{"id":201325,"date":"2026-02-13T16:45:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=201325"},"modified":"2026-02-13T16:45:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:45:27","slug":"andrej-stojakovic-opened-his-soul-the-son-of-the-legendary-basketball-player-on-playing-in-illinois-the-balkan-diaspora-the-national-team-and-the-eternal-rivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/andrej-stojakovic-opened-his-soul-the-son-of-the-legendary-basketball-player-on-playing-in-illinois-the-balkan-diaspora-the-national-team-and-the-eternal-rivals\/","title":{"rendered":"ANDREJ STOJAKOVIC OPENED HIS SOUL: The son of the legendary basketball player on playing in Illinois, the Balkan diaspora, the national team, and the eternal rivals!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The son of Predrag Stojakovi\u0107 gave an interview in which he spoke about numerous interesting topics.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrej Stojakovi\u0107 is slowly but surely building his name in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while all of Serbia awaits the decision of the son of the legendary Predrag Stojakovi\u0107 regarding which national team he will choose to play for, he gave an extensive interview for Mozzart Sport in which he spoke about numerous interesting topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, he touched upon Illinois and the college for which he now performs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-This is a completely different level. It is incredible, my first impression was exactly the training gym. The treatments, conditions, availability of the gym 24 hours a day\u2026 It is colder, I had to get used to that, but it is a great feeling to be here. The people are incredible here, all the coaches are great and help in every segment of the game, they try to please you in every way. It is a pleasure – Stojakovi\u0107 began the story, then added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-The most important thing for me was to go to an environment that has a winning culture. The coaching staff emphasizes that every day. Also, it meant a lot to me who I would be playing with on the team. I was especially excited because of Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivi\u0161i\u0107. That was the biggest reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of players from the Balkans perform at this college, and Andrej Stojakovi\u0107 touched upon this topic as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-We are like brothers. It is incredible. Although we grew up in different circumstances, we hang out both on and off the court. We have a great relationship. I love those guys. So far everything has been excellent and I hope that this year we will create many more beautiful memories. I think the other guys, spending time with us every day, have started to adapt. Especially David Mirkovi\u0107 has an influence on that. We bring that energy, that ‘madness’ in a positive way. We are becoming more ruthless in our mentality, more aggressive as a team. We go out to games as if nothing else in the world exists. That is truly great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also spoke about coach Brad Underwood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-The coach has a stoic approach to basketball. He is tough, he demands mental and physical strength. He needs tough players. I believe that people from the Balkans are among the toughest to work with and that they accept coaching demands well. Our tall players are from the Balkans and are not afraid of anything, which the coach appreciates very much. All of that means a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seriju intervjua – o\u010dekujte i video reporta\u017eu o trening centru – koje je ekipa Mozzart Sporta uradila tokom dvodnevnog boravka na Univerzitetu Ilinois zaokru\u017ei\u0107emo ekskluzivom.

Nema razloga mnogo da du\u017eimo: Andrej Stojakovi\u0107 prvi put govorio je za srpske medije. Otkrio je sin\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/LciG5kYvT3<\/a><\/p>— Mozzart Bet (@MozzartBet) February 13, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>