VTB United League clubs have been discovering new names for European and world basketball for a long time. Frank Elegar, Cody Miller-McIntyre, Patrick Beverley and Isaiah Briscoe, Vince Hunter and Dusan Ristic.
Playoff contenders put the most effort. With limited budget, the clubs place a bet on unknown players. The idea is to create a win-win situation: the player is given the opportunity to raise own value and prove leader skills, and the team is able to achieve historic result or financial benefit from subsequent transfer.
This season, the unofficial ‘VTB United League best management’ award goes to Zielona Gora. Their rookies Iffe Lundberg and Geoffrey Groselle are among the most efficient players of the League. Groselle already has VTB League experience, while Iffe Lundberg is a brand new name.
In the offseason, Zielona Gora – having reduced budget compared to previous season (less than Enisey at the bottom of the table with 1-8 record) – were looking for a point guard who would take a role of floor general. With a meager budget, finding a real game changer seemed like an impossible challenge. However, the coaching staff of Zan Tabak, Arkadiusz Miloszewski, Jakub Lewandowski, Mariusz Niedbalski and general manager Kosma Zatorski surprised European basketball.
Zatorski followed the final stage of Spanish league in Valencian bubble, and he learned that Tenerife’s guard Gabriel Iffe Lundberg was looking for a new team to feel comfortable as a point guard. The Spanish club had an appointed floor general Marcelo Huertas and Lundberg had no chance for a showimte in Tenerife.
“Hey, Zan. I think I found us a point guard,” Zatorski called Tabak right after discussing details with an agent. He realized, Lundberg was a perfect match for Zielona Gora.
The decision to sign the Dane was made fast. Zan Tabak’s assistants highly appreciated Lundberg’s potential, and the head coach himself had known the player since his Spanish times.
A season earlier, Jakub Lewandowski persuaded the rest of the coaching staff to hire Ludde Hakanson. Now another Scandinavian guard has taken his place.
“Tabak has great knowledge of European basketball market, he’s got connections, many players want to play for Zielona Gora only because of him,” pointed out Kosma Zatorski.
“Zielona Gora’s participation in VTB United League makes us a great choice for those who want to be seen at the highest level. Since we joined VTB League, a number of our players have signed with big clubs – Boris Savovic, Markel Startks and Drew Gordon moved to Saratov, Jaroslaw Zyskowski inked with Bilbao, Joe Thomasson went to Isreali league, and Ludvig Hakanson came back to Spain,” added Zielona Gora’s owner Janusz Jasinski
Poland is Lundberg’s third country in professional career. Previously, he spent 3 seasons each in Denmark and Spain. After ACB, he spent no time to adapt to leader’s role in his new team and league. In the early season of Polish league he scored 27 points against Gliwice.
12 days later he repeated it with a Euroleague team, Zenit. That was his debut in VTB League, and even though Zielona Gora lost (74:83), it was obvious that Iffe Lundberg can be a big star.
Two months after season start, Lundberg came to his peak. But is it his peak? His true potential is still unknown.
“I’d say that Iffe is our most talanted player of all-time, along with Walter Hodge. Hodge came here after 4 seasons in Florida university, two-time NCAA champion. Lundberg came as more experienced player, but both are extremely talented,” Zatorski confessed.
In mid-November, Iffe destroyed UNICS (32 points and 5 assists) and went to his national team for Eurobasket qualifiers. And he became the top star of FIBA window! Denmark, the dark horse, beat Lithuania (80:76) and Czech Republic (91:90). They still have chances for the final stage, and Iffe Lundberg scored 66 points in two games.
After the window, Zielona Gora’s office phones became ringing. Another VTB League team Lokomotiv-Kuban were ready to buy player, but club denied the offer. Zielona Gora didn’t want to sell Lundberg.
“We recieved an offer from Loko but the head coach Zan Tabak, his assistants and the Board decided to have Iffe with us. We want to see Lundberg in the team and achieve the maximum results with him. We understand it’s going to be hard to have him stay here for a long time, even impossible. But now we just enjoy the moment and do everything that makes Iffe happy here,” says Kosma Zatorski.
Poland is not the only thing to make him happy. Lundberg’s wife Camilla Fromelt who is also a basketball player played in Denmark while Iffe was there, and moved to Spanish second league after he signed with ACB club.
A year ago, Iffe Lundberg and Camilla Andersen became parents, and today the whole family lives happily in Zielona Gora.
Iffe celebrated his son’s first birthday with an away wins over PARMA (85:79) and Avtodor (91:90).
In Saratov, Lundberg repeated his career high in VTB League (32) and sank a game winning three-pointer.
After this trip, Iffe Lundberg became a centre of attention. He’s the top scorer of the season, and Zielona Gora are back to playoff zone with 4 of 5 won in December.
VTB League fans will have at least half a season to watch Lundberg play. And one has to enjoy the moment just like they do it in Zielona Gora.
Sports.ru
