"We are very happy to be in the top eight": Nikolaev, Marinkovic, Razumniy and Ankudinov — on reaching the CYBL final

According to the results of the second round of the semifinal round of the Russian Junior U19 Championship, the Zenit U19 and Zenit 2008 qualified for the Final Eight.

Head coach of Zenit U19 Dmitry Nikolaev summarised the performance of his team.

— Congratulations on the successful completion of the tour in Saratov. How would you evaluate the past stage of the semi-final of the Children’s Youth Basketball League?

— The last round in Saratov turned out to be successful. We took five games out of five. Accordingly, thanks to the guys for the desire, for the work, for dedication. We played a solid four. We have some work to do, but, in principle, it was a good level. Special thanks to our staff: team manager, doctor, physical trainer. Everyone did a good amount of work, which served us and helped our successful performance.

— The day before the team reached the Final Eight ahead of schedule. What are your expectations from the decisive stage?

— Yes, of course, it's a big plus that we have already reached the final ahead of schedule. We have enough time to prepare for the final, which is what we will do. We are very happy that we are already in the top eight teams of the CYBL.

— In the last semi-final match Zenit U19 played against Zenit 2008, another finalist. With what mood did you lead the team to today's game?

— Today's game was the most difficult, because we played against each other. Naturally, we came out in a good mood. The guys were energised for the game, because you can't concede to your team.

Forward of Zenit U19 Danil Razumniy — about the end of the semifinal round.

— The team won all five matches. Share your emotions about such a successful performance and reaching the Final Eight.

— The performance was successful, but, of course, there were some mistakes. Now we will prepare for the next stage and correct old mistakes that we made on this tour.

— What else is there to work on?

— I think we should work on defence, which we will do before the final stage. We will prepare very hard and productively. There is a lot of work.

Head coach of Zenit 2008 Petar Marinkovic also shared emotions about the game of his team.

— Zenit 2008 played the second semi-final round of the CYBL Championship at a high level. What are your impressions after reaching the final?

— We are very satisfied with our performance and the fact that for the first time in history two Zenit teams ended up in the final. This gives us even more motivation not to dwell on what we have done, but to try to prove ourselves in the final round.

— What difficulties did you face during this stage?

— The difficulties were that we lacked energy and concentration, because the guys played the previous round at the U18 Championship. Naturally, we are a team with energy that plays aggressively and quickly. And, apparently, this was the reason why we were catching up and losing several games. We didn't start from the very beginning. The day off was good for us, we got together and came out. The other two games were played confidently.

— What is the atmosphere inside the team after yesterday's early exit? Did it affect today's mood?

— Of course, happiness. It affects the team spirit, mood and everything else. But considering the factor that we had already reached the final, the lads were happy with that and wanted to impose the game a little bit. But since they are two, let's say, their own teams, we didn't want to get injured. We wanted to finish the game quietly and go home healthy.

Guard of Zenit 2008 Maxim Ankudinov noted the mistakes made at the last stage and shared his expectations from the decisive matches.

— Everyone, of course, sees our performance as a success, because we reached the final. It was the first time in history that two teams from St. Petersburg reached the final. All the guys are very happy, there is a good atmosphere in the team.

— What are your expectations from the decisive matches?

— We will only come back stronger. I guess we don't think about anything so specifically. We will try to just improve our game and, of course, we will try to take the place as high as possible.

— Today's face-to-face match completed the semi-final round, when both Zenit teams had already qualified further. But the second game against Samara-CYBL was played at very high speed. What do you think of that game and why didn't you get the win?

— In the first half we were a bit disorganised, we underestimated our opponent. In the second half we picked ourselves up, but because we lacked concentration, we let a little bit go, and lost three points. But then we managed to pull ourselves together.