23/03/2021 14:26
Getting to know – Montenegro’s rising star Milutin Pavićević
News from the National Federations
Podgorica, Montenegro, March 23, 2021. Milutin Pavićević was without a doubt the real star of the Montenegrin national Cup final played this past Saturday in the city of Bar (click here for more info). The opposite of OK BUDVA delivered a truly impressive performance against his former team and eventually claimed the MVP award to go with the cup trophy. Through this show of strength, Pavićević confirmed that he has a huge potential and he is developing his talent in the right way.
“It is a wonderful feeling to play a good game and receive the MVP award. However, I could not have achieved all of this without a good team performance. Therefore, I want to thank my team and coaches,” says Pavićević.
This season, OK BUDVA has already won the Cup and they are the leaders in the domestic league as well. Much credit for so much success certainly goes to the 21-year-old Milutin, but the whole team has been playing at a very high level too. “The atmosphere in the club is great, and the working conditions are ideal. The team is in a position to perform to the best of its abilities. The hard work, dedication and enthusiasm produce good results. I hope that we will continue in the current rhythm in the future too,” Milutin emphasises.
Milutin and his teammates of OK BUDVA celebrate their success at the Cup final held last Saturday in Bar
His love for Volleyball comes from his family. “Thanks to my sister, who played Volleyball as well, I discovered this world and in my own way I fell in love with the game. Prof Dr Petar Karadzic recognised my gift, talent and natural predisposition for Volleyball,” he recalls.
He made his first Volleyball steps in his home town of Podgorica. “There I played for OK Buducnost and thanks to hard work and dedication, with my teammates and coaches I started to figure out how to ‘swim in Volleyball waters’. I would like to thank my first coaches Zoran Vukčević and Balša Radulović for what I learned, because that is where it all started.”
In August of last year, he went down to the Adriatic Sea, and the move has already paid dividends, following his success and MVP award at the Cup finals. However, Budva will probably be one (but very important) station on the way to European heights. “It is nice here in Budva and I would like to stay and live in Montenegro, but I have the wish and ambition to play on foreign courts, in one of the strongest leagues in Europe,” Milutin admits.
He turned 21 only three months ago (he was born on December 14, 1999). “Along with Volleyball and studying, I like to do other activities. I especially love reading books. I also enjoy watching tennis in my free time. Of course, I follow international Volleyball as well.” He knows who is favourite player is. “When it comes to the style of play, my idol is Ivan Miljković, for me one of the best Volleyball players in history. I would like to be like him.”
Team Montenegro head coach Veljko Bašić awarding Milutin as MVP of the Cup finals
The head coach of the Montenegrin national team, Veljko Bašić presented him with the MVP award last Saturday. Many expect Milutin will join the group anytime soon. “I hope that they will invite me this time as well, since I already had the honour of playing for our senior team. I expect that we will be able to qualify for EuroVolley for a second time and that we will make a step forward compared to EuroVolley 2019,” he continues.
“Milutin is a young and promising player who loves our sport. By moving to Budva, he became part of a team formed with the clear goal of developing young players and their competitiveness in the fight for a high position in the standing of domestic competitions. He has showed potential, he works very hard, and he is dedicated and eager to succeed. As a reward, he just took the first Cup title and the MVP award of the final match as well,” says OK BUDVA head coach Miloš Marković about his young player.
Marković predicts that Milutin will have a brilliant career, and that Montenegro’s national team will benefit greatly from him as well. “I would say that there is a lot of room for Milutin’s progress and development, and that the most important thing for a player of his age is to play and be part of a system that competes in strong, foreign leagues. I am convinced that with hard work and a little luck, he will have a great career and very soon become the pillar of our national team,” Marković concludes.
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