Bojovic up for the challenge at Tango Bourges
BOURGES (EuroLeague Women 2017) – Filling the shoes of the now departed Celine Dumerc at Tango Bourges is an impossible task, so perhaps harnessing the experience of Miljana Bojovic might prove a shrewd move by the French giants.
With Dumerc having said her farewells in style with the EuroCup Women silverware that both she and the rest of the fans in Le Prado craved, a new page is about to be turned. And, Bojovic will be doing much of the heavy lifting as she will now pull the strings as Bourges return to the more familiar ladnscape of EuroLeague Women.
It looks like the team is in safe hands, since Bojovic has played a similar role with Turkish juggernauts Fenerbahce and has been a regular high-level performer for some time – so fully understands and appreciates the scale of the tradition and the challenge ahead.
"This is a club that has won a lot of trophies, with a long history, a great organisation and a great basketball style," stated Bojovic.
Miljana Bojovic est la nouvelle meneuse du Tango @BourgesBasket ➡️ https://t.co/NF1nMEIqRu #AllezTango pic.twitter.com/8YFCQSNAIJ
— Tango Bourges Basket (@BourgesBasket) May 17, 2016
"Bourges are the best club in France and therefore has ever more important goals each season. We want to recover the LFB Trophy and the Coupe de France, while reaching the EuroLeague Women Final Four would be a great success considering the high level of all the Russian and Turkish clubs in particular.
"I want to salute the fans and promise them that I will give all my energy to this club and I know that they always encourage the team with passion in the fortress that is Le Prado."
She continued, "We might not have any 'superstars' on our roster, but this will surely work to our advantage.
"We are still talented and I am sure every player will know their role and this collective result [of teamwork] always prevails over having a standout individual. We will just need a little time to build the collective understanding and will do our best to make sure that happens as quickly as possible."
Miljana Bojovic, nouvelle meneuse des Tango, s'entraîne dur cet été, et parle déjà français ! https://t.co/u9Nlq3V5OE #AllezTango
— Tango Bourges Basket (@BourgesBasket) July 28, 2016
Bojovic has been around several leagues in Europe and has not only evaded French basketball, but also her new colleagues, which makes the move all the more interesting.
She confirmed, "I know almost all of the players and also our coach Valerie Garnier, but I’ve never actually worked with any of them before.
"Also I've never played in France, but I have faced many French teams in EuroLeague and EuroCup Women in my career.
"I know teams in France are tough, players are athletic and the defence is always seen as important as the offence – something which is not always the case in other leagues around Europe.
"The LFB season is long and there are very few, if any, easy matches and I am excited because I know there will be a lot of spectators at all the games," concluded Bojovic.
The playmaker will look to form a backcourt partnership with the likes of Great Britain star, Johannah Leedham who remains one of Coach Garnier’s trusted lieutenants, as Bourges looks to find some chemistry early in the all-important ‘post-Dumerc’ era - when the microscope will inevitably be pushed hard in their direction.
FIBA
