Roman Knyazev: "At this stage, the youth team is still taking shape"
— Coach, the preseason training camp is in full swing. How is the preparation going? What are you focusing on at this stage?
— At this stage, as always, the team is still taking shape. We have lost a lot of players born in 2006 — a very strong group. We have added some players from the Children's Youth Basketball League, while some of the players born in 2007 and 2008 who were with us last year have stayed. Now we need to bring everyone to the same level, so that they all understand what is expected of them and what they need to do. Obviously, most of them already know the basic tasks. Right now, we are putting a lot of emphasis and work into the players who have just joined us.
— We have two first competitions ahead of us — the Spartakiad, where the team will represent Saint Petersburg, and the qualifying stage of the Russian Cup. What can this kind of experience give young basketball players?
— It’s a very good opportunity because, for the most part, we will be playing against senior men’s teams. There will be three VTB League teams at the Spartakiad. I hope we will manage to face at least two of them. Then there’s the Russian Cup, which will also feature some strong teams from the Higher League. I’m sure this will be a great experience for the guys, a chance to test themselves, as well as motivation to keep working and developing.
— We have to ask about this: two Zenit U21 players, Anton Suikonen and Mikhail Presnyakov, are currently training with the first Blue-White-Sky Blues team. How are they handling this stage?
— I can say that they are thrilled, because you don’t get an opportunity like this every day — to train with professionals. Just being around Vorontsevich, I think, is worth a lot. Listening to his advice or making an extra pass to him is very valuable for a young player. Of course, they can also see how professional players prepare and how seriously they approach their work, take that experience on board and incorporate some additional aspects into their own routines. And considering that they have already been there for the second week, it means they must be doing a good job. I’m very happy for them, and I hope this experience will benefit them as well and that they will come back much stronger and more experienced.
— Tell us about your experience completing the second stage of the FIBA Europe coaching certification programme.
— I’m very happy that I was able to take part and continue this education. I can say that it was also very intensive. There were some very strong speakers, and it was interesting to talk to them, listen to them, see their approach and learn more about their systems in greater depth. I hope I’ll be able to complete the programme next year.
