Ukraine and The Czar

September 19 by Leave a Comment

For the first time in the national basketball team’s history, Ukraine is among the eight teams that advanced to the EuroBasket 2013 Quarterfinals. We’ll play Croatia, the top seed in our group of four, for a shot at the semis.  Rooted in a rich basketball tradition, Croatia is tall, long, athletic and very skilled, so we’ll have our hands full. CRO vs. UKR tips off Thursday, Sept. 19 at 11:45AM ET at Stozice Arena in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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Photos courtesy of FIBA Europe’s official EuroBasket 2013 website.

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Ukraine and The Czar

September 18 by Leave a Comment

WEB-Ukraine-Screen-Shot-Eurobasket-18SEPT2013

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Ukraine and The Czar

September 15 by Leave a Comment

David Hein wrote a nice article about Ukraine’s progress as we look ahead to hosting EuroBasket 2015.

FRATELLO GIVING UKRAINE IDENTITY by David Hein

You will have to excuse the basketball general public if they don’t know the names of Maxym Korniyenko, Sergii Gladyr and Olexandr Mishula.

Don’t worry Ukraine fans, your coach has name notoriety enough to bring interest to your national team as Mike Fratello is in the process of giving Ukraine an identity – especially looking forward to EuroBasket 2015 in their own country.

The diminutive and experienced former NBA coach and television analyst paces the sidelines at EuroBasket 2013 with a large coaching staff behind him. Fratello’s philosophies and instructions have already seen success with Ukraine reaching the Second Round of a EuroBasket for the first time and knocking on the door to the quarter-finals after beating Serbia 82-75. Read more…

Photos courtesy of FIBA Europe’s official EuroBasket 2013 website

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Ukraine and The Czar

September 14 by Leave a Comment

I talked with ESPN correspondent Mark Woods about Ukraine’s performance at EuroBasket 2013 and the likelihood of seeing a European coach at the helm of an NBA team in the near future.

NEXT? EUROPEAN HEAD COACH IN NBA by Mark Woods

Jure Makovec/AFP/Getty ImagesLJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Mike Fratello believes the time may have arrived to break down a barrier in the NBA and give a European a shot at becoming a head coach.

The former Atlanta, Memphis and Cleveland playcaller has spent the past two weeks pitting himself against some of the continent’s most accomplished tactical minds in his capacity in charge of Ukraine’s national team at EuroBasket.

Fratello, 66, prominent now during the NBA season as a broadcaster, has been traveling across the Atlantic in a basketball capacity for more than two decades, conducting clinics, sharing his knowledge and broadcasting games back to home.

But since his appointment with the Ukrainians in 2011, he’s gotten a firsthand insight into the abilities of his European counterparts. Read more…

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Ukraine and The Czar

September 11 by Leave a Comment

Ukraine played a complete game against Great Britain in Game 5 of the EuroBasket, executing on both ends of the court. We shot the ball extremely well throughout the game, and we defended well, holding Great Britain to 31 points in the first half and 37 points in the second half. Ukraine beat Great Britain 87-68 and finished with a  4-1 record in the First Round, good for second place in Group A behind France.

Now Ukraine will advance to the Second Round of the FIBA European Basketball Championship for the first time in the country’s history. The top three teams from Groups A and B will form Group E and compete against each other in three games over the course of six days. Ukraine opens up against Latvia in Round 2, followed by Serbia on Friday and Lithuania on Sunday. All three teams will be very tough opponents. I’m proud of our guys for earning the opportunity to move on, and the Ukraine Train will try to do it again in the Second Round. Latvia vs. Ukraine tips off at 2:30 PM local time (8:30 AM EST) on SportLemon.tv.

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Photos courtesy of FIBA Europe’s official EuroBasket 2013 website.

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