The Lokomotiv Kuban forward spent the previous two seasons with UNICS, during which time he won silver and bronze medals in the VTB United League. We spoke with Andrey about this Sunday’s game against his former team.
- With what feelings are you looking forward to the game against your previous team?
- I’ve been often asked this question before—first after my move from CSKA to MBA, and then again after moving from MBA to UNICS. Nothing changes; my answer is always the same: I approach every game in exactly the same way. Our goal remains constant—to win. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against; it has no impact on our preparation. Everything will depend on us—on how we perform. We need to stick to our game plan and move forward with confidence toward victory.
- By the way, did you know that Lokomotiv Kuban is the first team in your career whose name in Russian is written in quotation marks? MBA, CSKA, UNICS—all of those are abbreviations and are written without quotation marks. How do you like this fact?
- Wow. Just wow. I don't know what to say. Thank you for sharing such an information.
- In your view, how much has UNICS changed since you left?
- They’ve changed a lot, since they have a new head coach and many new guys. But their team remains strong. Among the Top 4, everyone’s goal is to take first place, so every side strengthens its roster well during the off-season. UNICS sticks to the required level firmly.
- UNICS is now headed by Milan Karakaš, formerly an assistant to Velimir Perasović. You’ve worked with him—what is Mr. Karakaš like as a coach?
- I’m sure that, now that he’s a head coach, he carries himself a bit differently overall—and I can’t really judge on that. But as an assistant, he did a great job; everything was excellent.
- How important will be the crowd on Sunday?
- Very much! The loud support is always inspiring. The belief in the team and the desire of the entire arena for us to win definitely gives us strength. That’s why I’m really looking forward to Sunday—to experience all of that.
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