Andrey Vorontsevich: "In the second half the nervousness went away"
Zenit forward Andrey Vorontsevich answered journalists’ questions during the press conference after the 1st round game of the VTB United League regular season. In the matchup against Saratov’s Avtodor, the Blue-White-Sky Blues claimed a 90:67 victory.
— For three and a half quarters Saratov stayed very close. How did you manage to turn the game around?
— First of all, by playing as a team. And I think the nervousness went away a little in the second half. In the first half, we came out with maybe too much desire to show our fans that here we are — charged up, that we had already played many preseason games against very strong teams and knew each other well. But we missed some open shots. Of course, you can’t take anything away from Avtodor either: they are young, talented, quick, very active, and they played well, scoring a lot. But in the second half, we stopped trying to take too much on ourselves and started playing team basketball. And above all, it came from our defense and fast breaks.
— How difficult is it to play without the captain, given that he is now injured? And the second question: was it experience or composure when, with just a 3-point lead, you made one three-pointer and then another in the same situation?
— First of all, we wish Sergey good health. God willing, all athletes stay healthy this season. We understand that injuries are part of our profession and unfortunately unavoidable. But sincerely, from the heart, I hope he recovers quickly. Naturally, we know that in such situations we play not only for ourselves, but also for that teammate. As for composure — I’d say it’s trust and good passes from my teammates, first of all. And execution — when you receive the perfect pass. As I always say, a good pass is 90% of the shot’s success.
— The roster has changed quite a lot. How do you feel about the new team chemistry? How do you feel within this team?
— Yes, the chemistry is fantastic. We have huge potential and, above all, the trust of the coaches. Of course, we realize this is a new roster with new players, and we’re still getting used to each other — it’s just the beginning of the season. But there’s definitely a lot to aim for. We know that we’re strong both individually and as a team. And I think our biggest advantage will be how we play together. We’re working hard; many things are already coming together, some not so much, but we’re moving in the right direction.
— What was there more of today: team play or individual play?
— I’d say in the first half, it was probably more individual. Of course, when we see an advantage, we try to use it — for example, when Levi Randolph plays under the basket, using his size against smaller defenders. But in the second half, the basketball was freer: we were running, passing the way we wanted, and that’s when we really started to play. Naturally, there were many good moments in the first half too, but from my feeling, in the second half we opened up more in team interactions and made more passes.
