And get this ¨C federation president Danilo Mitrovic is targeting a place at the FIBA World Championship to be staged in Turkey in four years.

How¡¯s that for ambitious?

In an interview with FIBA after hearing Montenegro had been made the 213th member federation, the 54-year-old Mitrovic, who is also the general manager of Montenegrin club side Buducnost, revealed his ambitions.

FIBA: We are at the FIBA World Championship, one of FIBA¡¯s prestigious events. How long will it be before we see Montenegro compete in this international tournament?

Danilo Mitrovic: ¡°I hope that in Turkey, we have a chance to see the national team of Montenegro.¡±

FIBA: Wow! That¡¯s fast.

Mitrovic ¡°I speak with optimism.¡±

FIBA: Will members of the Serbia & Montenegro national teams like 22-year-old Montenegrin Alexandar Pavlovic have a choice to make? Can they decide to remain with Serbia, or join Montenegro?

Mitrovic: ¡°They will have to make a choice to play for either, including Pavlovic. He hasn¡¯t decided yet, but I hope he will choose to play for Montenegro since he is Montenegrin and was born here.¡±

FIBA: Which internationals have decided to play for Montenegro?

Mitrovic: ¡°Vladimir Scepanovic, Predrag Drobnjak, Zakar Cabarcapa, Djuro Ostojic and the young Montenegrin players played for the U20 team that won the title in Izmir this summer.¡±

FIBA: When will we see Montenegro play their first game and if so, have you decided which team you will face?

Mitrovic: ¡°We haven¡¯t decided yet. Right now, we are trying to organize games and practices in youth categories, and they can play in Division B as they attempt to qualify. The next thing we have to do is make a choice for a coach? Dusko Ivanovic (Winterthur Barcelona) is our first choice, but there are rules in the ACB league that a head coach can¡¯t be a national coach. That¡¯s why we can¡¯t choose him, but for certain we want a Montenegrin - Bogdan Tanjevic, Dusko Vujosevic, Luka Pavicevic are people we are interested in.¡±

FIBA: Can you tell me about the talent of both players and coaches in Montenegro?

Mitrovic: ¡°I am the director of Buducnost and in my club, there are many talented players. And we have a lot of great coaches and talented players, including Nenid Mijatovic, Vladimir Dasic, Ivan Maras, Slavko Vranjes.¡±

FIBA: What can you tell us about the Montenegrin Basketball League?

Mitrovic: ¡°The first division has eight clubs and will play four times against each ¨C 28 rounds.¡±

FIBA: Will you continue to work closely with the Serbian federation?

Mitrovic: ¡°We will continue with a good relationship.¡±

FIBA: This is an exciting time for Montenegrin basketball. What is its biggest challenge?

Mitrovic: ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have a chance to play in qualifying for EuroBasket 2007 in Spain, but I hope that in 2008 we will play in youth competitions. We have a right to do that.¡±