BASKETBALL AT HEART (Our Clients – Interview)

At our very first meeting with a basketball we inevitably eye it warily, with a touch of awe: it feels huge and heavy, while we are still so small and not strong enough to tame its quirks. It simply won’t obey us. We even dislike it, because the hoop we must send it through seems miles away. “How can anyone manage that? I’ll never pull it off!” In our moment of weakness we turn to friendlier sports balls, easier to handle, yet that orange “sphere” stays with us as an unfinished challenge—etched in our genes—something we know we’ll have to conquer, out of sheer stubborn pride: “You’ll be mine, sooner or later!”

Time passes; we grow and get stronger, and the ball becomes gentler and more obedient. Its flaws turn into virtues; though it was always round, it somehow feels rounder. Every day spent together deepens the bond, even if it occasionally jams a finger or smacks us in the face. We don’t quit, because we love the feel of the ball beneath our fingertips and celebrate each time it drops through the hoop. New moves copied from NBA players on TV, dribbles, team plays with friends, impressing a crush—pure magic.

“I knew I could do it—I was born for this!” We certainly weren’t the most talented and didn’t become basketball stars—some did—but in our own little worlds the game gave each of us a few seconds of feeling like the best on earth, after countless attempts finally nailing a special move that drew admiration and was retold for days. And so we love the game, know everything about it, love to watch it, still enjoy a pickup match, still relish the feel of leather on our fingertips. Basketball always stays in our hearts.

That’s surely the story for most of us, but today’s story is about people who, besides this emotional bond, have had a professional relationship with the ball all their lives. KK Partizan BL—an offshoot of the famous KK Partizan from Belgrade—has spent a full decade in our city, giving young generations in Bosnia-Herzegovina a chance to turn their love of the sport into serious basketball careers. We’re talking with Željko Krunić, vice-president of KK Partizan BL. 
 

Željko, could you tell us in a few sentences more about KK Partizan BL?
Ž.K.
With support from KK Partizan Belgrade, KK Partizan BL was founded in 2011. Drawing on the experience of KK Partizan Belgrade—which has produced the most players in the world’s top competitions, the NBA and EuroLeague—we began with the idea of offering proper basketball training in Republika Srpska and BiH. The goal was to involve as many children as possible in practice, then single out the most talented to continue at higher levels, namely KK Partizan Belgrade. Practically, our club is part of the youth categories of KK Partizan Belgrade: everyone interested goes through basic training in basketball schools and elite selections, and the most gifted can pursue their future careers in KK Partizan Belgrade.

How many age categories are active and how do you operate?
Ž.K.
For the youngest we gather girls and boys who, through a minibasket program and basketball-school program (developed with KK Partizan Belgrade), train in several primary and secondary-school gyms in Banja Luka. Next come the pioneer, cadet, and oldest—junior—teams. Our selections compete in the Basketball Federation of Republika Srpska and the Basketball Federation of BiH.

Do you have other current activities, or are you focused solely on youth basketball school?
Ž.K.
Besides the basic training and team competitions in Banja Luka, this year we celebrate a jubilee—the 20th anniversary of the “Grawe Three Points” basketball camp on Jahorina. Running the camp successfully for twenty straight years makes it one of the longest-lasting sports projects not only in BiH but wider. About 13,000 boys and girls have attended so far.

Some alumni who are now top players include Vanja Marinković, Ognjen Jaramaz, Elmedin Kikanović, Nemanja Gordić, Filip Petrušev, Nihad Đedović, Nikola Tanasković, Muhamed Pašalić, and others.

We owe huge thanks to our friends—former stars and now our basketball ambassadors—who visit the camp for years and pass on their rich experience: Predrag Saša Danilović, Vlade Divac, Žarko Paspalj, Rasha Nesterović, Mića Berić, Ratko Varda, Zoran Stevanović, Zoran Sretenović, Željko Rebrača, Vlade Dragutinović, and more.

Together with the KK Refleks association from Banja Luka, our club has also organized the “Tamoza Cup of Olympic Hope” tournament on Jahorina for nine years in a row, as part of the last camp session. Each year it features the best cadet or junior teams from BiH, Republika Srpska, and the region.

Alongside these two flagship projects and the official competitions under the basketball federations, we run local events like the Grawe Cup and Grawe Kids minibasket league. None of this would be possible without the selfless help of our friends at Grawe Insurance Banja Luka, the general sponsor of most of our projects.

What are your plans for the near future?
Ž.K.
Plans focus primarily on improving work in basketball schools and competitive selections. We continually discuss methods of upgrading our key projects with our parent club in Belgrade. We want to implement KK Partizan Belgrade’s model here as much as possible.

You’ve been our clients for almost four years—could you share your experience of the cooperation?
Ž.K.
Our experience with your company is very good; we’re extremely satisfied with the cooperation and your understanding of the specific needs of a sports collective. We believe we’ll keep working successfully for many years, further improving our partnership for everyone’s benefit.

After decades of work, what do you consider most important, and what advice would you give young people starting their careers in sports management?
Ž.K.
I’d tell young people to engage in sports and enjoy everything it brings: friendship with peers, a competitive spirit, a healthy lifestyle. We’re here to support such youth, their effort and hard work, and to help them fulfill their life dreams. Sport ennobles people and is vital in shaping a healthy personality.

Thank you to KK Partizan BL for their time and for the cooperation so far. We wish them even more success in all their activities.

https://kkpartizanbl.com/