Vladislav Emchenko: "We’re on the right path"

Zenit’s guard Vladislav Emchenko gave an in-depth interview after the home game against Enisey (105:81). Everything you need to know about the home win, as well as a small off-topic discussion about tennis, is in the conversation on Zenit TV.

— Vladislav, congratulations on your fourth consecutive win. Despite the large scoreline, can this victory be called an easy one?

— Not at all. In my opinion, an easy win is when the opponent simply doesn’t show up and the score is 20:0 (a technical forfeit — Zenit note). That’s will be an easy win. In any case, we prepared for this game; it was a special one. First of all, it was at home. All home games are special. It’s great that the fans come and support us. Plus, we lost the previous away game against them. Yes, we had a different roster back then, but that doesn’t matter — there was still a score to settle. So it was especially important to win today. This is our fourth straight win, and we still have three games left before the Christmas break. We’re already thinking about the next one, which is in a couple of days. Congratulations to everyone on the win. Again, we prepared well and did a great job. There were some mistakes and some misunderstandings. We strive for the perfect game, but it doesn’t always work out. I’m glad there’s always room to grow — something to work on and improve.

— In the first quarter, both teams played at a very fast pace, scoring 61 points combined. A fan might say there was no defense. How would you comment on that?

— I agree one hundred percent. The coaching staff emphasized that from the very first seconds we had to come out and play tight defense — not let them move the ball easily and force them into tough shots. But the first quarter, if I remember correctly, ended 30–31, something like that. Offensively we had no problems, but defensively I think we shouldn’t allow the opponent to score so many easy baskets and open three-pointers, giving them confidence. In the second quarter we put much more emphasis on defense, got some steals, didn’t let them score, and by halftime, if I remember correctly, we already had a 15-point lead. In the second half we came out and finished the job.

— It seems the morning meeting with the coaching staff found the right words, because in the second quarter Enisey scored only 12 points instead of 30.

— Yes, there were a couple of not-so-polite words said in Slovenian and in a Russian-English mix that fired us up. And overall, our defense turned things around a bit.

— In your message to the fans yesterday, you noted that it’s not enough just to win — you also need to play quality basketball. Did Zenit manage to do that today?

— I believe we did. I like the fact that from game to game… First of all, I’m happy that for several games now we’ve been playing, let’s say, with a full roster, and you can already see the picture and the idea of the coaching staff that was envisioned from the start. From game to game we’re getting better and better. I think this is our plan, we’re sticking to it, we’re on the right path, and things will only get better.

— The 100th point in today’s game was scored by Sergey Karasev. Are you expecting a treat from the captain?

— I think Sergey will organize something. But it’s not that important — we’ve already gone out for a team dinner. We have a sort of burger list: guys whose birthdays have passed or who’ve had some achievements. Pasha scored 12 points, then someone had a birthday, someone was late — there’s already a long queue. But we shouldn’t rush, otherwise our bellies will grow from all the burgers. So everything in moderation, and Sergey will be at the end of the line.

— Next up is a game against Lokomotiv Kuban, and this time it will be on our home court. Will we give the "railroaders" a warm welcome?

— No, probably not a warm one. On the contrary, we also lost the previous game against them. Again, we were in a slightly different lineup, and Lokomotiv were too. Now it’s a completely different game. Today we can enjoy this win, and starting tomorrow we’ll begin preparing for the next match. I think games between top-four teams are always interesting and exciting. I hope the stands will continue to support us, that even more fans will come, and that the win will be ours.

— Recently, while in St. Petersburg, you attended a professional tennis event held at the CSC Arena. Did you manage to watch Alexander Bublik play? He attended his first Zenit game today.

— Yes, I went. To be honest, I even regretted not coming earlier, because I thought the tournament would be more for show, that the players wouldn’t really push themselves. But when I arrived near the end of a singles match, I saw that the guys were really battling it out. Then I caught Alexander Bublik playing — I don’t remember the other names… Medvedev, then a Dutch player, and Karen Khachanov. I really liked it. And today I heard the announcer say that Alexander Bublik was at the game. It’s always nice when stars come and show their support. I hope he enjoyed it and had a good time watching the basketball.

— Are you personally into tennis? As far as we know, padel tennis is also gaining popularity now.

— I actually played tennis when I was about 10 or 11. So I know how to play, let’s put it that way. I don’t think I’d stand a chance one-on-one against Bublik. I’m very good at table tennis — I’ve beaten our doctor Maxim and Gena (the team administrator — Zenit note). My grandparents on my mother’s side taught me, so at one point I was even aiming for the Olympics. But basketball turned out to be closer to my heart.