History of 3×3 Serbian team

We have mentioned recently that the national squad of Serbia is the country with the most trophies in the world. Serbia is first-placed in the national federation ranking where they have strong competition in USA, Latvia, Lithuania, etc. This country dominated 3×3 basketball and showed incredible performances last ten years in 3×3 basketball.

No viewer of this beautiful sport can deny the true impact of their style on 3×3 basketball. This was the inspiration for us to write this story and how they have evolved in a mental, organizational, and tactical sense over years.

What was the first competition on the global stage for Serbia?

The Serbian national 3×3 federation received a call for participation in the World Cup in Athens in 2012. Serbian roster included Dusan Bulut, Marko Savic, Marko Zdero, and Milan Boskovic and planetary competition was an unknown field for Serbians back then. However, they passed the group stage with a 4-1 score and took part in the Top 16 phase.

Before the final game, Dusan Bulut and his teammates defeated Argentina, the USA, and Ukraine.The game for the old medal was played against mighty force France and the Serbian guys were trailing by two points a minute and a half before the end of the fixture. Marko Savic took charge then, scored six points, and brought the historic first gold for the Serbian squad.

What was the next tournament Serbia took part in?

Serbia came with big ambitions to the Russian capital Moscow as they had Dejan Majstorovic aka “Maestro” in the roster instead of Milan Boskovic. Serbian guys ended the group phase with three wins and one loss which was enough for qualifying for the elimination stage.

USA was beaten in the top 16 phase, while Romanian hopes ended in defeat after overtime. Serbia pulled out a victory over Russia in the semi and the final was reached. Qatar was too strong in the final game and shocked the world with its victory over the Serbs.

How did Serbia recover from a shocking loss against Qatar?

After disappointment in the 2014 World Cup, Serbia participated in the inaugural Europe Cup in September. This country was represented by the same guys like three months before. Dusan Bulut and his colleagues went undefeated in the group competition and waited in the elimination stage second-placed Greece from group D.

Greece rubbed salt into the Serbian wounds as they beat them with 20-16. Supporters of guys in white shirts were devastated and their hopes were crushed once again.

Which big competition was next for the Serbian roster?

Serbia took part in the Europe Cup 2016, the second edition of the continental championship. It was hosted in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, in September. Serbia won games against Spain and France in the group stage and then faced an obstacle called Romania.

The Serbian squad got over that hurdle and beat the Netherlands later in the semi. The final game was reserved for the clash between the Slovenian and Serbian guys. Slovenia was in an unbelievably good mood and shocked Serbia with 19-17. The agony continued for Bulut and his teammates so they could start preparing for World Cup in China which started in one month.

What did the Serbian roster try to win next?

Serbia earned a ticket for the 2016 World Cup in Guangzhou. They desperately wanted to win the competition after a couple of failures in the recent two years. Quality was shown in the pool stage where Italy, New Zealand, Qatar, and Russia were beaten.

Dusan Bulut was leading the Serbian team to victories against Netherlands and Spain in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. Serbia defeated the USA, their biggest rivals, in the game for the gold medal with 21-16. Bulut was named tournament MVP thanks to his amazing performances throughout the whole planetary championship.

Where did Serbia compete next?

Serbian expedition went to France to compete with the best countries in the world in June of 2017. It was another chance for Dusan Bulut, Dejan Majstorovic, Marko Zdero, and Marko Savic to show world-class on the global stage. The Serbian roster had a perfect 4-0 score in the pool stage and expected the USA, second-best team from group D, in the quarterfinals.

Dusan and colleagues beat one more time USA and later defeated convincingly France with 22-11. The Netherlands was beaten with 21-18 for their second world champion title. This time, Dejan Majstorovic was named tournament MVP.

Which place did the Serbian roster take in the 2017 Europe Cup?

Dejan Majstorovic and company continued where they have stopped in World Cup one month before. They won two games against Spain and Hungary in group A and earned a ticket for the quarterfinals.

The pretty strong Netherlands waited for them in the top 8 phase in front of their crowd. Serbia was not afraid of the Dutch audience and defeated the Netherlands comfortably with 22-13. Unfortunately, the Latvian guys found good form in the tournament and beat Bulut and his teammates in the semi with 19-17. The Serbian squad lost also the game for third place.

What was the next challenge for the most dominant country in the history of 3×3?

Stefan Stojacic aka “ Mr. Robot” replaced Marko Zdero in the Serbian squad in 2018. Manila, the Philippine capital, was hosting the competition. That meant that their roster was including the four best players in individual world rankings. The logical consequence was that Serbia beat Romania, New Zealand, Kirgistan, and the Netherlands in the group stage.

Mongolia fell short in the quarterfinals, while Poland was defeated in the amazingly thrilling fixture in the semi. The Netherlands was again an obstacle on the Serbian road to glory. Bulut led his teammates to a 16-13 victory in the game for the gold medal.

How was Serbia successful in the 2018 Europe Cup?

Romanian city Bucharest showed hospitality for the third time in 2018 and gathered the best countries in Europe. Serbia, the main 3×3 force, tried to conquer Europe three months after its success in the planetary championship. They were clear favorites ahead of the start of the tournament and that role was confirmed in big style.

Two victories against Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina secured the quarterfinals. Hungary was steamrolled in the Top 8 phase, while Russia was beaten in the semi convincingly. The game for the throne was played between Serbia and Latvia. Thriller ended with the Serbian 19-18 win and another trophy was added to their treasure.

Which competition did Serbia play in 2019?

Serbia participated in the World Cup 2019 in Dutch Amsterdam and every country was scared of a team led by Dusan Bulut. However, the USA finally broke the barrier and beat the Serbians in the first round of the group stage. That defeat affected them mentally.

The Serbian squad progressed through the pool stage and they faced France in the Top 8 phase. Les Blues were beaten with 20-12, but Latvia was standing in front of them in the semifinal. The Soviet Republic was strong for the Serbs and pulled out a 22-19 victory and crushed hopes of Bulut about another gold. Serbia lost to Poalnd in the game

Serbia lost to Poland in the game for the third place with 18-15.

Which was the next tournament in Serbian road to eternity?

Serbian road to the house of immortals continued in Hungary two months after the World Cup title celebration. Germany and Poland were easy tasks for the Serbs and a quarterfinal was reached easily.

Ukraine, the Soviet republic, was defeated convincingly with 21-12. Serbian guys beat another Soviet team in Lithuania with 20-19 in the semi. France was waiting impatiently for Marko Savic, Dejan Majstorovic, Danilo Mijatovic, and Dusan Bulut. They couldn’t do anything against crazy Serbs as they lost the game with 21-18.

How did Serbia do in 2021?

3×3 Basketball became the discipline of the Olympic Games and Serbia succeeded to qualify for Olympic Games. 

It was a historic and meaningful contest and the guys in white shirts had high desires regarding this tournament. Preparations for the most important event in the life of any player went well and the audience in Serbia was euphoric before the first game. 3×3 experts gave the biggest chance to Serbian guys.

Eight teams participated and each team play seven games in the round-robin. The first-placed and second-placed teams had the right to play in the semifinal, while teams ranked from third to sixth place played a mini-competition to determine which two remaining teams will play in the semi. Serbia and Belgium were the best teams after seven fixtures.

ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) and Latvia earned tickets for the elimination stage after qualifications. Serbia shockingly lost to Latvia with 21-10 in the most devastating loss in their history. Nobody from the Serbian squad could explain the reasons and causes of the defeat.

The guys were sad and desperate and winning in the game for third place over Belgium gave them some comfort. Latvia won deservedly gold in the end.

Was there any consolation for Serbia after Olympic Games?

France organized the 3×3 Euro Cup in 2021 one month after Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Mihailo Vasic, Dejan Majstorovic, Aleksandar Ratkov, and Miroslav Pasajlic were included in the Serbian roster. Their legend Dusan Bulut retired from the squad due to some misunderstanding with the Serbian 3×3 National Federation.

Ukraine beat Serbia in the group stage. However, Serbia won against Belgium and progressed to the quarterfinals.

Second-placed France from group C was an obstacle for the Serbs in the Top 8. Mihailo Vasic and his teammates defeated Les Blues with 20-17 and qualified for the semifinal. Guys in white shirts pulled out a victory over Russia in the semifinal with 18-13 and revenged for loss in the Olympic Games.

Lithuania, another Soviet country was waiting in the big final game of the tournament. The Serbian squad was not afraid and won against Lithuania with 20-14. They showed their superiority over European competition one more time.

Where did Serbia try to win the next gold?

The Serbian team’s next challenge was in the Belgium city of Antwerpen in the 2022 World Cup. The roster was changed as Marko Brankovic and Strahinja Stojacic replaced Aleksandar Ratkov and Miroslav Pasajlic. The ambitions of the team were the same – to win the gold medal. Nothing less than that would satisfy hungry Serbian players.

Serbia was playing in group A against Serbia, France, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. After a slow start in the first game, the Serbian team regrouped, won all five fixtures, and took first place in the pool. The next stage was the quarterfinal against Olympic champions Latvia. It was a pretty challenging task for Serbs as Latvians showed big resiliency and quality in that match.

Guys in white shirts defeated Latvia with 22-17 and Belgium in the semi with 17-12. The game for the gold match was played between Serbia and Lithuania in front of a large crowd in hot Antwerpen. Serbian players had huge confidence ahead of that fixture and showed that on the court. Lithuania was beaten with 21-16 for the fifth gold.

What was the result of Serbia in Europe Cup 2022?

Europe Cup 2022 was held in the Austrian city of Graz three months after the planetary championship. The same player represented Serbia as in the previous World Cup. Mihailo Vasic and his teammates were members of group A besides Israel and Slovenia. They ended as the first-placed team in that group and earned a ticket for the quarterfinal.

Serbia pulled out a 21-18 victory over Poland in the Top 8 phase. The Netherlands was beaten convincingly with 21-10 in the semifinal. Players in white shirts faced their old rivals Latvia in the fixture for the first place. Serbia won against Latvia with 21-14 and secured gold in the continental cup.

We can conclude that the Serbian 3×3 team is the absolute master of this game in the country’s competitions. They are only lacking gold from Olympic Games and there will be an opportunity for them in the Paris Olympics 2024 to do that.

Until that, they are training hard physically and mentally. We should look up to their example in our lives. That can maybe be our life motto.