STOLEN DREAMS. Review 🏀

I'm going to give my personal point of view about the book titled "Sueños Robados" ("Stolen Dreams") by Juan Hinojo, born in Barcelona in 1978. It is about the former Yugoslav basketball, mainly from the middle of 80's to 1991. This last year was when Yugoslavia was disaggregated in other republics like Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. The book was written in 2011 and in last chapters speaks about the basketball future of this Republics with right guess when it says that Slovenia is doing very well. Fact that has been proved now in 2017 when Slovenia won the Eurobasket with a splendid "Dragon" (named like that by Steve Nash) Dragic, the amazing Doncic although a little immature and injured in the final against the Djordjevic's Serbia, and the awesome shooter Prepelic. By the way,

how well Dragic trains his core in Miami, on the beach with his ball head personal trainer.

"Stolen Dreams" 

The author feels predilection for basketball player Toni Kukoc, who would won 3 rings in company of Jordan, Rodman and Scottie Pippen, not without the professional jealousy of the latest. In truth, to see Kukoc playing was pure poetry, his movements, his assists, and his exalted shooting.

Also outline the game of others like talented Vlado Divac, point guard excellent shooter and leader Djordjevic, the surprising skilled Dejan Bodiroga, the excenter of Celtics Dino Radja, the tall and expert defender point guard Jure Zdovc, speedy Danilovic, long-eared, addict to cigarettes left-handed Zarco Paspalj who reminds me physically to a player of Rias Baixas Verde of Vigo called "Jandros." Child prodigy Arijan Komazec or towering and very good defender but also a bit apathetic Stojan Vrankovic. However curiously the authors refers very little to Drazen Petrovic.

"Stolen Dreams" is more a book of coaches than players. First of all is introduced by Bozidar Maljovic what shows an idea of where shots are going. Coach Aza Nikolic seems to be the origin of all Yugoslav basketball, which is therefore very consistent on its principles. Nikolic taught it to his disciples an these to his owns disciples. Was so how his values were transmitting for generations.

On the book also name former players familiar to me like Dalibasic who played for Real Madrid, Delipagic an athletic man who also played in Madrid and the recognized pivot Cosic who later would coach the national selection although with little fortune.

From here I salute to two "Yugoslav" amateur players that I have played with, "rangy" Allen and  Montenegrin "weightlifter" Bozidar.

Jose Romaní, blog's author

Note: the book is very extensive (over 500 pages) and if you do not know the characters, can be difficult to follow. But some cites by some of them deserve the pity.