Alexander Porotnikov: "The team result matters more to me"

Zenit Basketball Academy player Alexander Porotnikov shared his first impressions of receiving the November MVP award in the VTB United Youth League and talked about what helped him achieve such results last month.

— What were your first emotions when you found out you were named MVP of the month?

— The first emotions were quite funny. After training, I saw messages from the manager of the Zenit Basketball Academy and my good friend Daria Tkachuk. At first, I didn’t understand what she was congratulating me for, but then I saw the post about the November MVP and, of course, realized everything.

— In November, you participated in six winning games with Zenit U21, and in four of them, you were the top scorer of the team. What helped you achieve such results?

— This result was undoubtedly achieved thanks to team play and the coaches’ guidance. We are the most assisting team in the League, and in such circumstances, it’s quite comfortable to score points and find opportunities for teammates.

— In the second game against CSKA-Junior, you scored 20 points, gave 12 assists, made 2 rebounds, and didn’t commit a single turnover. Can this match be considered one of the best in your career so far?

— I think it can be placed in the top 10, but there have been games at much more important stages than the regular season. I would consider it the best game of my career in terms of assists-to-turnovers ratio. I really like to track this statistic in advanced metrics, and it’s very important to me.

— What are your expectations for the December games?

— We have matches against quite strong opponents who can cause problems. I hope we approach each of them in optimal form, give our maximum effort, and finish the last month of the year without any losses.

— What personal goals have you set for the rest of the season?

— The team result matters more to me. I would like to finish the season in first place and win the championship. But if we talk about personal goals, ideally, I want to at least repeat last year’s success and make the symbolic All-League Five for the rest of the championship, and at most — win the regular season MVP. Nevertheless, my main personal goal is to become better every day than I was yesterday.

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Zenit U21 will play next games in Saint Petersburg. Matches against the MINSK-M will take place on December 8 at 13:00 and December 9 at 14:00 at the Basketball Academy court (Severnaya Road, 12). Admission for fans is free!