VTB United League president Sergey Kushchenko discusses the results of the Final Eight in Samara.
– There was an age limit of 19 for players in the Youth League this season and the new format was very successful. It’s a good fit. New stars emerged and the teams played good basketball. There are some nice rivalries and the coaches had more of an impact. We will try to perfect the present format at the League board meeting in July.
The Samara Final Eight was run at a high level. They put on a fun show and drew a lot of fans. Samara Region is basketball country and I can see the city’s desire to bring back big-time basketball. They are taking the right steps.
As for our youth initiatives, each club needs to have a goal: Win the Youth League, develop 2-3 players for the senior team or something else. After all, each club is pursuing different goals.
The formats, players and teams change, but with each year, the quality of basketball improves. We saw that today. The passion and competitive drive on display was incredible! The 3rd-place game between Khimki-2 and Lokomotiv-Kuban-2 turned into a legitimate battle. The championship game between CSKA-Junior and Samara-2 was decided on a single shot. You can’t trick the fans or the spectators. The games were excellent. The VTB United League is unequivocally pleased with the results of the Final Eight in Samara!
