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, and was impressed with his dominating performance. Vučićević averaged 23.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game during his stint with Al Nizwa.
Smart Gilas
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Noli EalaNoli Eala
Jose Emmanuel M. Eala, better known as Noli Eala, was the sixth commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association from 2003 to 2007. Before he became the commissioner of the league, he was a play-by-play commentator of Viva-Vintage Sports, which broadcasts the PBA Games, from the early 1990s...
announced in May 2010 that Vučićević will play for Smart Gilas, the Philippines men's national basketball team, in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2010. He will play under coach Rajko Toroman
Rajko Toroman
Rajko Toroman is a Serbian professional basketball coach. He is currently the Philippines National Team Project Director for Basketball having been hired by country’s basketball federation Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas...
, former coach of the Iran national basketball team
Iran national basketball team
The Iran national basketball team represents Iran in international basketball competitions and is controlled by IR Iran Basketball Federation. It is one of the strongest teams in Asia, and the two time champions of the FIBA Asia Championship.-History:...
, and will join notable Smart Gilas players such as Chris Tiu
Chris Tiu
Chris Tiu , is a Filipino professional basketball player of Chinese-Filipino descent. He currently plays for the Smart Gilas team and is also a TV host, commercial model, and politician.He is the host of the TV shows Man vs...
, Japeth Aguilar
Japeth Aguilar
Japeth Paul C. Aguilar , better known as Japeth Aguilar born in Pampanga, Philippines, is a Filipino basketball player. He recently played for Smart Gilas, and will play for the Talk N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, and Dylan Ababou, as well as former Oakland University
Oakland University
Oakland University is a public university co-founded by Matilda Dodge Wilson and John A. Hannah whose campus is located in central Oakland County, Michigan, United States in the cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills. It is the only major research university in Oakland County, from which OU...
Golden Grizzly Kelly Williams
Kelly Williams
Kelly Williams is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
, who will also join the national squad.
European Career Stats
|-| align="left" | 2009-10
| align="left" | AEK Larnaca B.C.
| 3 || 2 || 19.67 || 46.15 || 0.00 || 80.00 || 5.67 || 0.67 || 0.67 || 0.33 || 6.67
|-
| align="left" | 2008-09
| align="left" | Vizura Beograd
| 3 || 0 || 16.70 || 72.70 || 0.00 || 54.50 || 3.00 || 0.30 || 0.30 || 1.30 || 7.30
Filipino Naturalization
Toroman, who has served as the assistant coach from 1991-95 of the Yugoslavia national basketball teamYugoslavia national basketball team
The Yugoslavian national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. Its of governing body was the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia, whose seat was in Belgrade....
that featured players such as Predrag Danilović
Predrag Danilovic
Predrag "Saša" Danilović , usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilovic , is a retired professional basketball player, considered one of the best European shooting guards during the 1990s...
, Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac is a retired Yugoslav and Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the NBA. At , he played center and was known for his passing skills...
, and Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga is a retired Serbian professional basketball player.He is offten considered as one of the best players who did not play in the NBA....
, has said that Vučićević's performance in the 2010 FIBA Asia Champions Cup will be the team's basis if they will consider him to become a naturalized Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Smart Gilas officials have decided that, although the Serbian has made a good impression during the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, the team needs a bigger and stronger reinforcement. Vučićević will fly to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
after his stint with Gilas.
Interesting facts
- Vučićević is the first EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an to play for the national basketball team of the Philippines, replacing former National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
players Jamal SampsonJamal SampsonJamal Wesley Sampson is an American professional basketball player.A power forward/center, Sampson is the cousin of the 1983 NBA Draft's number one overall pick Ralph Sampson...
and C. J. GilesC. J. GilesChester Jarrel "C.J." Giles is an American professional basketball player. A Seattle, Washington native, he attended Rainier Beach High School from 2002 and graduated in 2004. He is a member of Haouch El-Omara in the Lebanese Basketball League...
.
- Before Smart Gilas considered him as the team's naturalizationNaturalizationNaturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
candidate, Vučićević had previously bought an AdidasAdidasAdidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
jacket from a store in BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, sometime in 2008, that had the Philippine flag as part of its design.