The VTB United League tips off on Thursday. Before the games begin, we take a look at what went down over the summer, assessing each club’s chances in the upcoming campaign.
First up: The Underdogs. Ignore them at your peril.
VEF Latvia
Last Season
Quarterfinals (11-13 in the regular season)
Acquisitions
Artis Ate, Alex Perez, Klavs Cavars, Atwan Scott, Kristaps Janicenoks, Andris Misters
Offseason
Last season’s top performing non-Russian club said goodbye to the Big Three of Kristopher Richard, Janis Blums and Martins Meiers in the offseason. VEF doesn’t have a big budget, relying on smart signings and developing local talent in Latvia, clearly an effective strategy based on EuroBasket 2017. But Riga has yet to find adequate replacements for its departed leaders. An up-and-down preseason and loss to Ogre in the first Latvian league game indicate that VEF has a lot of work to do if it wants to repeat last season’s postseason appearance.
Leader
Mareks Mejeris returned to VEF during the 2016-17 season, playing a big role in the team’s run to the playoffs and Latvian title. This season, expect the 26-year-old sharp-shooting big man to play an even bigger part on the court. Mejeris was the lone bright spot against Ogre, putting up 18 points, 10 rebounds on 7-9 shooting.
Stat
32 – with the departure of Arturs Stalbergs, Riga boss Janis Gailitis takes over as the youngest head coach in the League.
Starters
Alex Perez, Kristaps Janicenoks, Arnas Labuckas, Mareks Mejeris, Ilya Gromovs
Quote
VEF head coach Janis Gailitis:
– We’ve got a tough task battling for a second consecutive League playoff berth. We’ll try to reach our goal. Last season was reasonably successful for us We won the Latvian league and made the VTB United League playoffs for the second time in club history. As a result, we weren’t able to keep our leaders. Most of them–Janis Blums, Martins Meiers, Abdul Gaddy, for example–earned solid contracts at big clubs. We bring back four players from last season’s team: Mareks Mejeris, Arnolds Helmanis, Ilya Gromovs and Arnas Labuckas. We’re building a roster with the players we can afford, to go with Latvian talent. Overall, we continue to analyze the basketball market. Our newcomers–Mexican Alex Perez and American Antwan Scott–haven’t played at the level of the VTB United League before. Kristaps Janicenoks is a very important addition. He’s a veteran and should help our younger players develop.
Kalev Estonia
Last Season
11th place (5-19 in the regular season)
Acquisitions
Tomas Van der Mars, Janari Joesaar, Bojan Subotic, Kristjan Kangur, Martynas Mazheika
Offseason
An old friend is better than two new ones. Kalev avoided major turnover this summer, limiting the damage of Vitali Liutych’s move to Krasnoyarsk. To compensate, Kalev brought in the experienced Bojan Subotic as well as Estonian legend Kristjans Kangur, who’s spent most of his career in Italy. Alar Varrak is banking on speed and high-octane offense to improve on last season’s record, not to mention a cohesive squad and respectable depth.
Leader
Newcomer Bojan Subotic made a name for himself over the past six seasons playing for Crvena Zvezda and Buducnost in the Adriatic League. In addition to his ability to knock down the 3-pointer, a crucial element of Alar Varrak’s system, the Montenegrin is also competent in the paint and does a decent job on the glass.
Stat
0 – number of times Kalev has made the League playoffs, despite being a founding member. Can they overcome the curse this season?
Starters
Branko Mirkovic, Erik Keedus, Kristjans Kangur, Bojan Subotic, Cedric Simmons
Quote
Kalev head coach Alar Varrak:
– Our primary goal is to make the playoffs. Our rival teams have changed a lot. We also tried to get stronger by retaining our leaders and adding several talented players to the roster. Beginning this season, we will play at our legendary Kalevi Spordihall arena, which I hope will bring good luck and extra motivation.
Parma Perm
Last Season
13th place (1-23 in the regular season)
Acquisitions
Nikolajs Mazurs (head coach), Codi Miller-McIntyre, Yanick Moreira, Andrejs Grazulis, Alexey Vzdykhalkin, Frank Gaines, Artem Yakovenko, Tre’ McLean
Offseason
Parma matched Vita’s dubious record last season, winning only once. But thankfully that’s the only comparison we can make to the Georgian club. Despite only one win, Parma is back. Nikolajs Mazurs took over in the summer (incidentally, he helped Vita secure its only win). He’s a modern coach with lots of youth experience.
The front office is banking on the young Latvian to tap into the potential of the newcomers, brought in to resurrect Ural basketball’s legendary tradition. Unlike last season, Parma also has foreign players to start the season. Already, there have been some positive returns: the League’s best-attended club was sharp in the preseason, winning twice over VEF and Kalev, before dismantling Rabotnicki in FIBA Europe Cup qualifying. Mazurs promises to bring Parma to the playoffs.
Leader
Triple-double fans should pay attention to Codi Miller-McIntyre. The athletic, muscular combo guard looks a bit like Russell Westbrook: He loves the fast break, driving the lane and attacking from the perimeter. Thanks to his energy and timing, he’s a terrific rebounder as a guard, plus he gets his teammates involved. The former Wake Forest player put up 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the first official game of the season vs. Rabotnicki and should be a top-10 contender in several statistical categories throughout the season.
Stat
5 – Parma decided to rely on developing local talent last season, but this time around the club was careful to mix in five foreigners from the start.
Starters
Codi Miller-McIntyre, Frank Gaines, Alexey Vzdykhalkin, Maksym Dybovsky, Alexander Vinnik
Quote
Head coach Nikolajs Mazurs:
– I really like the goals Parma has set for the upcoming season. I’m confident we can create a team that will reach the VTB United League playoffs, at a minimum. We can get it done. Not only will we test every opponent. We are ready to win.
Tsmoki-Minsk Belarus
Last Season
12th place (5-19 in the regular season)
Acquisitions
Sekou Wiggs, Viacheslau Korzh, Sergey Tatur, Andrey Naboichik, Anton Vashkevich, Cristopher Czerapowicz, David Kravish, Maxim Salash, Viktor Ovsepyan, Dimitri Paliashchuk, Filip Adamovic, Devon Saddler.
Offseason
Tsmoki rebranded during the offseason, splitting into two squads. The front office decided to expand the roster to 30 players in order to encourage competition for a spot on the first team. Led by Alexander Krutikov, Minsk looked sharp in Champions League qualifying, indicating the team is capable of improving on last season’s record in the League and giving top clubs a scare.
Leader
The VTB League now has two dangerous Shveds in Cristopher Czerapowicz and Shved. The Swedish forward also has one other shared trait with Khimki’s leader: Both can shoot from long range. Minsk’s new signing, thanks to experience in Italy and a dangerous rifle on his shoulder, not only heightened Tsmoki’s firepower but also the perimeter defense. Czerapowicz led the team in scoring and steals during Champions League qualifying, to go with second in rebounds and a 45% clip from beyond the arc.
Stat
13 – Tsmoki-Minsk set the offseason record with 13 newcomers.
Starters
Filip Adamovic, Aliaksandr Kudrautsau, Nikita Meschearakou, Christopher Czerapowicz, Aliaksandr Semianiuk
Quote
General director Yuri Shakola:
– It’s very important to create a competitive environment within the men’s team. Our strategy is simple: give as many Belarusian players a chance as possible to reach the next level. We’re confident the trials of the VTB United League and Champions League will help us in this regard.
