Zenit will host Lokomotiv Kuban in the Game of the Week on Sunday.
Place: Russia, St. Petersburg, CSC Arena
Time: October 6, 2024, 16:00 (Moscow time)
Broadcast: Match TV, League website
Rivalry
Zenit and Loko will play for the first time since last season’s Series for 3rd place. The St. Petersburg team won the series 3-1, leaving Lokomotiv out of contention for the top spot. Such outcome forced Loko to focus on a long-term development strategy.
The teams have faced a total of 36 times and are currently tied in wins – 18:18. Last year’s regular season series also ended with a tie – 2:2. Lokomotiv Kuban won twice in the first stage, but then lost in February and April.
Coaches
For both teams, the coaching issue became a crucial one in the offseason. Andrey Vedischev was unhappy with development of Russian players and took over as head coach after parting ways with Aleksandar Sekulic.
The two-time Russian bronze medalist as a player had to comment several times on his appointment:
– I don’t see a coach who can combine the 2 main tasks: to win and implement a strategy to prepare and build a team around Russian players. And the first thing to do is to keep the balance between our players and internationals.
– The club has a development strategy for the next 5 years, we have to find a way to form a team around talented Russian players, who are prepared by our Academy.
– One of the main tasks is to prepare new names for Russian basketball, coaches capable of working at the key roles.
Vedischev got first win in the 5th-place game of the VTB United League SuperCup and called the coaching job electric chair.
For Zenit, the situation was the opposite. The club managed by the end of June to extend Xavier Pascual, who will spend the 6th season at the head of the team. The name of the head coach was associated with a number of other options to continue his career. Retaining the specialist was one of Zenit’s main successes in the off-season, which also helped the team’s reputation in the transfer market.
The coach was also asked about his path into the profession after the recent crucial win over UNICS:
– There is no single right way to become a good coach. Everyone comes to coaching in their own way, whether it’s through a player’s career or through working with other coaches. I knew from an early age that I wanted to coach.
Season start
Both teams have successfully started the new VTB League season without a loss (4-0) and are in 2nd and 3rd place in the standings. The rivals are leading the League in points. Loko leads with average 98.8 points, Zenit has 98.3.
The teams are also among the leaders in assists and field-goal shots made.
Rosters
The four internationals who joined Zenit in the offseason are currently the team’s leading scorers. Dwayne Bacon ranks first in efficiency. He already has a total of 82 points. Omari Spellman (69) is fourth. Trent Frazier continues to get in shape. The guard has made only 2 three-point shots out of 19.
Loko is led by Karvel Anderson, who moved to the team from Astana last season and is making 53% (16 of 30) of his long-range shots. Patrick Miller is spending his second season with the Krasnodar team and is second in the League in total assists (21).
Newcomers B.J. Johnson and Antonius Cleveland have also taken on important roles.
Lokomotiv Kuban 5 Russian players get an average of more than 15 minutes of playing time.
Leaders
Dwayne Bacon
Bacon made it to the VTB League Team of the Week with 22.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists last time. The guard leads the League in scoring and is making 50% of three-point shots.
Antonius Cleveland
The guard who moved to Krasnodar from Maccabi Tel Aviv has fit in well with the team at the start of the season. He is averaging 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals.
Cleveland makes long-range shots (60%) and two-pointers (79%). The guard was also named to last Team of the Week.
Old-new friends
The 24-year-old guard Aleksandr Scherbenev moved to Zenit from Loko this summer. He is still getting limited playing time and opportunities in St. Petersburg.
Andrey Vedischev assistant Artem Komogortsev worked 2 years in Zenit system. The coach won VTB United Youth League this year and was offered to return to the Krasnodar team where he worked previously.
Numbers
– Lokomotiv Kuban set team all-time high 127 points versus Astana.
– The 4-game winning streak at the start of the season became the best in Loko history
– Zenit got the biggest winning differential of the season in the last game versus PARMA (100:56). The previous record was set by the Krasnodar team (43).
