DEJAN PEJIĆ, THE COACH WHO WON EVERYTHING AT YOUTH LEVELS: YOU NEED CHARACTER FOR AN UNDEFEATED SEASON, I’M PROUD OF WHAT MY GUYS HAVE BECOME!

At the recently concluded Serbian Junior League Final Tournament, Mega’s youngsters once again confirmed their dominance. The dream season for the team led by Dejan Pejić ended in impressive fashion – without a single defeat. Mega finished the Serbian Junior League with a perfect 28–0 record.

“This result is truly incredible, and you need character to achieve something like this, to finish a season undefeated. I would especially point out that we had to beat some teams several times in order to reach our goal, which gives even greater significance to our success. This is a season I will remember for a long time. Honestly, I think I will remember it the most because of the guys on this team. I’ve worked with many of them since they were 14 or 15 years old, when I coached them in the pioneer category, and now we’ve reached the point where I’m leading them as juniors, as serious young men who are already adults. That shared journey through all these years has special value for me. It fills me with pride to see how much they’ve progressed, not only as players but also as people, and what they’ve grown into throughout all this time of working and growing together,” said junior team coach Dejan Pejić at the beginning of the interview.

The dominant season was capped by a sixth consecutive ABA Junior League title, where Mega defeated its rivals by an average margin of more than 30 points – +44 against Partizan, +12 against Cedevita Olimpija, and +42 against Crvena zvezda in the final.

“These convincing wins and victories in this manner are confirmation of our system and the work we do through the youth categories as well as the senior team. We have a clear plan, and through hard work we achieve our goals and good results. I would especially single out the semifinal against the excellent Cedevita Olimpija team. That was practically a ‘final before the final,'” says Pejić, adding why the victory against Cedevita Olimpija was particularly meaningful to him:

“If you take into account that this was the very team that handed us our only defeat of the season at the EuroLeague tournament in Ulm, then because of all that, winning that game carried special weight, and later winning the tournament itself brought enormous satisfaction and pride.”

Going back to the beginning, he started playing basketball with Drvomarket in Zemun.

“I started playing basketball when I was eight years old. Later, I also played professionally at a certain level. Even while I was still a player, I knew basketball would forever remain a big part of my life, regardless of the role I would have in it. In the meantime, I graduated from the Faculty of Sport, and somehow it came naturally after my playing career to dedicate myself to coaching. I saw coaching as an opportunity to remain in the sport I love, but also to pass on my experience and knowledge to younger generations and help them develop, both as players and as people.”

He arrived at Mega in the summer of 2019 as an assistant coach for the pioneer team, and already in November of the same year he became the head coach of that selection. While coaching the pioneers, he was also part of the senior team’s coaching staff while the club was led first by Vlada Jovanović and later by Marko Barać.

“That period helped me tremendously in both personal and coaching development. Working with Vlada Jovanović was a huge experience because he’s an old-school coach, and I learned a lot from him about discipline, dedication, and that ‘basketball hygiene,’ as he likes to say. It was also great working with Marko Barać. He’s a young coach, and the way he communicates with young players, as well as the way he manages to get the maximum out of the team and achieve results, helped me better understand how to work with younger categories and develop players. Besides the two of them, I would also highlight Vule Avdalović, with whom I worked for two years in the junior national team, and before that we were together on Vlada Jovanović’s coaching staff. Working with him was also a huge experience, especially because before becoming a coach he was a top-level player, so he views basketball from several different angles. All in all, all three of them are first and foremost outstanding people, and then excellent coaches. Each of them has a different perspective on basketball, and those different viewpoints really helped me progress, both as a coach and as a person.”

After winning the pioneer championship title and two Mini Cup trophies, he continued his developmental path through the cadet team, with which he became the national champion in 2025, and this season he became the head coach of the junior team. Including this year’s trophies, Dejan Pejić is now the coach who has completed the full set of youth titles under the Basketball Federation of Serbia.

“It’s a very special feeling; the impressions are still settling after the junior final. Winning championships in all age categories is no small feat, especially because those competitions are always very difficult and challenging. That’s why there’s a huge sense of pride and satisfaction, both because of the results and because of the entire journey it took to reach those titles. Every title is dear to me, and each carries its own story and emotion. Still, I might single out winning the ABA Junior League, primarily because of the way the tournament was played and how challenging everything was. The league was played through two tournaments, and the competition was truly serious.”

Pejić also revealed what sets Mega apart from other teams.

“In my opinion, what sets Mega apart the most is the level of professionalism at every level of the club and the work system that is clearly established. Everyone in the club knows their role, and everything is focused on player development and their progress. Such an approach gives players maximum freedom to develop and improve in every segment of the game, but at the same time it also gives coaches room for constant progress. Through that kind of environment, I too have the opportunity to develop, learn, and improve as a coach day by day,” concluded Pejić.

Photo: Mega Superbet/Ivica Veselinov/Dragana Stjepanović