The Lokomotiv Kuban PBC president commented on club newcomers and new season goals.
- – Before the season 2023/24, you made an unprecedented move by keeping the team that won medals. Why did the next years' results turned out to be worse?
- – We decided to keep our roster, because in the 2022/23 season we get into the finals. The next year, we tried to improve, but sometimes we lacked stability. There were many factors, for example, our logistics that accumulated a lot of fatigue. It became crucial in the long semi-final series with UNICS. As important matches were held every other day or two, the players simply did not have time to recover. Perhaps that's why we started to lose concentration and make unforced errors. The bronze series became a test of strength and character for us. Unfortunately, not everyone withstood it. A series of injuries added – and we were left without medals.
- – This summer, a lot of players left the club. What were the reasons for their leaving?
- – After we failed to achieve our goal last season, it was time to rebuild. I am grateful to Jaylen Barford for his years that he spent in Loko, becoming one of our leaders. And I wish him success in his future career. I also thank DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, he did much to make our team play together, as a whole. Despite he did not show his best in the last playoffs, he definitely is a very talented player. We used the termination option in the contract with Maurice Ndour. I expected that he would be able to play much more as a power forward then as a center. This did not happen, and Kirill Yelatontsev's playing time was reduced at the end of the season, which is quite contrary to our plans and the club's strategy. We want to rely on our graduates and will continue to develop them and give them time on the court. We invest a lot of effort and knowledge in each of our guys, but they need to be ready to the high-tier requirements and to prove it every day in training and in games. My son Zakhar started the last season good, but did not manage to be consistent for several reasons. I know that he is very motivated to prove his skills. So, it will be very interesting to see his effort at Yenisey. As for the transfer of Alexander Shcherbenev to Zenit... I wish Sasha success. We were interested in keeping him, were open to dialogue, wanted to continue his development at the club and keep him on the team by signing a new contract, but we did not receive any feedback. We failed to reach an understanding with Alexander and his representatives. Honestly, I would like the Lokomotiv alumni to be more independent in making decisions and listen more to the people who raised them and have been training them for many years, helping them grow into professionals.
- – You decided to keep Dmitry Uzinsky...
- – Yes, mostly for his experience and dedication, which are both very useful at and off the court. I believe that Dmitry can make another step up and play even better.
- – What about Loko alumni – are you satisfied with their progress at the main team last year?
- – There definitely was some progress. But we want our youngsters to show more initiative and take key roles on. Our head coach faced a difficult task: both to improve the silver result of the previous season, and to stay with the club's strategy of developing our young players. Unfortunately, a strong desire to win the championship took over our strategy and, as it seemed to me at the decisive stage of the championship, broke the team chemistry. To win titles, the team must be a single whole, but closer to the decisive games it was clear that we lacked cohesion – hence the instability.
- – What are the main qualities that you seek in foreign players? And how many of them is optimal for Loko?
- – To win the league, a player must have character and "the DNA of the champion". As for the quantity, for me it's 4 or 5 foreign players. But the level of the VTB United league is pretty high, so it's better to have one more experienced foreigner in the roster. We've kept Karvel Anderson and Patrick Miller that helped us a lot at the end of the season, invited BJ Johnson, Antonius Cleveland and Isaiah Whaley. So, I think they will be a good basis for us.
- – BJ Johnson was one of the best attacking players of the VTB United league last season. In which role do you see him in Loko?
- – I am glad that we managed to sign BJ. His offensive potential is diverse, he can play equally good as a small and a power forward. It is very important to integrate his skills into team actions. I think BJ will get one of the main attacking roles in the team, but I would like him to work just as good in defence.
- – It's Antonius Cleveland who is mostly known for his great defensive skills...
- – Yes. Cleveland is very experienced, we were impressed by his agility and defensive dedication. But I also see his good potential in attack. In Maccabi he showed offensive versatility, smartness and team skills. I think he will have a chance to show his best at Loko.
- – What can you say about the club's most recent addition Isaiah Whaley?
- – Whaley has great energy and focus throughout the game. Also, he is a hard-worker who by example shows how to be ready and fight in every episode. These qualities are very important for team chemistry. In terms of his potential, I think Isaiah will be able to reach the next level and improve both in defense and in offense.
- – The upcoming regular season will be a straight 4-rounder without any division. How will this affect Loko?
- – We are expecting a very interesting season. The length of the bench and wise rotation will come to the fore: somewhere it will be necessary to give rest to the leaders, who should be replaced by players eager to fight and hungry for victories. At the same time, it is important not to lower in results. Given the closed airport in Krasnodar and logistic problems, such a format will complicate our preparation, since 8 games will be added to the regular championship. At first I was against this innovation, but after weighing everything, I realized that additional games will give us the opportunity to strengthen our talented youngsters.
- – At least five of them are already in the main team's roster...
- – I have great hopes for young talents, I believe in them and I am optimistic about our future. Our alumni have everything to make a name for themselves at a high level. Of course, they must understand that they need to be ready for the highest demands - in a professional club the rules are the same for both experienced players and young ones. The club's strategy for forming the backbone of the main team around its alumni remains unchanged. I am sure that in the upcoming season we will fight for medals.
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