Basketball
Tsartsaris: “Spanoulis has basketball in his blood, he has humor and ambitions”
The head of the EEC development program, Kostas Tsartsaris, spoke on the association’s web radio, where he could not help but talk about Greece’s takeover of the pre-Olympic tournament, but also about the coach of the national team, Vassilis Spanoulis.
Kostas Tsartsaris, who is responsible for the development program of the EEC, was hosted on the federation’s web radio, where he of course mentioned Greece’s hosting of the pre-Olympic tournament for the coach of our representative group, Vassilis, Spanoulis and not only.
We remind you that Greece will host at the Peace and Friendship Stadium one of the four pre-Olympic tournaments that will award the last four tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
What Tsartsaris said in detail on EEC Web Radio:
For Greece to host the pre-Olympic tournament: “Firstly, it is a very difficult tournament. A few days, excellent teams, but also unknown teams from different basketball schools. You don’t have time to think about or prepare for the next game, so the work needs to be done in advance. What we have to look at is ourselves. First of all, it’s about which players will come, what the squad will look like and, based on this, the coaching team and Vassilis Spanoulis should develop a plan on how we deal with the teams. What is happening in Greece is very positive, it is always good to play in your country. That’s an advantage, but it’s not a guarantee that you’ll get the ticket.”
For the national team squad at the Pre-Olympic Games: “The period in which it takes place is not easy. Not only is the NBA coming to an end very slowly and we don’t know how far Giannis will go, but the European Championships are ending somewhere there. A lot can still happen until then. It’s good to just wait and hope that the kids are healthy and willing to participate at first.”
For the coach of the men’s national team, Vassilis Spanoulis: “Vasilis has basketball in his blood. It may sound cliché, but it’s the truth. I haven’t heard him talk about anything other than basketball. He is a man who understands the sport very well, he is in the mood, he has ambitions and he wants to succeed. This quality of Vassilis took him so high that he was very ambitious and desperate to break his limits. And that’s what he will do as a coach.”
On the lost World Cup final in 2006: “To be fair, this generation of Spaniards was one of the best to ever play in European and world stadiums. Of course, the fact that we beat the undisputed favorites USA, that Pau Gasol didn’t play and that we were expecting Argentina in the final instead of Spain also played a role. What I mean by that is that at least we could have been more combative on the field and in the end we wouldn’t have had the difference that we had.”
For this year’s EuroLeague: “It’s very charming what the decision-makers have come up with. Every week we see impressive games that keep our interest intact until the end. This system also gives an “Aloti” and… Sorry, if you lose outside the schedule, you have time to fix the problem. We’re talking more about a “marathon” and not a simple tournament.”
Regarding the fact that Panathinaikos lost decisive games in the final: “The main problem is that it is a new team with a lot of new players and they need to get a little familiar with their role to understand what needs to be done in the final phase. They’ll find that along the way. There are players with personality in this year’s Panathinaikos for whom such phases can end, it just takes a little patience. Like we always say, everything goes in and everything comes out, and that’s the beauty of basketball.”
Source: sport 24
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
Basketball
“Victories over Euroleague teams, the Super Cup in Belgrade, the birth of Jean-Charles’ twins.” Vatutin named the brightest moments of 2025
President of basketball CSKA Andrei Vatutin, in a conversation with Match TV, named the brightest moments of the outgoing year, and also told how to meet 2026.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, CSKA became the champion of the VTB United League. In the current regular season, the army team is in the lead, having won 16 victories in 18 games.
— How satisfied are you with 2025?
— First of all, I would like to say that the team we have now is very dear to me. I am often asked: which season’s team do you like the most? For some reason, everyone thinks that the answer will be related to our victories in the Euroleague. Not at all. Every year we have a unique team. I’m happy to work with the guys we have today. I really value the victories in the United League that we achieved with this Team. That’s right, with a capital letter. The guys communicate well with each other. We have a great environment in the dressing room. I am very glad that our veterans – Kurbanov, Antonov, Ukhov – continue their careers. They mean a lot to me and to CSKA.
It is clear that if you won the championship in the past year, there is no reason to be dissatisfied with the sports result. But again, I’m happy to work with the coaching staff, our players, our club office and I would like everyone to be healthy and for us to continue to win together. I think everyone will have a lot of wishes in their New Year’s toasts. But surely each of the CSKA employees, players and coaches will wish us good luck and that there will be no injuries. If everything goes well, then there will be victories.
In addition to winning the championship, our team had many more bright moments. Birth of twins to Livio Jean-Charles. We played the pre-season in Dubai for the first time. The United League Super Cup was played for the first time in Belgrade. Plus we beat two Euroleague teams, which doesn’t mean anything, but in principle it indicates that we can now play with Euroleague teams. And I’ll probably also note Kurbanov’s pass to Livio in Krasnodar, when they scored 0.6 seconds before the end. A very bright moment. This suggests that basketball has become faster over the past decades: what took three seconds in Munich was now decided in 0.6.
Of course, my family gives me many very bright positive moments.
— How will you celebrate the New Year? What will be on the festive table?
— In Moscow, with my family. As always, it will be delicious. I generally love to eat (laughs). So to say that today I eat tasteless, but on New Year’s Day it’s delicious, would be wrong. Before the chimes, as always, we will listen to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin’s New Year’s address. Then we’ll have a glass of champagne, and then maybe move on to red wine.
— The Year of the Fire Horse is ahead. Does this mean that CSKA must definitely become the champion?
— (Laughs) I’ll say this: we don’t owe anyone anything. Whether it’s the year of the blue Horse or the Ox, our goals remain the same: we will try to please our fans. The Year of the Red Horse does not impose additional responsibilities and obligations. Of course, it’s nice that it’s the Year of the Horse, but it will be all the more interesting and enjoyable to ride this horse. Our competitors will probably oppose this. It is clear that the New Year’s toasts of the leaders of UNICS, Zenit, and Lokomotiv will also be for victory. Now is the middle of the season, and the most interesting is ahead,” Vatutin told Match TV.
Watch live broadcasts of VTB United League matches on the television channels of the Match holding company, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has been writing for a news website since 2015. My work primarily focuses on sports news, but I have also written about other topics such as technology and the arts. I have an extensive background in journalism, having worked as a reporter for a local newspaper before moving to a news website.
President of the Zaporozhye Regional Basketball Federation Valery Elkinson Summarized the results of the first part of the season for BC Zaporozhye.
– Valery, at the beginning of the season you made predictions about BC Zaporozhye’s performance in the Super League and the Ukrainian Cup. The second round is already underway. Are you happy with the results?
– Yes, I am satisfied. Many experts predicted that we would be ninth or tenth, but we need work, system and team for the result. We have a very small staff: club president Viktor Stelmakov, chief accountant Tatyana Kozachenko and media director Roman Polyachenko. These people have been working for the benefit of Zaporizhzhya basketball for years, and thanks to this, we achieved the current result.
– Which matches did you like the most? Where did the team perform at its best?
– First of all, both matches will be played against Kharkov Falcons. Unfortunately, we lost the first match in overtime and won the second match by one point. These are important matches as the opponent’s head coach is our former mentor Valery Plekhanov. The matches were quite challenging and interesting.
– What about the matches against Dnepr?
– “Dnepr” is the leader of the championship today and so far it is difficult for us to fight with them. Our main duty now is to protect basketball in such difficult times. We plan to compete for medals in the future as well. We have a common dream with the city and regional authorities: to return the European Cup of basketball to Zaporozhye.
– How do you evaluate the role of American legionnaires in BC Zaporozhye?
– The team has a very good microclimate, foreign players are very well integrated into the team. They are the leaders of the team today. At the same time, you must understand that times are difficult and communicating with strangers in such conditions is a particular challenge. But despite all the difficulties, the team works in unity and produces results.
Captain Anton Buts plays a big role; He is a leader not only on the field, but also in the locker room, helping young people and communicating with foreign players.
– Anton Buts plays a very consistent game. Was he given any special assignments?
– Anton has been in our club for many years and is playing better every season. He has a strong character and he shows it in his matches. He manages the team; This is very important.
– How do young people express themselves?
– We are satisfied. Ilya Lishchina is our student who returned home after studying on the Dnieper. Vyacheslav Kiktev is a hardworking player, although there are some difficulties. We also signed another student, Alexander Petrenko, which allowed us to expand our squad.
– Where is it more difficult to play; In the Super League or the Ukrainian Cup?
– These are different tournaments. It is a cup elimination match. For years we had no luck in the draw; We reached Dnepr early. This year the draw was more favorable and for the first time in ten years BC Zaporozhye advanced to the Final Four. In the cup, everything is decided by a single match, while in the championship, the distance is longer.
– How do you evaluate the work of head coach Dmitry Shchiglinsky?
– Dmitry actively participated in the formation of the team, has his own vision of the game and tactics. We can say that he did the right thing with the choice of actors, including foreign actors. We try to create conditions where the team can work safely despite all the difficulties.
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
Krasnodar Lokomotiv-Kuban defeated Saratov Avtodor in a home match of the VTB United League regular season.
The meeting ended with a score of 88:65 (19:17, 29:16, 22:20, 18:12). At Avtodor, Alen Hadzhibegovic from Avtodor scored a double-double (26 points and 17 rebounds). For Krasnodar, Jeremiah Martin scored the most points – 25.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (12 wins and 6 losses) is third in the standings, Avtodor (4–15) is 10th.
Watch live broadcasts of VTB United League matches on the television channels of the Match holding company, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has been writing for a news website since 2015. My work primarily focuses on sports news, but I have also written about other topics such as technology and the arts. I have an extensive background in journalism, having worked as a reporter for a local newspaper before moving to a news website.
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