Alexander Shcherbenev: "MBA-MAI try to play fast, team-oriented basketball"

Zenit’s guard Alexander Shcherbenev shared his expectations for the upcoming match against MBA-MAI, which will take place tomorrow as part of the 14th round of the VTB United League regular season. The player highlighted the strongest aspects of the opponent and discussed the team's preparation for the game in Moscow.

— What were you able to accomplish after returning from Saratov?

— We recovered a bit after the flight and worked on our mistakes. Then we started preparing for MBA, analyzed their game, broke down their defense, identified their strengths and weaknesses, and figured out what we need to focus on. We’ve prepared thoroughly and are heading to Moscow ready for battle.

— In your opinion, what is the strongest side of MBA-MAI?

— Actually, they use a lot of flare and hand-off players. They try to play fast, team-oriented basketball to gain an advantage. So, we will focus on limiting them and playing quite aggressively.

— Vasily Karasev coached Zenit for a long time. Surely, this match is special for him, especially with Sergey Karasev, the son of MBA-MAI’s head coach, on your team. Does this add any extra intrigue?

— I think it does, but it's not the first time. This is already the third year that Vasily Karasev has been leading the Moscow team and facing Zenit. They’re already experienced in these kinds of matchups. I’m sure this will add to the spectacle of the game in a positive way, both for us and for them.