Summer is coming to an end, but the good news is that along with the best time of the year, the VTB League offseason is coming to an end. That means most teams are starting to take shape. The nercomers of the League are particularly interesting. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Melo Trimble (CSKA, 28 years old)
Another CSKA top signing in the offseason, Melo Trimble showed great game at high school. He participated in the McDonald’s All-American game, then went to a strong Maryland University. He failed to get a spot in the NBA, but Trimble found himself outside of the USA, where he has decent experience – in Australia, Venezuela, Spain, Turkey and China.
Melo is a backcourt player, but still resembles his famous namesake in one key way – he’s focused on getting the ball to the basket. A great first step, coordination and solid build (Trimble is very strong in passing), the ability to create offensive opportunities and good three-point shot are the main allies of CSKA fans’ new hope.
The Army team needed a sharp and creative performer – the American guard doesn’t forget about his partners – to help Casper Ware at point guard and compensate Dallas Moore loss. Emil Rajkovic has already said he’s going to use Melo as a point and shooting guard: his role on the revamped team seems very important.
Dominik Mavra (Avtodor, 29 years old)
The Croatian national team player has not played in the League yet, but he has an excellent chance to become one of the most notable players of the new season. Last season Mavra shined in the Adriatic League with Split, averaging 16.4 points (6th in the league) and 7.3 assists (2nd) per game. Avtodor, which relies on fast and efficient plays, automatically gives all players +5 to all offensive skills and almost officially guarantees an increase in major stats. Backcourt players are the first to be affected.
New Volga team head coach Milenko Bogicevic is sure to find common ground with another representative from the Balkans, and pairing him with another star rookie Sindarius Thornwell will cause plenty of problems for opponents. Commenting on the signing, Bogicevic emphasised on how effective Mavra is in crucial moments. In the new season he will bring wins to Avtodor.
Nikola Ivanovic (Runa, 29 years old)
The League newcomer has again pleased with strong new players. The Moscow team is still mostly parting with players who played in the SuperLeague, but making some high-profile signings. The team was recently led by Ertugrul Erdogan (Fenerbahce and Zalgiris considered him a few years ago), and Nikola Ivanovic also has a worthy place in European basketball.
Ivanovic played for Crvena Zvezda in the Euroleague for the last two years. Now he’s switching from the most prestigious Euro tournament to the VTB League to go from being a role player to a leader. Everything shows that Nikola is ready for that role. His record includes the Adriatic League, Montenegro and Serbia, where he was the playoffs MVP in 2022 (the same honour he got in the Serbian Cup), the EuroCup second-team and regular Montenegrin national team player.
Nikola is a masterful ball handler, bold in his drives and a quick shot release, although his main function should be playmaking. The Montenegrin guard is destined to become a key player for the new League team.
Mikael Hopkins (Enisey, 30 years old)
Enisey is undergoing a total rebuilding this summer. The core of the team will be made up of young Russian players. In such a situation, it’s important to guess with the foreigners who will lead the team.
After signing Hopkins, new Krasnoyarsk team head coach Jovica Arsic was particularly pleased with the American’s exemplary work ethic and his ability to be an example for the youth. Mikael will have something to show to his young teammates. In the NCAA, Hopkins played for the Georgetown University, completing a full four-year cycle with the team. In Europe, the forward played in Turkey, Bulgaria and Slovenia at the club level, as well as for the Hungarian national team (8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in the selection for the WorldCup-2023). In Enisey, Mikael will be point forward and center.
Chad Brown (Uralmash, 26 years old)
The League newcomer has so far strengthened its roster with foreign players. The fourth foreign player of the summer campaign is Chad Brown, who played for Hapoel Gilboa last season. He averaged 9.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in the Israel league.
Those numbers say a lot about Brown, who is hard to call a superstar. But the list of his strengths is impressive. Chad has the size (206 cm, 111 kg), but he’s agile, athletic and good on the offensive end – the Ural team fans will definitely enjoy his fastbreaks and dunks. The center is good in the paint, takes up space there and works hard on defence.
Basketball is a team game, so the versatile qualities and efficiency of the proven bigman will come in handy for the League newcomer from Ekaterinburg.
Dusan Beslac (Avtodor, 24 years old)
Avtodor did not rest on the signing of Dominik Mavra and consolidated the success by recruiting the MVP of the last Serbian championship. The former Vojvodina player’s stats show that those who determined the winner had no options: 21.6 points (1st in the league), 7.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists with 41.3% of 3-point shots. Insiders have said that Partizan were interested in Beslac in the winter, but the sides failed to agree on compensation. The distinctive feature of the 24-year-old point forward is a mature and smart game, reminding the actions of an experienced player.
Dusan has passed through all stages of the Serbian national team, from junior to the youth team, and has participated in European Championships at all ages. This way was marked this summer by a call-up to the main Serbian national team, where Dusan together with his star teammates is now preparing for the WorldCup-2023. In Avtodor he will have a good chance to continue this consistent progress.
Coach Jovica Arsic (Enisey, 54 years old)
The main signing for Enisey this summer is Jovica Arsic. The coach’s role in a team with no stars on the roster, which has taken the course of rebuild, seems to be decisive.
Arsic became the Bulgarian champion three times with Lukoil-Akademik, and once won the local Cup. From 2007 to 2009 he led the Macedonian national team, which he led to the EuroBasket 2009 – only the second time in the country’s history. Enisey purposefully looked for a coach who can work with a small budget and still achieve results, as well as has experience in developing young players. Jovica has proven time and time again that he has those qualities. For him, the move to the VTB League will be a great motivation.
“I hope to have a quality and interesting season with Enisey”. Time will show the prospects and potential of the new Enisey, but it won’t be boring.
