"A Day in history": Zenit's first official match
On October 6, 2014, the first official match in the history of the Zenit Basketball Club took place. It was also our first home game, first victory and debut in the VTB United League. In a tough battle, the blue-whites defeated the Czech team Nymburk in overtime, with a score of 95:91. This iconic game laid the foundation for future victories and eight years after this debut the team from St. Petersburg would go on to win the tournament.
The match’s importance obliged Vasily Karasev’s team to show their best on the court, and they were ready to do it. That evening, more than five thousand fans gathered at the SIBUR Arena, who saw a colorful pre-match show and a presentation of the new team. Among the distinguished guests in the stands were former honorary president of the Triumph Basketball Club, singer Lev Leshchenko, St. Petersburg artist Nikolay Kopeykin, singer Tatiana Bulanova with her husband, Zenit Football Club coach Vladislav Radimov, theater and film actor Andrey Urgant, and Petersburg basketball alumna Ilona Korstin, who was then deputy general director of the League.
The first player who scored points in this historic match was Zenit’s captain, Artem Kuzyakin. A graduate of the St. Petersburg basketball school, he had started his career with Spartak and after many years returned to his hometown on the Neva. After the game, the forward noted that it had been a challenging match and the pressure was palpable:
Perhaps the season opener and Zenit’s first game was meant to be so spectacular for the fans. Here, I feel something special. I sense the support of my friends, acquaintances and basketball lovers. It is no small merit of the audience that we won.
Having won the first half, the blue-whites allowed their opponents back into the game, after which the Czechs gradually started pulling ahead. With 26 seconds left in the final quarter, Zenit was trailing by 4 points. After a rebound, Petersburg guard Walter Hodge made an impressive three-pointer that restored hope for a positive outcome. In the last attack, Kyle Landry grabbed an offensive rebound and, with a final-second shot, tied the score, earning two points and a foul. Had he made the free throw, the game could have been decided right there. But instead, we were in for another five minutes of thrilling basketball.
In overtime, the Petersburg team clawed their way to victory. Fans witnessed a high-octane game during the extra period, where the home team excelled. A crucial steal by Hodge with 1,07 second left on the clock, followed by two precise free throws by Cameron Jones, sealed the victory. The scoreboard read 95:91 — a score Petersburg fans would long remember.
The highest-scoring player for Zenit was center Dejan Borovnjak, who notched 23 points and 10 rebounds. Walter Hodge, while not the top scorer, achieved an impressive stat line with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals.
At the post-game press conference, Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev emphasized that, with such an incredible level of fan support the team simply could not afford to lose:
From the start of the game, there was a certain level of anxiety among the players and the coaching staff. We knew St. Petersburg was a basketball city, but we didn’t expect so many fans to come out and support us. The guys were a bit overwhelmed. After the halftime break, they got accustomed to the atmosphere and showed everything they were capable of. We could have won, we could have lost, but our main goal was to make a positive impression on the fans. The name Zenit is legendary for St. Petersburg. Whether fans will continue to attend our games in such numbers will depend solely on us.
That night everything was just beginning. There were big victories and heavy defeats ahead, which to this day make Zenit only stronger.
