CEO “Yenisei” Vladimir Petrokovsky, commenting on the signing of a contract between former Krasnoyarsk defender Xavier Rathen-Mays and Madrid “Real” told that it was very difficult for him to lose such a player, but he was happy to see a serious take-off in the Canadian’s career.
On Friday, it became known that Rathen-Mays had transferred to Real Madrid. The defender played for Enisey in the last season of the VTB United League and became the most productive player of the tournament. He holds the record for points scored (991), and the basketball player also became the best sniper in the league.
— “Yenisei” helped reveal Xavier Rathen-Mays’ talent. Now he is leaving for one of the best clubs in Europe, Real Madrid. You probably have mixed feelings about this? How happy are you for the player and how much of a loss is it for Enisey?
“It’s always hard to lose the most productive player in the league, a basketball player who made noise. You can only be happy about his career. The fact that Rathen-Mays immediately joined the Euroleague team was a surprise to me. I’m always happy when people achieve great things. All that’s left is to wish him good luck in his career so that he can be the same star as us in the United League championship.”
— The fact that Rathen-Mays has joined Real indicates that, despite the exclusion of our teams from the European Cup tournaments, Europe is keeping a very close eye on the VTB United League. Right?
— Everyone knows the level of the United League well and understands that in two seasons it cannot in any way decrease or change radically. Moreover, on the contrary, the competition in the league has only increased. Everyone understands the level of the players here. So everyone looks at each other, everyone looks at each other carefully.
— Will it be difficult for Yenisei without its star?
– We are following our own path. I am more concerned about the development of Russian players, whom we are trying to give a chance to. So, thanks to the coach’s trust and the time they spend on the field, they continue this development. Let’s see how Zakhar Vedishchev, who came to us, will develop. And other guys, of course. The same Vladislav Odinokov did not get much playing time in Kazan. These are the questions that concern me the most.
And the legionnaires, of course, come for a short period. It is with their help that we solve the selection problems. Every year the selection develops differently: in some places it is possible to fill the problematic positions with Russian players, and the positions that cannot be filled are filled with foreign players. I repeat, I am more concerned about the fate and career of Russian basketball players.
As for Rathen-Mays, I was just happy that there was such a take-off in the player’s career. Not so long ago, he played in the Romanian championship, which is in no way comparable to the VTB United League. So at some point we took a small risk and the player took advantage of this opportunity,” Petrokovsky told .
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Source : MatchTV
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