Looney still reeling, feels ‘different’ after Warriors’ loss of Deki

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Looney still reeling, feels ‘different’ after Warriors’ loss of Deki originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It has been 66 days since Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević sustained a fatal heart attack, and the team still feels the emotions that follow the sudden loss of a beloved member of the family.

Memories of “Deki,” as everyone called him, are particularly poignant for the coaching staff and at least one player: Kevon Looney.

Hardly a day goes by when the 28-year-old center doesn’t think of the man who was his personal basketball guru. His entire routine is altered. Permanently.

“For me, it’s a drastic difference,” Looney told NBC Sports Bay Area for the latest “Dubs Talk” episode. “That was the coach I worked with directly. That’s the guy I watched film with. That’s somebody that I talked to on the daily about the game.”

“When I had a problem, or if I had questions or grievances, that’s the guy I went to talk to and listen to. Since he’s been gone, it’s definitely been a different feeling and different vibe for me. Not being able to see him every day, it’s definitely been something different.”

Milojević went into distress during a Jan. 16 team dinner in Salt Lake City. He was taken to the University of Utah hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit. He died the next morning.

The game that night was postponed, as was Golden State’s next game, on Jan. 19 against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. The Warriors attended to the Milojević family during a nine-day break from basketball. Time to process and grieve.

During Golden State’s practices and pregame workouts, Deki’s presence is visible even though he is not. T-shirts with the word “Brate” – Serbian for “brother,” Deki’s greeting to all men – will worn by any number of coaches or players or staffers.

“I think the coaching staff has felt the difference,” Looney said. “Just with the energy around the team now. He was the guy that had a lot of say. He had a lot of basketball knowledge. He was a highly touted player and coach, as you saw in his memorial how many people loved him.”

The week following…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/looney-still-reeling-feels-different-190615628.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-03-21 19:06:15

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