“Already in the second half of the regular season, it was clear that the team had playoff potential.” Interview with the president of Lokomotiv-Kuban

Without exaggeration, in the United League playoffs”Lokomotiv Kuban ” caused a stir. At the same time, the team played with varying success in the regular season, finishing fifth in the end. Of course, in the playoffs, no one expected anything supernatural from of the Kuban, but already in the quarter-finals, leaving nothing to chance from Pari NN (against which they lost in all four matches of the regular season), Lokomotiv-Kuban made it clear , which will at least look worthy in the semi-finals against multiple champions CSKA There is one more surprise: a tense seven-match battle – and the “red-blue” overboard.

In the final, the “railway workers” lost to UNICS. Anyone who only knows the score (1-4) might think that Kazan won with a clear advantage. However, those who watched the final from and to will confirm that Loko could have won three of the four games lost. The battle was there all the way, on every inch of the site. So we can safely say that these are silver medals with a golden sheen.

About the results of the past season and plans for the future of Krasnodar “” spoke with the president of the Krasnodar club Andrey Vedischev.

“There was not enough luck in the final series of Loko”

– Many people think that Lokomotiv-Kuban had a great season. How do you rate its results?

— The season was difficult, but successful. Indeed, it is one of the best seasons of recent years: victory in the semi-final series, performance in the final.

In general, our game was not very stable in the first round. In the second, it changed significantly, new players appeared on the roster, and our young basketball players gained experience. Already in the second half of the season, it was clear that the team had playoff potential. And there, we looked very confident. In general, Loko had chances to win in the final, but they lacked tactical decisions and, of course, luck in the final minutes.

Besides being silver medalists in the United League, we won the VTB Youth League. Loko-2008 became the champion of Russia U16, and Loko-2007 became bronze medalist.

– The experience of the UNICS actors also influenced the result?

— UNICS acted with confidence and composure, but overall the experience did not affect the course of the matches in our series.

We can say that in four out of five matches, we had the initiative until the end. Everything was decided in the last seconds. On certain faults, most often unforced. Here, perhaps, the opponent’s experience affected, and some of our tactical decisions were less than ideal. But in general, the matches went in such a way that we had the same chances of winning as of losing. So you just have to draw conclusions and be more convincing in the decisive moments when the winner is determined.

– Will you aim to win gold medals next season?

– We have just finished the playoffs and we are now thinking about how to strengthen the team in the future. We have to finish the composition. Naturally, we are now among the finalists in the league. We always set ourselves serious goals. And this season was no exception. As you remember, the task was to be among the winners. She has finished.

Proving it’s not an accident is always harder, so next season we have a tough road ahead.

First, we will be staffed, then we will understand what specific tasks we will set. But I note that they will be high.

“Sekulic will continue to lead the team next season”

– An important element of recruitment is the head coach. Will Alexander Sekulich leave Loko in the offseason?

— Sekulich will continue to work with Loko. He has a valid contract with the club. And the technical staff remains complete. Maybe we will step up even more, add some specialists to the main team staff. As we discuss these issues.

– At the same time, general manager Ivan Novcic left the club. What caused it?

– With the fact that I represented the work of the general manager from a slightly different point of view. Thanks Ivan. He has done a lot for us, he has been on all Lokomotiv trips alongside the team, with the exception of the last trip to Kazan. He failed to fully meet our demands, so we felt the club would be more effective without a chief executive, his duties would be transferred to a sporting director, and the post would be axed.

– The other day you announced the signing of new contracts with striker Andrey Martyuk and defender Jaylen Burford. Are the agreements valid for another year?

– No. We re-signed Martyuk for five years. A new deal with Barford has been signed under the 2+1 scheme.

“Were you afraid that young players would be taken away by competitors? There are no fears, but you should always be prepared for such moments.

— Will defenders Vladislav Yemchenko and Alexander Shcherbenev, who showed their worth in the playoffs, also continue to play for Loko?

– The guys are students of our club. They have different terms of agreements, but in the coming season we will definitely have them.

– Was there a sense of anxiety that your talented young players might be taken away by competitors?

Well, in professional sports there are always such moments. There are always conditions, there are agents who influence certain decisions, there are opinions of the players themselves, there is work and relationships with the coaches who take care of them. As such, there were no worries. Nevertheless, you should always be prepared for such moments.

– Do the young players of your club have agents?

– Yes of course. They all work with agents from the age of 18-19, it’s part of professional sport. I don’t always like influence, but it’s a sports business and there’s nothing special about it.

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, the thematic television channels of the holding, as well as the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru broadcast the last season of the VTB United League live.