It's a Guided Path Toward Professionalism

Youth Basketball Program Regulates Outside Influences With Strict Regimen

BELGRADE

On a Friday night in a spacious, dimly lit cafe, Perica Bobic hurried over to a table, dumped his gray-and-red duffle bag to the ground and grabbed a seat in a crowded leather booth. Bobic's soft blue eyes darted toward the others around the table, then he quickly snatched the 50 Cent cap from his head and rubbed his closely cropped blond hair back into place. He didn't want to be disrespectful, especially since he was here on business.

Bobic is 14. This evening, his coach, his mother, her boyfriend and a prominent agent were gathered to discuss his future.

In a year-long series of stories, The Washington Post has documented numerous problems in the U.S. approach to developing young basketball players. Foreign countries use vastly different training systems and have successfully challenged the United States' former dominance in international play. But in foreign countries, the systems also introduce young players to both opportunities and pitfalls.

During a weekend visit with one youth team in Belgrade, that contrast could be found in a dedicated coach, Marko Radovanovic, who seeks the professional and personal development of his players; in a tall playful forward, Alexander Gardovic, who must use his basketball talents to help his family make ends meet; in a pint-sized and spunky point guard, Luka Fustic, whose desire to be a better basketball player prompts him to take 30-minute bus rides back and forth each day from his suburban home to practice; and in Bobic, a fun-loving but temperamental player whose talents could take him to the NBA -- or make him vulnerable to exploitation.

It's not unusual for the most talented players in Serbia to be approached by agents at age 16 -- and even younger -- in hopes of selling them to the highest bidder at age 18, when players are free to sign with the club of their choice in Europe. Jovan Djordjevic-Marinkovic, a 13-year-old player in Red Star's youth program, already has an agent.

Bobic also is highly sought after, as a member of a 14-and-under cadet team for Red Star, one of the top professional basketball clubs in Serbia, which has produced more NBA players than any country outside of the United States. New Orleans Hornets swingman Peja Stojakovic, the biggest Serbian star currently in the NBA, developed in Red Star's youth programs and serves as an inspiration for many of the participants.

Bobic's coach, Radovanovic, is a 29-year-old Belgrade native who spent two years in the United States -- his senior year in high school and freshman year in college -- and speaks five languages. His job involves more than just X's and O's. He often has to serve as mentor and friend to his players. Out of concern for his star player Bobic, Radovanovic arranged the Friday night meeting with European basketball agent Alexander Raskovic, who helped Stojakovic, Vladimir Radmanovic and Nenad Krstic get to the NBA.

The coach's aims are to keep the talented 6-foot-5 Bobic away from agents with questionable intentions and to provide another positive influence to keep him on the correct path.

Bobic, nicknamed "Peca" [pronounced pe-tsa], hasn't had any brushes with the law but he has a reputation for a short fuse and fighting and could easily be lost to the streets, Radovanovic said. Bobic is rebellious at times and tunes out his mother, Jelena, an attractive infomercial pitchperson who has raised him alone since his father died. "He could be the next [Dirk] Nowitzki," Raskovic said of Bobic, "or he could be a gangster. It's half-and-half."

During the meeting, Jelena Bobic seemed anxious, barely touching the bottled water on the table. She pulled out a cigarette from her purse and took a long drag as Raskovic informed her that he has no interest in signing her son -- at least, until he turns 18. Instead, he was here to provide a warning, to protect her and Peca from the "slimy" agents, Raskovic said, who have taken advantage of the dire economic situation -- and overly ambitious parents -- in this war-torn nation in recent years and began signing kids to "bogus" deals. "It's a crime. They give them nice clothes, fancy chain, a little money, let them party with pretty girls," he said to a visitor before shaking his head. "It's sick, I tell you."

Raskovic then gave Jelena Bobic a list of seven names to avoid and tells her he is willing to advise them in any way. She receives no money, but accepts the agreement. The 45-minute discussion was mostly in Serbian, but afterward Raskovic explained that she had hoped to sign a contract with him. "The parents have a dream, an American dream, to be rich overnight," he said. "They have dream to wake up tomorrow with contract of Peja Stojakovic," who signed a five-year, $64 million contract with New Orleans last summer.