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Six months without a day. It was this pause that separated the last game of the 2019/20 Basketball Super League (March 8) and the start of the 2020/21 season (October 7). Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the quarantine that followed, last season ended urgently, and this same quarantine, in turn, flowed smoothly into the summer off-season. As a result, the break between the two championships became the longest in the history of Ukrainian basketball.
Of course, basketball in Ukraine has already come back a bit earlier. The story of Dnipro’s failed start in the FIBA Champions League qualification and the Final Four of the Ukraine Basketball Cup in Yuzhny, but it was all from a slightly different opera (European Cups and the completion of the calculation with the previous season). And now, in the middle of this week, the start awaits the rest of the basketball Super League participants.
It is worth recognizing that after the lockdown of the quarantine and a severe blow to the Ukrainian economy, it was feared that the Basketball Super League, which in recent seasons had just started to build muscle after a sharp decline in the 2013/14 season, regress again in its development. But, fortunately, this did not happen, in addition, the composition of the Superliga participants grew in two clubs.
Our basketball teams carried out the off-season and transfer campaign in different ways, according to the results of which it is quite logical to point to the group of favorites of the season and, in general, to place the teams on the ladder. tournament schedule. But as the spring-summer break was very long and many clubs, even a few days before their first match, raise more questions than they answer, and one of the Superliga clubs still has no officially confirmed signings, we will present the teams that they participate in the new season in the order of their places in the last championship. We will start with two newcomers to the next tournament.
11. BC “Ternopil”
Key signatures: Oleksandr Kolchenko (defender, Cherkasy Mavpy), Adrienne Bowie (defender, Alytus, Lithuania), Andriy Kalnichenko (forward, Cluj, Romania), Carrington Ward (forward, St. John’s Edge, NBL), Averil Ugba (center, “Chemist” ), Andrey Agafonov (front, “ZTE” Hungary), Maxim Sandul (center, BC “Zaporozhye”)
Coach: Dmitry Zabirchenko
The newcomer from the Super League in his first season among Ukrainian basketball high society has no plans to give up a place in the rankings to the majors and fight for survival. At least such musings are driven by the club’s transfer campaign from western Ukraine.
BC Ternopil
BC Ternopil brought back the seasoned Kalnichenko and Agafonov from the legionnaires’ bread, but the brightest signing on the Ukrainian side of the roster was reserved for Oleksandr Kolchenko, who two years ago was the Super League MVP as part of Cherkasy Mavp.
The Legionnaires also promise to be on the same level, and if our fans have yet to meet Carrington Ward and Adrien Bowie, then Averil Ugba, who played very well with Chemist last season, needs no introduction.
But experience is experience. It is this that may not be sufficient for the season for newcomers to the Super League in individual matches or in segments of the tournament distance. In addition, Ternopil will be headed by the same rookie Super League coach, Dmitry Zabirchenko. A major disadvantage for the western Ukrainian club will be the fact that the club will play its first matches of the season away. Due to coronavirus restrictions, Ternopil is still unable to host rivals in its hometown.
Despite being a rookie, the team has already managed to acquire a main rival. The wall-to-wall fight between Ternopil and Odessa in the preseason match (!) Became known even outside Ukraine and now we can only guess what a new encounter between the teams will bring us. It won’t be long until October 10.
10. “Budivelnik” (Kiev)
Key signatures: ???
Coach: ???, although with a high degree of probability it will be Leonid Yailo
Of course, calling out Ukraine’s multiple champions newcomers to the Super League won’t change the language, but that’s the way it is this season. As other teams were already completing the offseason and preparing for the start of the season, an information bomb exploded in the Ukrainian basketball space. “Budivelnik” has almost paid off all its debts and is about to lift the latest FIBA ban. Consequently, the team had the opportunity to return to great basketball. A special commission was convened, in accordance with the results of the meeting of which Kiev’s request was approved.
Frankly speaking, Budivelnik was a bit late with his return. Now we will have to redo the tournament schedule, and the comeback itself is scheduled for sometime in November, because so far the club doesn’t even have a full roster. On the other hand, Ukrainian basketball is not in a position to be spread by teams that want and can participate in the Super League. Also, like “Budivelnik”. So the return of the Ukrainian basketball great in the recent past should give new impetus to the upcoming season and make it even more interesting.
9. “Kharkiv Sokoly”
Key signatures: Da Juan Graf (defender, Kirchheim Knights, Germany), Brandon Boggs (defender, Cobrat, Finland), Vladimir Shevchenko (forward, BC Zaporozhye), Igor Chumakov (forward, Dnipro), LaRon Dandy (center, “APOEL”, Cyprus) .
Coach: Oleg Manoilenko
BC Kharkiv Sokoly
The team finished last season in last, ninth place, although just before the quarantine break, the Kharkiv team felt their game and after being appointed head coach Oleg Manoylenko in emergency mode, he began to slowly win. Now the head coach of the Falcons had a complete preparation for the season, the fruits of which are very interesting to see.
In the selection of the team stands out the signing of LaRon Dandy, who, in the role of a young and promising player, still found the “Golden Super League” and now returned to our championship with a decent background of performances not in the weakest clubs of Europe. On the Ukrainian side of the list, the leaders should be Volodymyr Shevchenko, the experienced Igor Chumakov and one of the key players from last year’s team – Igor Boyarkin.
The projection for the Kharkiv season at the moment looks quite optimistic and they can compete for the playoffs.
8. BC “Zaporozhye”
Key signatures: Mike Keffi (defender, Lutsenets, Slovakia), Josh Fortune (defender, Randers, Denmark), Alexander Sizov (forward, Dnipro), Vitaly Malchevsky (forward, Prometheus), Andriy Gritsak (forward, “Huesca”, Spain), Aurimas Miauskas (center, “Nyardvik”, Iceland)
Coach: Valery Plekhanov
BC Zaporozhye
Perhaps, for the first time in the last three seasons, the result for the Zaporizhzhya club will be made not only by the American legionaries. Two years ago, hitting the target was the ultimate and, as a result, the championship medals. Last season, the team did not hit the legionaries and the team was at the bottom of the table.
But at the next championship in Zaporozhye, which is famous for its foundries, they are preparing to get a very high-quality alloy of experience and youth. Also, Ukrainian. The Sizov-Malchevsky forward pair are quite old, but at the same time quite experienced, and the young Andrei Gritsak is one of the most promising players of his generation. After moving from the Spanish second division, the striker can become the premiere of the season, that’s for sure among Ukrainian players. The Americans in Zaporozhye will also be and should be good.
All of the above + Valery Plekhanov’s coaching talent gives the club tangible prospects in the fight for the playoffs, but it will be difficult for the team to count on more.
7. MBK “Nikolaev”
Key signatures: Klim Artamonov (defender, BC Odessa), Darnell Edge (defender, Polfarma, Poland), Max Konate (forward, Prometheus), Kammeon Halsey (forward, Ostrava, Czech Republic), Alexander Kushnirov (center, “Nova Ves”, Slovakia) ,
Coach: Chris thomas
MBK Nikolaev
A Super League veteran decided to make drastic changes in the offseason. The team is led by an inexperienced American Chris Thomas and this event promises to be one of the most intriguing in the Super League. After all, in recent seasons we have had very few coaches from abroad, and their adaptation is usually more difficult than that of the players themselves.
The transfer campaign was quite ambiguous for the “shipbuilders”. Three little-known Americans, whose signing leaves many questions to the club’s scouts and good transfers from the Ukrainians represented by Artamonov, Kushnirov and Konata. He remained on the team and Alexei Adediran, who, despite his more than decent age, remains a true force under the ring. But the club said goodbye to another veteran in the person of Alexei Onufriev. In addition, from the outside it seems to a large extent that it was not Onufriev who left, but Alexei, who was perceived very negatively by the fans of the club with great traditions.
While in the role of a playoff contestant “shipbuilders” are seen with difficulty. Especially considering that they will have to play home games with a limited number of spectators, who are always a powerful “sixth” player from Nikolaev’s club.
6. “Cherkasy Monkeys”
Key signatures: Cameron Jones (defender, Karhu, Finland), Lucky Jones (defender, Karhu, Finland), Anton Dziuba (forward, Iraurgi, Spain)
Coach: Maxim Michelson
BC Cherkasy Monkeys
At the moment, “Mavpy” is still in the composition formation stage, which has many empty seats. Of course, the people of Cherkasy will get their roster in the course of the championship, but at the beginning of the tournament, the young players from their school will have to fix the holes in the app. And then there were injuries. Two Americans Jones were injured, and if Lucky can play in the official game soon, Cameron will be out of the game for about eight weeks.
In general, Cherkasy residents, even a couple of days before the start of the Super League, remain in an uncertain state in terms of their seasonal outlook. On the one hand, the potential of the existing staff should be enough to make the playoffs, and on the other hand, it is clearly not enough to fight for the high spots, which Cherkassy is probably counting on.
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