Sergey Kushchenko: "The organization of the Kondrashin and Belov Cup, as always, is top-notch"

President of the VTB United League Sergey Kushchenko attended the finals of the Kondrashin and Belov Cup in St. Petersburg and commented on the traditional preseason tournament.

— The Kondrashin and Belov Cup is a very significant chapter in the competition between VTB United League teams. The organization, as always, is top-notch. I come to the Cup almost every year because it is close to the start of the season, and you can start seeing the tactical approach of the teams, how the new players are fitting into the squads, and so on. From this perspective, almost all four participating teams are showcasing new ideas. In my opinion, they've all made serious improvements in terms of offense, defense, strategy, and players.

Zenit has many star players with vast experience in Europe, the NBA, and other leagues. While there's not as much communication yet, someone like Poythress, who has returned to St. Petersburg, not only energizes the fans but has also improved his game in other championships.

MBA has stuck to its strategy of fielding only Russian players, and they’re looking good too. Pari NN seems to have left behind their disappointing season, as you can clearly see the work of the coaching staff. I was curious to see how the new coach would build communication with the players. The transition from Zoran Lukic to Sergey Kozin has been smooth. It seems like this approach is already working, which was evident after the semifinals and the third-place match. UNICS' offense dropped a bit in the fourth quarter due to the absence of Akoon-Purcell. Still, Perasovic's style is very noticeable. I would add that they've signed quick players for the guard positions. Most teams are executing very fast transitions on offense. If it's a fast break, it takes half a second; even in half-court sets, the point guards are quick to initiate plays — like Moon, Taylor, and Shepherd. This speed in transition is quite noticeable, likely due to the training loads.

However, it's important to note that the most critical aspect of team roster-building will be the four-round system, where 12 players may not be enough. Even now, during the pre-season, there are injuries. So, it's a very interesting tournament in terms of preparation for the upcoming Super Cup and the start of the season.

— UNICS scored 50 points. Isn’t that symbolic, given that this was the same score the USA national team had in the final game against our team in 1972? Ivan Yedeshko even said that Zenit would win. Is there something to that?

— I noticed the third quarter, where there was a scoring drought. Both teams were playing tough defense and couldn’t score. The players expended their energy on defense, leaving little for offense. It’s that simple. Only after a rotation during a timeout did they finally score their first points after three minutes. Everyone was happy to see the score start to move. Of course, if we compare it to the 1972 Olympics and today’s final, 50 points is still too low for 40 minutes, especially with such athletes. But the tournament is designed to allow coaches to test the entire roster. Almost all the players got time on the court.