Partizan vs Red Star Derby: Penjaroja Has 12 Players

Lamar Stevens has yet to play an Eternal Derby, but he has already been given a detailed picture of what awaits him on the court. Carlik Jones, his Partizan teammate, told him what it was like while he was shooting free throws: all sorts of objects flying onto the floor from the stands, and lasers pointed into players’ eyes.

“He told me it was going to be crazy. He told me about the situation when he was shooting free throws, how fans throw all kinds of things onto the court and shine lasers in players’ eyes. It sounds crazy, but fun at the same time,” Stevens said ahead of the derby.

The first Euroleague Eternal Derby of the season is on Thursday, October 22, at 8:45 p.m. in Belgrade Arena, in round seven. Partizan is the home side, and coach Joan Penjaroja, Stevens and Nikola Tanaskovic all spoke before the game.

How do Partizan and Red Star enter the derby?

Red Star arrives at 4-2 with four straight wins, following two defeats at the start of the season. Partizan is 3-3, having lost three games in a row after opening with wins.

The club announced that all tickets are sold. The Euroleague has also named the referees: Carlos Peruga, Boris Rizik and Thomas Bisuel will officiate.

Novosti reports that Partizan is trying to strengthen its squad at the same time, while Red Star has brought in center Kristijan Koloko. As we reported on October 20, he will not be on the court in the derby.

Penjaroja: twelve players and “zero contact” with Navarro

Partizan’s coach said at the press conference that there will be no excuses, even though his roster is not complete.

“This is a different game. In the end it’s a win or a loss, like in all the others, but I know it’s special for the fans,” Penjaroja said.

He has twelve players available for the game, and he did not underestimate his opponent: “They have a great coach, they play well on defense,” he said of Red Star, whose coach Ibon Navarro is his countryman and friend. He was asked whether the two had spoken before the game.

“As for Navarro, we haven’t talked before this game, zero contact!” Penjaroja answered. He added that Navarro is a good guy and his friend, but that tomorrow he will try to “kick him out” of the arena and apply maximum pressure.

Penjaroja also spoke about Carlik Jones, whose scoring has dipped over the last three games. “Everyone knows Carlik is an important player for us and for Partizan. But it’s not just Carlik, Partizan… We need everybody,” the coach said, admitting that Jones has not scored many points in the last three games. According to him, opponents have focused on Jones in recent games, and Partizan missed some open shots and has to be confident enough to hit them.

Marinkovic is back in training, but will not play

Captain Vanja Marinkovic returned to training after nine months out. Penjaroja says he still has to train with contact, which is the next step.

“We have to be patient with him, and he has to be patient himself. I expect him to be ready in two to three weeks,” the Partizan coach said.

Stevens and Tanaskovic on pressure and atmosphere

Stevens says the pressure does not weigh on him. “No, I talked to a few guys on the team and I actually feel good,” he said, explaining that Partizan did not move away from what it did in the first three wins, it simply was not making shots. He describes Red Star this way: “They are a very good defensive team and they have a lot of talent.” He does not plan to provoke anyone, but he is not backing down either: “I don’t go into the game intending to provoke opponents, but I also don’t run away, and neither does anyone else on the team.”

Tanaskovic is playing his first Euroleague derby since returning to Partizan. He does not see the poor three-point shooting of last week as an unsolvable problem.

“We had a period during the whole of last week when we couldn’t hit a three-point shot and we were shooting at bad percentages. I think it will come through work. We just have to put in extra effort, believe, and have confidence in our shot,” Tanaskovic said.

He also admitted to feeling extra pressure: “The Arena catches fire when it’s a derby.” As for messages and provocations from the other side, he says he does not read them closely: “I don’t pay too much attention. Honestly, I barely open such messages.”

That is the core of what the team said before the game. “We know this is one of the most important games of this year,” Tanaskovic said, and Partizan will have to end a run of three defeats against a team that has strung together four wins.

Tip-off is on Thursday, October 22, at 8:45 p.m.