UNICS forward Belenitsky explained why he refused to go to play in the United States

Before UNICS Mikhail Belenitsky said in an interview with that several years ago he received offers from American schools, but chose “Nizhny Novgorod” .

Belenitsky played for the Nizhny Novgorod team from 2019 to 2024. Last season, the player became a silver medalist of the VTB United League as part of UNICS.

— Five years ago, you could have gone not to Nizhny, but to one of the American schools. Why did you ultimately choose Zoran Lukic’s team?

– Yes, it happened. I thought about continuing my career in the USA. Then I played for MBA in Youth League, but somehow there were no special offers. So I thought I would contact schools… Usually we made cuts of games, sent them to schools, and several of them contacted me, even said they wanted to accept me with an almost full scholarship.

And then MBA and I went to the final of the Junior Youth League. I played well and received an individual award. I return to Moscow – and closer to night, a call from the agent: “Tomorrow there will be a screening in Nizhny Novgorod, the train is at 6 in the morning, sit down and go.” Well, I went.

— There was no doubt?

– Well, I thought that I would go now to see if the coach liked my game. Then I could not even think that I would get into a team of such a serious level. I went there in a completely calm state and also worked without nerves.

Well, that’s it, the coach liked me: Lukich said he wanted to see me in his team next season. I talked with my parents and realized that there was no point in going to America if there was an opportunity to play here at a higher level and gain experience playing with such experienced basketball players as, for example, Zhenya Baburin. Then I no longer doubted my choice, ”Belenitsky told .

More sports news in our telegram channel .