HYDERABAD: What India was to kabaddi, Novi Sad Al Wahda is to 3x3 basketball. From Serbia, the numero uno team on FIBA’s World Tour have registered 27 consecutive wins. Their stupendous effort has helped them come out on top in all the five World Tour Masters events they have participated in this season. Their latest win came in the City of Pearls on Sunday, as they overcame archrivals Liman Tesla Voda (also from Serbia) 21-16 in the final. At the end of the two-day event, the few hundred spectators in attendance were bedazzled by the topranked 3x3 player in the world: Dusan Domovic Bulut.
The 32-year-old Serb scored 45 points in five games. Novi Sad’s squad has four Serbs in their 30s. It wasn’t until their late 20s that they adopted this new, fastpaced version of basketball. In a chat with Express after the win, Bulut — nicknamed Mr Bulutproof — said that the quartet had played the traditional format (5x5) until 2012, but shifted to 3x3 when they found that they “had a knack for it”. “All of us played professionally in the 5x5 format in Serbia and neighbouring countries until 2012. But back in 2012, when we played a few 3x3 tourneys internationally, we observed that we have a knack for it. So, we switched to this format.” Bulut himself had an inclination towards the shorter format ever since he started shooting hoops as a kid in Novi Sad.
“It (3x3) is a big recreational activity in my country. Everyone plays that. I grew up playing this format in front of my building. I like this format more than the regular one. I believe this game keeps my character in check.” Serbia’s dominance in the sport can be gauged from the fact that the national team and Novi Sad have won a combined five titles since 2012, when FIBA introduced 3x3 World Cup and 3x3 World Tour. Now that this format is set to make its Olympics debut, the Serbs become the automatic favourites. However, Bulut says that 5x5 is still the most popular version in his country. “It is the number one sport in Serbia.
I do not think 3x3 will ever be as popular as regular basketball. Starting this year, a lot of our games have been televised back in Serbia. People have started recognising us.” Asked what makes Novi Sad the most dominant force in the format, the 6-foot, 3-inch player remarked: “The passion for the sport, persistence, and hard work. To be honest, we were very lucky this year.” With just 24 hours left before he makes his departure, Bulut intends to spend that time exploring Indian culture. “I did not have much time to roam around. We came here on Friday and started practicing straight away. Now, I have more than 24 hours to experience the culture here.” vishal@newindianexpress.com