Development of young talents vital to PH volleyball success, says Slovenian star

June 11, 2023 Times Europe

Philippine men’s volleyball team in the SEA Games 2023. –CAMBODIA 2023

MANILA, Philippines—Slovenian spiker Rok Možič believes the Philippine men’s volleyball team should continue developing young talents.

When asked for advice on the Philippine men’s program, Možič said the team needs to be patient on its progress.

“The most important thing is how you work with the young players. You give them the motivation to play volleyball and win,” said the Slovenian national team star during his media availability with Philippine media before the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

The 21-year-old outside spiker, who is currently playing in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), even cited the Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s postgame interview about failure when they got eliminated by the No.8 seed Miami Heat in the NBA playoffs.

“One of the great interviews that Giannis made (during the NBA playoffs) that’s now famous, he said that there’s never a failure in sports, just steps towards the goal. It’s one of the most important things for everybody to understand,” Možič said.

The young volleyball star said it also applies to volleyball and other sports.

“Nobody can win all the time. Every time, there’s this up and down. The most important this is that when it’s difficult, you never give up,” he added.

The Filipino Spikers went from winning a historic silver medal four years ago to a rebuilding program after coach Dante Alinsunurin’s removal and several core players like Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo skipping the SEA Games.

The rebuilding team, under Brazilian coach Sergio Veloso, finished fifth in Cambodia, matching the country’s previous finish in Vietnam in 2022.

Možič also stressed the importance of having a strong support system for the national team.

“It’s a lot about the organization of the teams. For sure, you need some good sponsors. If you have so many fans, if you have so much attention to volleyball, for sure there are sponsors that will help you and say ‘Okay we’ll give you some money because we see your team, we like your players,’” the Italy club league player said. “The most important is what’s happening on the court but there’s also a lot of things that come into play to play good — regeneration, food, apartments.”

“You need to make people feel at home, that they feel happy, for the players that are playing in your club. I think this is one of the most important things for the result at the end,” he added.

Možič, who gained a lot of Filipino fans in the VNL last year, will return to the country for Week 3 of the league’s men’s division on July 4 to 9 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.