The Montenegrin stands out in Murcia, having played in seven of the ten seasons he has been in Spain
Nemanja Radovic returned to Murcia in the summer of 2020. Society started to rear its ugly head after the first pandemic of the 21st century and in need of good news to know that our loved ones are well and to meet each other, joy rained in the UCAM. Not only Augusto Lima returned, but also this Montenegrin powerhouse who arrived in Murcia in February 2014 as a breath of fresh air for a team that was sinking with eight defeats in a row. As if it were the best medicine, Radovic arrived, kissed the saint and UCAM ended the season with a save.
Since then, the love story has become well known to Murcia fans and the player with the third most caps in the club’s history. He adapted immediately and quickly won the dressing room speaking the Spanish he learned watching ‘Los Serrano’ and his new municipality with his always fair demeanor on court. One who appreciated that Balkan character that contrasted with his closeness in dealing with people. Carlos Cabezas, his roommate for two seasons, said between laughs that “you all like him a lot, but he’s got the point of being a Yugoslav bastard.”
He came as the novelty that ‘clicked’ into a depressed team, establishing himself as a guaranteed replacement and meeting the most optimistic predictions to replace right-hander Antelo, starting striker at the time, upon his serious injury. But he was free to fly when the captain returned and, first in Santiago and then in Zaragoza, Radovic achieved his best basketball. He returned to Murcia, which quickly became his second home and where he will initially settle when he retires. Identified as the one with the most team, there are already 216 basketball games defending the UCAM jersey: 198 in the Endesa League, 14 in the EuroCup and 4 in the Champions League.
Radovic’s return to Murcia has not been the easiest. Passionate, but with the appeal in, he is one of those players who grows with the stands in his favor, but the return of the prodigal son came in the season of empty pavilions. The understanding between him and Sito of what the coach wanted from a power forward wasn’t the best either, and one team in need of reinforcements came what would be a hidden gem in a Greek mid-level team: James Webb III. The archetype of the modern power forward. A player, today from the Euroleague, who fit perfectly into Sito Alonso’s plans and who, after revolutionizing the Endesa League, decided to stay in Murcia for another year and look for the roof of a team that his team had risen to a higher level arrival and that of Isaiah Taylor, today in the current Euroleague champion, Efes.
Radovic had a more discreet plane in a team that achieved historic qualification for the Copa del Rey and hit what would have been the second play-off. But, as is the law of life for humble teams, after success comes dismantling. This season’s UCAM, which counts the comings and goings, has already brought ten new players into the game.
It’s when the intangibles of the veteran players and the men of the house are most needed. Interior doors and also outside always fear. After coming back from the break for ‘FIBA windows’ with three very painful consecutive defeats, UCAM has fulfilled its last two commitments.
First for Betis, from a favorable income of 20 points to almost experiencing a drama. In the Verdiblanca comeback, Radovic appeared in key specific plays to keep his team afloat, marching as the standout of Sito’s men with a PIR of 25 thanks to 20 points and 6 rebounds. The soul healed from the need for victory, on Saturday against Gran Canaria he played a role. With the title award, Radovic was one of the key players in the good start, a factor that cost him so much to get UCAM out of his side, and he didn’t slow down for a moment: in three quarters he had a PIR of 31 in 23 minutes on court.
In his own opinion, this is his best season since his return to Murcia. He is the second most rated player in UCAM (13.7), only he, McFadden and Pustovyi have a positive +/- and he seems to have regained his place. That is, the low post. A good example of this, taking almost as many free throws in eleven games (22) as last season (23).
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
