Stojakovic, Rubio guide youngsters

Dubai - Predrag Stojakovic and Ricky Rubio gave budding hoopsters in Dubai some great moments to remember at the Dubai Sports World.

Predrag Stojakovic, former NBA star and basketball world cup gold medal winner and Spain's current NBA player Ricky Rubio, gave budding hoopsters here some great moments to remember at the Dubai Sports World at the Dubai World Trade Centre, on Tuesday.
Stojakovic better known as 'Peja' is now a Greek citizen after his playing days for Yugoslavia, Serbia and top Greek and Euro clubs.
"Dubai is one big place I notice, bigger than I imagined after landing last night (Monday) and the interest levels of the youngsters I saw today is very high.
"BasicBall who have organised the trip are quite professional in their approach, something which I have appreciated the past years," Peja told Khaleej Times on Tuesday afternoon after the interaction with the trainees.
"What the NBA has taught me is a learning experience which I always share with the younger generation. The road as you know was not all that easy but once we commit ourselves and get adjusted to the sides there, the stardom part follows naturally as the sport is only third in popularity to baseball and American football," the 6ft 10in forward, who retired from active basketball in 2011, said.
Spain's 24-year-old Ricard 'Ricky' Rubio i Vives joined Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA draft after his stint as one of the most promising players with FC Barcelona Basquet - the basketball wing of the famous FC Barcelona soccer outfit.
"I have not gone out much yet, but I must get to see the places I have heard so much about. Will look forward to the time when I can spend more time with more youngsters during the ongoing camp here and also with the coaches and officials," the 6ft 4in point guard said.
The NBA superstars will be hosting a six-day training session alongside certified FIBA coaches from August 22-28. The email address to contact is - info@basicball.com <mailto:info@basicball.com> your details.
"It's fantastic that we are able to welcome such talented players to the academy in Dubai. We pride ourselves on being able to give our members the best training and Dubai Sports World is the perfect venue for us," said Zoran Savic, founder of BasicBall Academy and award-winning European basketball player.
moni@khaleejtimes.com