Ukraine placed second in the AeroSvit Cup 2012. We beat Belarus 69-61 in Round 2 of the international tournament. It was a close competition throughout. Ukraine was down by two at halftime, but our bench did an excellent job to help our team to a victory.
Ukraine lost a tough game to to Israel in the finals, 74-68. Ukraine led 43-41 at the half. But Israel made big plays down the stretch and came out with the hard-fought win.
Photos courtesy of Anatolii Riabukha.
Ukraine beat Romania last night in our first exhibition game, 83-58. We got a chance to put in all 15 players who had dressed, which was great. Tonight we will face Belarus, and Israel will meet Romania. Hoping to get one or two of our injured players back for tonight’s competition.
Photo courtesy of Anatolii Riabukha.
We have concluded our first week of training camp in Yuzhny. Last year we came to the camp with 16-17 players. But this year we have 23 guys who were competing for 15 spots on the Ukraine National Team.
Since there are a lot of new faces we haven’t seen before, we’ve done much more playing than teaching during our practices because we need to get a feel for these guys and see what they can do. We will have to make some cuts because we can’t get as much accomplished in training camp with such a large group.
Our first friendly tournament will get underway this week. We face Romania on Tuesday, followed by Belarus on Wednesday and Israel on Thursday in the AeroSvit Cup 2012. Unfortunately five of our players will be out at the start of the tournament, including three starters.
Hopefully we will be competitive, but I’m not as concerned about winning as I am about determining who are in fact the best players to keep on the roster for the qualifying tournament in August. It will be good to compete against some new opponents in these exhibition games.
Photos courtesy of Anatolii Riabukha.
I have returned to Kiev this summer to coach the Ukraine National Team in the qualification tournament for the 2013 FIBA European Basketball Championship, which will be held in Slovenia next year. The only other returning staff member from the States is veteran strength and conditioning coach Rich Dalatri, who was the first such specialist to work in the NBA when the Nets hired him back in 1987.
Former NBA coach Bob Hill, who has been coaching in China for the past couple years, will join our staff along with Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Joe Wolf, D-League Erie BayHawks head coach Jay Larranaga, and Boston Celtics scout Jack Nolan. Former Spurs videographer Zach Guthrie will also come on board before heading to the New Orleans Hornets in the upcoming season. And Ukrainian team coordinator Andrey Khomenko will be back in action to handle logistics.
I look forward to working with the promising, young Ukrainian players again. It would be a great honor to qualify for EuroBasket 2013, which in turn gives us a chance to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio. Though it will be a tremendous challenge to qualify for the Olympics, this is what we’re setting out to do. This summer’s qualifying tournament is where our mission begins.
Our staff gathered in Kiev last weekend and then flew to our training site in Yuzhny, a port city on the Black Sea located about 45 minutes from the beautiful seaside resort city Odessa. Though Yuzhne is somewhat isolated, we have access to a great practice facility.
Photos courtesy of Jack Nolan.
When 19-year-old Anthony Davis is called to the stage by David Stern tonight as the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the combined expectations of a team, a league and the global hoops universe will suddenly be heaped upon him. You’d have to go back to the top selection of LeBron James in 2003 to find as much excitement and hype surrounding the #1 pick.
No one doubts that Davis’ upside is unlimited, that he is the type of player a franchise can build around or that his skill set and total package are so rare as to be seen once a decade. After all, this one-year Wildcat won National Player of The Year, Defensive Player of The Year and Freshman of The Year – a trifecta never before achieved. Davis, who led Kentucky to the 2012 National Championship, has no peers in this year’s draft.
The first overall selection in the draft is always remembered, whether as a Hall of Famer, NBA Champion, trivia answer, icon or bust. To be chosen #1 means that you are expected at a minimum to be a multi-year All-Star and to contribute right away to the down-on-its-luck team that was fortunate enough to win the draft lottery.
Some #1 picks did just that: Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, LeBron and Blake Griffin. Other #1 picks had the misfortune of A) being widely overrated by professional GM’s or B) being the best amateur player in a horrible top-to-bottom draft class or C) suffering early career-changing injuries as did Pervis Ellison, Joe Smith, Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown and Greg Oden.
Tonight’s draft has been described as average to slightly above-average by experts and executives. Davis is considered the only sure thing in this class. He has been compared to Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and a longer, more polished Scottie Pippen. Davis’ wicked defense is already an A+. His size and athleticism will allow him to play virtually anywhere on the court. Davis has great hands, instincts and a 7’5” wingspan. He gobbles up boards. He possesses a relentless motor matched with a genius basketball IQ. And Davis is a proven winner with an unselfish, team-oriented outlook.
Will the pride of the South Side of Chicago average 20 and 10 with 3+ blocks next season for the New Orleans Hornets and get them back into the playoffs? The folks down in the battered Big Easy hope so. Nothing is certain in sports and in one minute everyone’s darling can turn into the prognosticators’ verbal punching bag. That’s what makes the analysis on draft night so varied and exciting. I expect Anthony Davis to be a top-10 NBA talent for years to come.
