President of the VTB United League Sergei Kushchenko told that the change in format of the Super Cup led to an increase in the quality of basketball shown by the tournament participants.
Eight teams took part in the tournament which ended on Sunday in Moscow: the first six from the regular season of the VTB League last season (CSKA and MBA from Moscow, UNICS from Kazan, Zenit from Saint Petersburg, Paris Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar Lokomotiv-Kuban) and Turkish Fenerbahce with Besiktas as guest clubs. The competition was held according to the Olympic system: the loser immediately loses his chance to win and will fight for 5th-8th or 3rd-4th places, depending on the stage at which he was defeated.
On Sunday, in the Super Cup final, Zenit defeated Lokomotiv-Kuban with a score of 85:83. Turkey’s Fenerbahce came third; in the fight for bronze, the team of Dimitris Itoudis surpassed Paris Nizhny Novgorod – 82:80.
— The tournament was a success, in my opinion. Very interesting matches, the teams before the season showed not preseason, but competitive basketball. The level of the Super Cup forced them to give everything, to fight with more ardor than in ordinary friendly matches. Lots of emotions, lots of energy. The downside, unfortunately, is injuries to (Army players Anton) Astapkovich, (Livio) Jean-Charles and several other players. But as unpleasant as these moments can be, they’re also an indicator of the Super Bowl’s elevated status.
This year we changed the format, they say it’s a success. We are now talking with the clubs to find out if the tournament will be long. Three matches in four days for each team. “Nizhny Novgorod”, for example, played on Saturday at two o’clock in the afternoon, and on Sunday at 5 p.m. it was already about fighting for third place. But watch out for the resistance Nizhny Novgorod showed against Fenerbahce. Tired, but I didn’t give up.
— Maybe we should add an off day to the Super Bowl schedule?
— We are forced to adapt to the participating teams. We listened to their requests and took their schedules into account. Zenit and CSKA have just played other serious tournaments, Besiktas and Fenerbahce have changed their schedule in order to participate in our Super Cup. Each team pursues certain goals in preparation, we do not want to interfere with this.
— In the future, the VTB United League Super Cup will be held only in Moscow?
— Moscow is more convenient for everyone from a logistical point of view. Also note Moskomsport, with which the United League is in single communication. In addition, each basketball region organizes its own pre-season tournaments: in Nizhny – the Khairetdinov Cup, in Samara – the Primatov Cup, in St. Petersburg – Kondrashin and Belov.
The VTB United League is also ready to help by inviting foreign competitors to these regional competitions. Now, thanks to the Super Cup, the MBA team played for the first time in its history with an opponent of Euroleague level – Fenerbahce. Nizhny also had a unique opportunity to show his best side. Look at the names the guys competed against: (Jonathan) Motley, (Marko) Guduric, (Nick) Calathes. In what other circumstances is this possible? – Kushchenko told .
The VTB United League season will begin on September 30. Watch live broadcasts of matches on TV channels of the Match holding company, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
My name is Adam Jackson and I am an author. I have been writing about Basketball games for over a decade now and am excited to share my knowledge with you all. Additionally, I am also interested in other sports and enjoy discussing them with others. Contact me if you want to discuss any Basketball-related topics!
