One regular-season game will take place on Tuesday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk Krai) vs. Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 7:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Moscow Time)
Venue: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, “Sever” Arena, KGAU RCSS
Broadcast: Kinopoisk
Enisey opened the season with a loss to “Loko.” But the Siberians didn’t go down without a fight—they held their own against their renowned opponent for a long time. Head coach Jovica Arsić noted the team’s progress. Now they need to translate that into results. But the Krasnoyarsk team has absolutely no time to find their rhythm. Over the next 12 days, they’ll have to play four games in a row. It’s a real grind. And the hosts want to kick it off with a win—against Avtodor.
Avtodor : Despite a major shake-up in the roster, Avtodor has shown solid play at the start of the season. The Volga-based team defeated Samara and only lost to Uralmash in the final moments. The visitors aren’t heading to Krasnoyarsk for a sightseeing trip—they’re there for the win. And Wendell Green’s inspired playmaking should be the key to that victory. The Saratov point guard ranks among the league’s best in both scoring (20.5 points) and efficiency (23.0).
Enisey Head Coach Jovica Arsić: “Avtodor played two good games. Despite the loss to Uralmash, they had a chance to win right up until the very end. It’s clear that they’ve already gelled as a team; every player knows his role on the court. We’re facing a difficult but surmountable challenge. I hope we’ll improve our rebounding. We had a lot of trouble against Lokomotiv, but the main thing is not to give up ground under the basket. Mistakes happen in every game, but we’ll do our best to win.”
Avtodor Head Coach Rostislav Vergun: “We’re glad we’ve finally made it to Krasnoyarsk. We have a full roster, and everyone is ready for the game. I think we have enough room to grow and the potential to improve our play and expect a positive result. Of course, each of us has gained some experience in the first two games of the season and understands that to win at this level, we all have to play at least above average.
Krasnoyarsk is a true home-court team—very coach-driven, with strong fan support. We’re in for a serious test. We need to play with discipline. I’d like to believe we’ll have enough energy for tomorrow’s game, given the logistics and the time zone change. But I believe the guys are on a good roll right now, and from game to game we need to improve, get better as a team and as individuals, gain confidence, and perform better and better.”
