Basketball

Andrey KHARCHINSKY: “We were able to fully prepare for the European Championship”

Published

3 years ago

August 11, 2022

Sophia

Andrey KHARCHINSKY: “We were able to fully prepare for the European Championship”

It will take part in Division B of the European U-16 Championship, which will be held in Sofia (Bulgaria) from 11-20 August. The national team of Ukraine, led by Andriy Kharchinsky.

Before the start of the continental championship, the team’s mentor told the FBU about the readiness of the guys, the formation of the squad and the opponents.

– We were preparing in Calpe, Spain. At first we planned to change the training place a few times, but we came to the conclusion that it would be better for us to train in one place. The team was equipped with everything necessary there, they played quite a lot of sparring with their peers, older players.

– Are you satisfied with the quality of the competitions?

– Here I can answer you – this summer the European U-20 and U-18 champions were the Spanish national teams, which means they did something right. I am very happy with the competition. We played with adult teams – our first game was “we got carried away like cats” but then we started showing our teeth. Overall, we were able to alternate between the different team levels, creating a match schedule for the European Championship that included three consecutive days and a rest day for a week, followed by two more games.

I do not want to talk about the nuances, difficulties, so that it does not look like a search for excuses before starting – we will assume that we managed to fully prepare. The team is ready and we go to war.

– Then the question of the formation of the composition. There is a war in the country and your team’s players have been traveling to different places in Europe since February. How hard was it to bring them together because the team had the backbone in place?

– Huge work was done with each player of our team individually. There was someone in Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland… And we managed not only to gather them in one place, but also to have a meeting, to train, to have a discussion.

There are a few other people who could be on the team, but everyone has different moments. But in this situation we are in, when there is a war in the country, we are content with what we have.

It is clear that there can be different moments in the European Championship. You come to the tournament – and you don’t know the team. Players see their opponent and draw a picture in their heads… After all, they are children and this is their first European Championship. Again, that’s no excuse, because for them it’s a step forward in their career. You are going to the European Championship, you represent your country and you have to show all your good qualities in the national team jersey.

– How psychologically ready is the team for such a tournament?

– Honestly, the atmosphere in the team is incredible and the team is amazing. We spent almost three months together but the meeting went like a day. And they flew even with a slight remorse.

– In terms of opponents – Germany is the favorite not only of the group, but also of the entire tournament, Finland also scored high. What can you say?

– You know, in preparation for the European Championship, Germany trained with teams from Division A, we examined them. Even the coach of the German national team threw me a video, so he has no secrets. And when there are no secrets, he says they don’t care if you know how they play. But we’re playing them in the last round.

We also know Finland very well. The first match is very important. We tell the guys every day, we analyze the team, we look. Good team, there are three leaders. But we’re not just going to the European Championship. We have a huge advantage over our opponents – none of them know how we look on the field. Videos, clips of our games simply do not exist. And this plus must be used to the fullest in the first game.

It should be noted that the Ukraine U-16 team will play its first match in the European Championship today, on 11 August, against Finland. The match starts at 16:00.

Source: Sport UA

Sophia

Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.

Basketball

Dnepr player: “We want to win and prove that defeat was a mistake”

Published

3 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Ralph

Dnepr player: “We want to win and prove that defeat was a mistake”

Dnepr player Maksim Zakurdaev He shared his expectations from the Kiev tour, where his team will play Kiev-Basket (January 17) and Rivne (January 18).

– Maxim, Dnepr played two matches last week against Hoverla and Stary Lutsk and won both. How difficult were these matches for you after the break in the championship?

– We always maintain our physical shape, we worked hard for this during the holidays and the short break of the championship. Probably the fact that we were going to Zaporozhye by bus left its mark on our game. For this reason, the first quarters were not very successful for us. Then we increased the tempo and gained an advantage. All in all, these two wins were quite convincing for us.

– In what mode did you practice this week, considering that the next match will be played against Kiev-Basket?

– In addition to the general training regime, we train directly according to our plan, which explains how to prepare for the game. We rested after the matches in Zaporozhye and stayed in shape for two days by playing some combinations that Kiev-Basket usually uses. After Kyiv-Basket, we will prepare for the Rivne match.

– The only team that defeated you in local tournaments last season was “Kyiv-Basket”. Now this is your main rival?

– Probably not, not essential. We won a lot against them. They are also among the leaders in the rankings, so this is a very important match for us. We want to defeat those close to us.

– On November 1, you defeated Kyiv-Basket with a score of 70:69. Do you think it will be such a close match this time too?

– It’s hard to say, but I think our advantage will be 10+.

– Egor Sushkin showed himself last season in “Kiev-Basket”, and this season Artem Romanitsa showed himself no less well. How do you plan to control this active youth?

“We can contain them.” You just shouldn’t let these guys get away with it. Of course they are ambitious and they really want to win. But we are trying to play smart, so stopping the youth is not a difficult task for us. It’s nice to play against such promising players. Moreover, Sushkin gained more experience in the national team, where he performed very well. Playing against such young and ambitious players and trying to control them is actually an interesting challenge.

– When you look at the average level of the teams, is the current championship stronger than the previous one?

– I thought I was getting stronger at the beginning of the championship, but now I don’t know… “Cherkassy Mavpy” experienced a big decline with the departure of Agafonov. Some other teams have slowed down a bit compared to the start of the championship. On the other hand, there are teams such as “Old Lutsk”, which, on the contrary, have begun to add. In general, I think the level remains the same as last season.

– You averaged 9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 13 games this season. How satisfied are you with your personal statistics?

– I’m not very happy. These are role-playing statistics… But if we win, these indicators are sufficient for the success of the team. I’m trying to play better and help more.

– “Kyiv-Basket” match will be played in the capital’s Veneto Sports Palace. This means there will be a lot of opposition fans. Does this create extra pressure for you, or on the contrary, is it nice to have the hall filled with spectators?

– Yes, the atmosphere is very nice. He plays with emotions well, especially when the hall is full of spectators. Even if the hall is physically cold, you feel some kind of warmth inside. For example, in Zaporozhye, fans are not allowed to come to the match and the game may appear gray somewhere. The picture is somehow missing. In this sense, it is quite difficult there; You can lose your concentration, you can get confused… But it’s nice if there are fans, even if they are rivals. We are already experienced players, we do not care who the fans support on the field. In the current realities, we are happy that spectators come to watch basketball.

– Besides Kiev-Basket, you will also play against Rivne, the only team to defeat Dnepr this season. Do you promise to take your revenge powerfully?

– Of course we want to win and prove that the defeat was a mistake. Somewhere we did not adapt well to this game, we relaxed… We need to give a worthy answer and prove that “Rovno” won because we played poorly.

Source: Sport UA

Ralph

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.

Basketball

OFFICIALLY. Signed one of last season’s best players

Published

3 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Ralph

OFFICIALLY. Signed one of last season’s best players

BC “Rivne” announced the signing of a heavy forward Rod Brown.

The 27-year-old American returned to the Rivne club, where he played last season and was one of the leaders of the team.

While Brown averaged 13.2 points + 8.5 rebounds in 35 matches with the team, he also made 12 double-doubles, which was the best indicator of the season in the Super League.

Rod started his current season in Switzerland, where he plays for second division club Winterthur. He averaged 19.1 points + 10.6 rebounds + 2.3 assists + 2.2 steals in 9 games.

Brown is the fourth foreign player in Rivne. The team currently includes Jaylen Dupree, Syvon Traylor and Carlos Hines.

Super League regulations allow more than three foreign players to be included in a season’s squad, but no more than three foreign players are allowed to be directly included in a match.

Source: Sport UA

Ralph