Andrey Martiuk: "Lokomotiv Kuban plays aggressive defensive basketball"

Zenit center Andrey Martyik shared his expectations ahead of the matchup with Lokomotiv Kuban. The game of the 9th round of the VTB United League regular season will take place tomorrow, November 9, in Krasnodar. Tip-off is at 14:00 St. Petersburg time.

— Andrey, what does it mean to you to return to Krasnodar, where you spent so much time and achieved success?

— I haven’t quite realized it yet. I’m expecting the same kind of support from the Krasnodar fans as always. I have only warm memories and emotions from them — all those years they gave me so much energy, and I tried to give it back.

— Will it be easier for you, Sasha Shcherbenev, Vlad Emchenko, and Dmitry Uzinskiy to play in Krasnodar compared to the others?

— I like playing basketball in that arena. It’s a great, fantastic venue. Of course, the crowd will be shouting against me, hoping I miss shots. But I still enjoy playing there. I like everything about it. The basketball energy in that arena is really special.

— What do you think is the main strength of your opponent?

— Honestly, I don’t know for sure. Probably Patrick Miller. I haven’t been following them closely lately. We’ve been focused on analyzing our game against UNICS, identifying areas where we can improve and grow. As for Lokomotiv Kuban, I think their strength is in aggressive defensive basketball.

— Is facing Vince Hunter an extra motivation for you?

— Vince always plays well. I’m preparing for this game as if it’s the toughest one. It’s always hard to play against Hunter. The main thing is not to get fixated on that and to do what the coaching staff asks of us.