Runa will host Pari Nizhny Novgorod in the Game of the Week.
Time: 16:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Dinamo Sports Centre
Broadcast: TV Start, Match! Igra, League website.
Who would have thought two weeks ago that in mid-October the League newcomer will play in the Game of the Week with only three games since the season start? And yet it’s a fact: Vikings started the new season brightly, having won over Avtodor, Uralmash and Samara, and are currently on the 1st place in the standings.
But now the Moscow team will have a more serious test – Pari Nizhny Novgorod, who are also undefeated in the 2022/23 season.
Rivalry history
The teams have not yet played each other in official games, which is not surprising, as Runa was founded only 7 years ago. The closest the Vikings came to a game against Pari NN was last season, when they fell one step short of the Russian Cup Final Four.
Offseason
To say that both teams significantly changed their rosters in the offseason is to say almost nothing. The Volga team added 9 new players, while the Moscow team added 8.
At the same time, it should be noted that Nizhny managed to keep the core: Evgenii Baburin, Dmitrii Khvostov, Ivan Strebkov, Dragan Apic, Aleksandr Gankevic and head coach Zoran Lukic. The main losses are Jermaine Love and Maksim Salash, who had a significant impact on the team results last season.
But Nizhny Novgorod returned Andrey Vorontsevich and Vladimir Ivlev, strengthening the frontcourt. In addition, Bryon Allen, who led PARMA during the 2022/23 season, is back in the League. Another newcomer Glenn Causey is also a familiar name to the fans – he played for VEF in the 2018/19 season.
Runa, which experienced a promotion in the summer, has even more global changes. Only 5 players – Andrey Sopin, Artem Komissarov, Ilya Popov, Nikolay Zhmako and Kirill Savin – moved up to the United League with the team. The club was headed by Turkish specialist Erturul Erdogan, who moved to Moscow from Szlenska.
Among Runa new players, many will recognise Jeremiah Hill (Astana, PARMA) and Alex Tyus (UNICS). But Cameron Young and Nikola Ivanovic duo, as well as forward Juwan Morgan, are worth a look.
Season start
At the end of two weeks of the season, Runa is the League leader. It’s not the first time in the League history that a newcomer proves its right to play in the tournament from the first rounds – just remember the MBA a year ago. Still, the Vikings definitely deserve respect, because in each of the three games the team won (Avtodor, Uralmash, and Samara), they kept the lead in the end due to their character.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod played only two games – the Volga derby against UNICS had to be postponed. Zoran Lukic team won both other games in a defensive style: MINSK managed to score 60 points (89:60) and PARMA – 61 (67:61). It is noteworthy that both winss were on the road.
Thus, the first and third teams of the season will play in Moscow in the Game of the Week.
Duel
Cameron Young vs Evgenii Baburin
Zoran Lukic has learnt during his years in Nizhny Novgorod that he relies on teamwork rather than building a system around a player. Now Pari NN has no clear leader and none of the players played more than 24 minutes on average.
That’s why one of the most interesting will be the duel between Evgenii Baburin, the best defensive player of the 2022/23 season, and Cameron Young, Runa main offensive anchor. Erdogan trusts the 27-year-old American guard and he is living up to expectations: 18.3 points per game and an impressive 54.6% of shooting.
In the Game of the Week, Young will be facing a truly elite defenceman who will do his best to shut down the Runa’s best scorer.
Numbers
Nizhny Novgorod is the best defensive team at the start of the season: on average, the Volga team allow their opponents to score only 60.5 points per game.
Runa is the best offensive team with 85.7 points per game (leaving out UNICS, which has played only one game).
That stats do not quite reflect the state of play in the League, as it’s been less than a month since the season started. Nevertheless, these numbers already beg the question: Is it Runa’s offence or Nizhny’s defence?
Old-new friends
Pavel Gankevich, the brother of Nizhny Novgorod forward Aleksandr Gankevich, played for Runa main and youth teams last season, and this summer he joined Nizhny. The 20-year-old forward has already made his debut for Pari NN, scoring 5 points and 2 rebounds against MINSK.
