Sergey Karasev: "The main goal is to make the fans happy"
Zenit captain Sergey Karasev shared his thoughts before the home game against Enisey. The forward reflected on the first part of the regular season and noted how team chemistry has improved. Tickets for the match against Krasnoyarsk are still available at tickets.bc-zenit.com.
— A quarter of the regular season is over. Zenit is in second place with two losses. How would you characterize this start for yourself and the team?
— There were challenges. We have a new team with a lot of new guys. Personally, I had an injury before the season began, so I missed almost half the games. But now my health is good, and the team is getting more comfortable together, with better understanding. The last game against Krasnodar was telling, as it’s always tough to play on Loko's court. They’re showing really solid basketball this year. Even though we made mistakes, we played as a team and secured this difficult victory, which shows that as a club, as a unit, and individually we’re moving in the right direction.
— As captain, do you feel all the newcomers have integrated into the team? Is there a strong team spirit?
— Yes, the atmosphere is friendly. Naturally, there are some misunderstandings or minor issues, but that’s completely normal, as we’re a mix of different mentalities and personalities. Overall, what’s happening in practice, especially in the last two to three weeks, is really positive. We’re training hard, pushing ourselves, enjoying it, and trying to win every play.
— Tomorrow is the game with Enisey, and then the next home game won’t be until December 7th. Saint Petersburg will be without basketball for a whole month. How hard is it for you personally to play almost all games on the road during this time? And how tough will it be for the fans?
— Yes, it’ll probably be hardest for the fans because we know very well how much they love us. They come to the games, cheer for us — whether it’s a weekend, a weekday, or no matter the weather, there’s always a big crowd. When you don’t have home games for a month, it’s likely tough for them. But for us, too, it’s always more enjoyable to play at home in front of our own fans rather than away.
Right now, the main goal is to please everyone who comes to tomorrow’s game, to give it our all, achieve the result we need, and thank our fans for showing up and supporting us. After that, we just need to stay focused and try to win as many road games as possible since every game, every point matters when it comes to final standings. So we’ll go out there, enjoy the game, play, and hopefully, the fans will enjoy it, too. Then they can take a break, miss basketball a bit, and in a month, we’ll see each other on the court again.
