Milan Vucicevic -- The Great (White) Import Hope?

The Great White Import Hope?

Milan Vucicevic joins the beleaguered Smart Gilas team in its time of great need. Rick Olivares discovered that the journey to the Far East was two years in the making. This also appears in the Wednesday May 12, 2010 edition of the Business Mirror.

Milan Vucicevic was walking around with some friends in Serbia’s capital of Belgrade when they passed by an adidas store. He professes undying loyalty to Air Jordans – “I love them,” he says -- so it was a stretch to enter a store by the Swoosh’s main competitor. What caught his eye was a jacket one that had the Philippine flag as part of its design. He purchased it for $50 and had a friend snap a picture of him wearing it. He placed it on his Facebook account two years ago and never once got any comment about it.

That is until he joined Smart Gilas Pilipinas as the national team’s new candidate for naturalization. Then the comments and additions mushroomed.

“I guess it is fate,” he said.

Vucicevic is Serbian of the modern world. He was very young at the time of the breakup of the Yugoslav Republic and the peace in his time means that he has no compunction making friends from the other states that have broken away into new nations.

Basketball has always been said to be the official religion of Serbia and Vucicevic is a disciple. At the age of 18, he left Belgrade to play professional ball abroad. He’s hardly played in his home country as he’s played in more than a dozen countries in Europe and the Middle East. He has lived out of his suitcase for the past seven years of his life that his English is so much better than even Gilas’ head coach Rajko Toroman.

“You know why I think that it is also fate – to be here in the Philippines?” he asked. “In other countries like Russia, I learned the cuss words first. The better to know if they’re talking about me, right? But here in the Philippines, the first word I learned is “salamat.”

The lexicon is hardly a problem. The stifling heat is. When he arrived onboard Qatar Airways last Friday, Toroman picked him up at the airport. As soon as he stepped out of the airport, he was assaulted by the Manila heat that left him panting and gasping for breath.

To make things worse, the airline lost his luggage. Luckily, he had with his laptop and mobile phone – his best friends that help him beat the loneliness of life as a basketball nomad. Toroman in the meantime helped him purchase some clothing while his belongings were being located. “The life of a basketball player,” he said while rolling his eyes.

Since leaving his homeland, Vucicevic has played for Al Sadd in Qatar, A.S Bond Shiraz in Iran, AEK Larnaca in Cyprus, Budivelnik Kiev in the Ukraine, and Unia Tarnow in Poland among many others. Just as the Internet has made the world a smaller place so has basketball. “I’ve experienced many different cultures and cuisines. Met a lot of people and made friends in many faces.”

The one thing he misses from life in Serbia is his mother’s cooking. “In another country, I try the food. But as long as I have chicken and rice I am okay. I feel safe.”

The safety of their eldest child is what is on his parents’ minds at all times. There are only two Vucicevic children. His younger sister, Jelena, is an interior designer. “She’s the smart one,” laughed the 24-year old Milan. “But I made the decision to play professional basketball and I have no regrets. I’ve been able to travel and see the world.”

Vucicevic is listed at 6’10” but looks to be slightly smaller. He likes to bang inside and has a nice touch from medium range. “As long as you can put the ball inside the basket you will always have work,” he theorized about the life of a pro baller.

He was playing basketball in Iran when he first saw Smart Gilas play. “I was flipping channels when I saw Gilas. I knew that they had Rajko Toroman who is a highly respected coach. This was when they beat Al Jalaa of Syria. The is small and yet they played with a lot of heart. A lot of passion. That is something that appeals to me. When Coach Toroman called me about playing for Smart Gilas, it was a challenge. It took me several days to think about the offer to go to the Philippines and play for Smart Gilas.”

The Serb is the third import to suit up for the Philippine national Team. Former Los Angeles Laker draftee CJ Giles first wore Gilas’ colors for six months before he was replaced by Jamal Sampson whose stint was even shorter. The team attempted to sign up a couple of players from the NBA’s D-League but was unlucky in their courtship. The team is hoping that the third time – with Vucicevic – is the proverbial charm.

And the loquacious import is excited about the possibility. “When I saw them on television, they left a good impression on me. Now I will try to leave a good mark with them. If I can help them make the Olympics then that will be my biggest accomplishment.”