The event is called the “Friendship Cup” for a reason–one of its main features is a basketball tournament with four teams competing, each made up of a mix of Loko players, the year’s most impressive fan sector participants, and randomly selected season ticket holders.
This time, many things went especially well: so many fans showed up that two additional sections of the Basket Hall had to be opened for them, and the fate of the basketball tournament was decided at the very last second.
But first, the semifinals were played. The “Comeback Kings” (the team in black, featuring Alen Hadzibegovic, Makar Konovalov, and Anton Kvitkovskikh) defeated “Lokomotiv” (the green jerseys, featuiring Jeremiah Martin, Mike Moore, and Danil Sheyanov) with a score of 39:22. And the “Red-Haired Mamba” (orange jerseys, featuring Vince Hunter, Vsevolod Ishchenko, Daniil Kasko and Ivan Samoylenko) also confidently defeated the “Kuban” team (red jerseys, Patrick Miller, Kirill Temirov, Zakhar Vedishchev and Ilya Popov) – 32:24.
In the 3rd-place match, “Kuban” defeated “Lokomotiv” quite confidently, 32:26.
But the final was a rollercoaster of intrigue: the lead changed several times in the final minutes. With a second and a half left before the final buzzer, the “Comeback Kings” were ahead by one point, but the “Red-Haired Mamba” had the ball–and Samoylenko found Hunter with a pass from out of the bounds, and Vince sank the ball from the free throw circle, 26:25!
This was followed by a charity auction in support of the Miracle Closet Foundation.
Then came the traditional press conference. Fans asked their questions to players and acknowledged, among other things, which Kikoriki character Ishchenko thinks his teammates resemble (Ilya Popov resembles Iron Nanny, chief of medical staff Konstantin Shubin resembles Olga, and rehabilitation specialist Alexander Bezruchko resembles Barry); whether the club plans to hold an open practice (“We have nothing to hide from Lokosemya; we’ll try to pick a date early next season,” replied Vice President Alexei Pegushin); and why Hunter and Miller laugh so much during games (because, well, why not).
Next, the awards ceremony for the season’s best players, as voted by fans, took place: the main prize was presented to Patrick Miller, Vsevolod Ishchenko was recognized for a strong regular season, and the team’s head coach, Tomislav Tomović, received a special award from legendary fan Maxim Bartakov, who regularly supports Lokomotiv on the road and who finally made it to Krasnodar (for the first time in his life!).
And it ended with an autograph session.
The 2025/26 season has officially come to an end. Ahead lies the offseason with transfer news, a couple of weeks of rest for players and coaches, and then more training camps, preseason games, and a new championship. How exactly things will work out for Lokomotiv will be revealed in due course. But one thing is certain: bronze in 2025/26 is a solid foundation for building on, becoming stronger, and taking the next step.
We believe in the team! Go, Loko!