Basketball

BAGATSKIS: “One-on-one defence, rebounds and fixing the safety net is key”

Published

3 years ago

August 14, 2022

Sophia

BAGATSKIS: “One-on-one defence, rebounds and fixing the safety net is key”

In Istanbul, the Ukrainian team lost two matches – beat Turkey and Slovenia and Poland.

– How has the game changed with the emergence of non-team players in July?

– Completely changed, because these are experienced players and need to be given playing time. For me there is no question why they are in the national team, and it has always been important to me that it is clear to the public, to journalists, why this or that player is in the team.

Yes, there are some issues because Gerun has not been playing since April. As for Lenya, he did not train with us and immediately played against Slovenia. I only had to draw about what we were playing, not even the combinations, and it looked fine even under these conditions. In the NBA, I don’t understand why, but it takes as much time as it takes. To me this is a top player and, as coaches say, a “very coachable” cool person.

We did not expect Alexei to play in Istanbul since he joined the team two days ago. It was entirely his wish – he wanted to play directly against Poland but I said no. We agreed that he would play two or three times against the Slovenes, but it came out a bit more. And given the game’s practice and acclimation, it played much better than I expected in this case.

Bliznyuk got into such a physical shape that he was immediately ready to play. Since Bogdan is a professional athlete, I would like to mark him as an example not only for Ukrainian players but also for many players. He doesn’t waste time, he prepares his body and it will be much easier for him to participate in basketball loads. Well, against Slovenia, we decided to save Mikhailyuk, because he also played in the tournament after an incomplete practice session.

By now we already have a lot: desire, excitement, emotion and understanding of what we are doing, but we are not trained and we are far from being a team.

– What are your impressions of the matches played in Istanbul?

– Turkey has been preparing a full squad for two weeks, taking into account the NBA players. Of course we could have played better against them, but maybe the flight and some fatigue made us fail for a while, not in terms of basketball but in terms of game energy. We were very calm and the Turks, on the contrary, play with emotions. Plus, they fired three-pointers and we prepared free throws that we didn’t turn. This, again, is a game against the background of fatigue and heavy legs.

It was a completely different game against Poland, we played fast basketball, we ran and there was just a lull in the game, we reacted to it and played an interesting combination of players – a very small five, four small players and a centre. We understand that this team needs to run – it’s a bonus for this team and we have to work for it.

We played very well against the Slovenes at times, but lost due to some nuances that needed to be corrected: An extra safety net, resulting in five three-pointers. Regardless of whether Doncic plays or not, this team is almost the best three-pointer in Europe. And it’s ironic that we lost a few rebounds with the big five and then got hit. These little things cost us victory.

– What should the dual center give to the team with which the Ukrainian team started two matches?

We must seek our advantages. This is how we got the Spaniards under the ring in July. We have four players in the middle position and we need to think about how we are going to use them and what we can get out of it. And I think, we get certain advantages, our game becomes more diverse. The main thing is to fix the one-on-one defence, rebound and excessive safety net. Offensive, I don’t see any problems playing on such a front. Unfortunately we don’t have many players in the “fours”, in this position especially Len played against Slovenia and stretched the defense well. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we have little time.

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

4 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

5 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