The head coach MBA-MAY Vasily Karasev told that it is still difficult for the team to fight for medals and the task of Muscovites in the new season is to try to win every match and develop their players.
On Wednesday, the Moscow club announced the signing of a new contract with Karasev.
— What goal do you want to achieve in the new season?
— We have one goal: player development. It is clear that the season will not be easy. There have been some problems, minor difficulties. Some players have left, but there will be young players. In general, the goals remain fundamentally the same: we are working.
— In June, team leader Andrei Lopatin left MBA, but the VTB United League champion in the 2021/22 season, Andrei Zubkov, came to Zenit. Is this a good replacement?
— It is clear that we cannot rely only on young players who have not yet passed through the VTB United League. Of course, it is a pity that Lopatin left, but he is moving forward. So it is good that the players who played for us are in high demand. Of course, we need experienced players from whom young people can learn. Using, among others, the example of Andrei Zubkov. I think he can become our leader.
— What positions still need to be strengthened?
— It is difficult to talk today about what needs to be strengthened. It is clear that we do not have such a large selection of Russian players (MBA-MAI is the only club in the tournament whose roster consists exclusively of Russian basketball players – notes). In fact, the acquisition is probably ready for now. We will rely on the players who exist. We have experienced players. People like Voronov, Zubkov, Truchkin… So it is difficult to talk about medals. But this is probably the problem of our basketball: there are not many Russian players who spend time (on the court). All the best ones leave and join big clubs.
— You say that we can’t talk about medals now. But still, what result would you like to achieve with MBA-MAI in the new season? Maybe the top 6?
— I repeat, our goal is to develop players. Of course, it is clear to us that both the basketball players and the coach have the task of trying to win every game. It is clear that the championship will be very difficult. We played very well in our first season and reached our rhythm. But in the second season, they also performed quite well. Now, of course, many people have left. I think we still took a small step back. But we will develop the next players. Nevertheless, the task of winning every game and showing a decent performance is present in all options, Karasev told .
Karasev will lead the IBA in 2022. Under the guidance of a specialist, in its first season in the VTB United League, the team reached the playoffs of the tournament and played in the play-ins last season. Since June of this year, the club’s men’s team has been called MBA-MAI.
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Source : MatchTV
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