Translated material
Sparring for young people
In the match with Prokom, the army coach let the reservists play
CSKA basketball players began the second round of the first group stage of the ULEB Euroleague with a confident home victory over the outsider of the eight "A" Polish "Prokom", representing the city of Sopot - 99:67.“It is completely unrealistic to defeat CSKA in its current state,” said Prokom head coach Tomas Pacesas, known to Russian fans for his performances with the Perm Ural-Great team. However, “Prokom” did not try to win against the “red-blues”, so the match actually turned into an ordinary “two-sided” training match. The Polish club brought only ten basketball players to Moscow instead of the 12 allowed in the application. Moreover, the former CSKA center, Belgian Thomas van den Spiegel, did not appear on the court, but he talked a lot with old acquaintances.
CSKA quickly achieved a comfortable advantage, and the coach of the “red-blues” Ettore Messina, without worrying about the final result, actively involved young Russians - Anatoly Kashirov, Artem Zabelin, nicknamed Pushkin (for his characteristic hairstyle), Andrey Vorontsevich, Alexey Shved. Center David Andersen had to play the most - 28 minutes of net time. His colleague in the role, Alexey Savrasenko, is still injured, so the Australian with a Danish passport has an increased workload. Andersen became the hosts' top scorer with 17 points.
“We must admit that it was very difficult for the opponent in today’s meeting. The efforts they made in the absence of four players are worthy of respect,” the official website of PBC CSKA quoted Messina as saying. - All my players from the very first minute were focused on the course of the game, working in defense, which gave us the opportunity to provide serious playing time to the youth. In general, we played a decent match, but next week a real test awaits us - a trip to Italy to Montepaschi.
Pacesas noted that he does not consider the season lost: “As long as there is still even the slightest chance of getting into the top 16, we will fight for them. Moreover, we will hold four of the remaining meetings at home. I hope that in more or less full strength.” Van den Spiegel explained his absence from the game due to an untreated injury: “There are a few days left until full recovery. We couldn’t risk getting another injury, especially in the situation our team is in.”
On Wednesday, in Group A there was also a meeting between the Spanish Tau and the Greek Olympiacos. The basketball players from the Basque city of Vitoria won - 75:64. After this, Tau, with five wins in eight matches, is ahead of the Greek club, which has a 50% win-loss record. CSKA, having only one misfire (in the away match against the Slovenian Olimpia), practically ensured its entry into the second group stage of the top 16. Yesterday, late evening Moscow time, the matches “Zalgiris” (Lithuania) - “Virtus” (Bologna, Italy) and “Olympia” - “Montepaschi” took place.
Things are going well in the Euroleague for the women's capital CSKA, which has turned into a team with the same name and registration after the Samara team moved in the off-season. However, the continental women's basketball tournament in its current form and with the overwhelming advantage of the three leading Russian clubs (CSKA, UMMC, Spartak near Moscow) is not of particular interest from a sporting point of view at the group stage. The Red-Blues, playing in Group A, defeated the most titled club in Europe, Riga TTT, 87:56 on the road in the sixth round. This is already the fourth match in the Euroleague that the team of Latvian specialist Gundars Vetra won with a difference of 20 points or more.
The match between Kosice and the current club champion of the continent, Spartak near Moscow, stands out. The enthusiasm of the Slovak fans can be envied - 7,120 spectators gathered in the stands. This is a record attendance for the current Euroleague. The “red-whites” confidently took over - 84:62.