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Russian guy gets advice from LeBron and plays on the same team with Bronnie. Getting to know Timofey Rudovsky - Interception - Blogs
Editor's Note: You are reading the user blog "Interception", where you talk to interesting people from the world of Russian basketball. Do not forget about the pros, they make the world a better place.
There is a prestigious Sierra Canyon school near Los Angeles. Her academic program is very strong, which is why the children of celebrities such as Alec Baldwin, Will Smith and others study in it. Famous basketball players also send their children to this school, and LeBron James went further - he took patronage over the school basketball team. Both of his sons play there, along with Scotty Pippen's son and several other five-star players.
We are interested in this school because the Russian basketball player Timofey Rudovsky is studying there. The pupil of the CSKA sports school went there in transit through the Spanish Estudiantes and now plays with Bronnie James in the same team.
I talked to Timofey himself and his father Dmitry Rudovsky. Dmitry Olegovich is a famous Russian producer who worked with Fyodor Bondarchuk on the film "9th Company". Among his films are ZHARA, Duhless, Stalingrad. But he is not just Timofey's father, but, if I may say so, his manager.
I packed the whole story into a 43-minute video. I would be grateful for your thumbs up and comments - they help promote videos on YouTube.
If you like reading more than watching, then below is the text.
How Rudovsky got into basketball
Timofey started playing basketball at the age of 6, it was the most ordinary school section. So common that Rudovsky's crowning exercise there was the "spider". By that time, he already had all kinds of uniforms at home, balls, he really burned with basketball. But the section at the school is the section at the school, so it was difficult to demand something special.
Therefore, soon Timofey found himself in the school near Moscow "Panther" - the same one that Pavel Savkov and Nestor Dyachok went through.
Timofey Rudovsky: “I started before Panther, it was a small section. My dad sent me there so that I could start somewhere. Maybe he loves basketball. We had a small action at school - who wants to, come, teach, work out. There I began to play slowly, and so it came to the "Panther". I trained at this school for two years and then went to the training camp in Vatutinki, in CSKA. And it so happened that the coach liked me and he called me to the team.
The history of Timofey's transfer to CSKA was not without chance. The plans were to continue playing basketball in Khimki, because it was close to home, but one day Dmitry Rudovsky played basketball with the coach of the "army" sports school Ivan Kucherov, who was just recruiting children born in 2004.
Dmitry Rudovsky: “We ran in the CSKA playing hall, and there the referees, coaches, in particular, the coaches of the CSKA sports school, played with us. They were just recruiting boys in 2004. Denis Rami says: "You have a son of 2004." I say: "Yes, there is." And he: “Can you give it to the training camp in the summer? Let's look at him. " He was not yet 8 years old, he went to the training camp and after that they offered him to study. We will consider that this is such a starting point, more or less meaningful and organized basketball.
He played at the CSKA sports school for 6 years, during which time they won both Moscow and the Russian championship twice, and the Baltic Children's League, this is a regional competition where Finns, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, we participate. The European Youth Basketball League, EYBL, in which more than 30 European countries now play, was also won. We won once, lost once in the final to Zalgiris by 2 points, took second place.”
From CSKA to Spain
After six and a half years that Rudovsky spent in the CSKA system, his dad had an understanding that some heights in basketball had already been achieved here in Russia, and it was necessary to move on. Tim also wanted to keep practicing and progressing. CSKA did not particularly believe in him, because he was skinny and weak, besides, many believed that Rudovsky was getting time at the expense of his enterprising dad.
But at the same time, he began to be involved in the training camp of the national U16 team - the national team began a two-year preparatory cycle for the European Championship. Spaniards, Serbs and some other countries have been doing this for a long time, starting to prepare much in advance, but for the Russian “youth team” it was a new experience. The team played several tournaments, tested the line-up, worked out the backbone, and Timofey gained a foothold and found his place in the team. The European Championship did not take place due to the pandemic, but the call to the national team is a serious intermediate result.
Dmitry Rudovsky: “There was an understanding that we need to move on, I consulted with Lesha Savkov, we have friendly relations, and with Volodya Dyachok. Everyone chose their own path for their guys, Volodya chose for Nestor to study and play in the USA, and Lesha said: “Our guys are so dead, late, they have skills and understanding of the game, skills too, but physically they are not ready to stomp with black guys for a place . Therefore, Europe is the best option.” Pasha left first, we actually went after him. By coincidence, it turned out that we were helped by the same agents who arranged for Pasha in Baskonia. Just a little different way: we went to Spain to train in the summer, attended a Spanish summer camp for several years, adopted the culture of advanced European basketball, this is speed, fast transit, activity in attack, in early attack. It was all useful to study, we saw many advantages in this. One such summer camp had an agent who represented the agency that recruited Savkov. We met, they say: "Well, let's take your boyfriend, we'll see."
Timofey Rudovsky: “My family and I went for several years in a row to have a rest in the summer on the island, in Mallorca, where we held and, I think, there is still a camp called Summer Liga. […] There we met the founder of the camp, and he introduced us to the agents. I don’t remember the name of the company (You First Sports - approx. “Interception”), but they offered us two teams - Joventut and Estudiantes.
The Rudovskys first went to Badalona, to "Joventut". Everything was very good there: excellent organization, good attitude, everything was like in a family. And, importantly, continuity: the sports director of the club was once the president of the school himself, the current president is a graduate of the club academy himself, who simply decided not to continue his career, but to stay at Hoventut.
Dmitry Rudovsky says that during his stay in Badalona, it was felt that the attitude, approach, methods - everything was at the highest level. But there was a “but”: Timofey was then 191 cm tall, and the director of the Hoventut school considered that they already had their own players. The Spaniards take only those whom they lack, and at this moment they lacked a center. It turned out to be Kirill Popov - now he plays in CSKA, and then he went to see it with Rudovsky.
Or rather, it was Rudovsky who traveled with Popov. Kirill could close the position in the three-second zone both by his age and by his senior, so Hoventut took him. There was only one place left in the school, and there was none for Rudovsky.
Dmitry Rudovsky: “But the agents who brought him to the screening and organized all this were at training and looked at Timofey more closely. Before that, they didn’t pay much attention to him, it was such a push, this trip to Badalona with Kirill. But they said that he has a good throw, he has skills, he is intelligent, and they can find him a school in Spain. And the next immediately was an invitation to Estudiantes.
We were there for two days, he was immediately offered. The picture was beautiful, the arena itself is located not far from the Santiago Bernabeu, in the central area of Madrid, a beautiful area, they didn’t take us to the residence, but they showed it from afar, it looked like a small castle, a mansion, with its courtyards, an English school nearby. It was very reminiscent of Badalona, only without the sea. It seemed that this was the best option, so, of course, they accepted the offer with pleasure. In the summer, we intensively prepared for a month, arrived there and became part of this team.
The poverty of Estudiantes
It was 2019, and even then Estudiantes was a loan club. There was talk in the press about his impending bankruptcy. The "students" - that's what this team is called, if its name is simply translated - had 18 million euros of debt, and this is a cosmic amount for a club of this caliber.
On the one hand, this is a plus for players like Timofey Rudovsky. This means that Estudiantes will rely on its sports school and should be very much interested in bringing young guys to the right level, giving them a chance in the first team and selling them to more successful organizations. But, on the other hand, this same poverty created problems in everyday life and provoked a lack of training.
Timofey Rudovsky: “When I arrived, they had problems with money, and it turned out that they couldn't even provide us with a gym every day for additional training. Although I’m not talking about additional training, we even trained with the team 4-5 times a week. So there was a big problem."
In general, the number of training sessions is an important point in Tim's development. When he played in CSKA, his partners had 5 lessons a day, and he had 13. Dad paid for additional classes for his son, and before the games he went with him to the so-called shootaround is pure shooting practice on game day. Such activities are needed for players to aim at the rings.
So, in "Estudiantes" not only there were no "shooter rounds", but in general there were not enough training sessions.
Dmitry Rudovsky: “The demo was great, but the reality was a little different. I didn’t have much time to study, and this is my mistake as, relatively speaking, a manager - after all, I’m not just a parent, but I did a lot of preparing Timofey.
In order to provide the morning training that we were promised, we need coaches, and they did not have coaches, because a coach who can come and conduct classes in Spain needs to be paid a full salary. The main part of the coaches in Spain are volunteers who work for 300-400 euros a month, they work somewhere, and in the evening they come to train. The same story was in Estudiantes. There was a head coach of the U15 school team, who also worked in the youth team and was the fourth assistant in the main team. He was up to his ears loaded with seniors and, of course, did not even think about dealing with us. Therefore, this “window” that was there in the morning, it was not filled with anything, unfortunately, at the age of 14, a very limited number of people have an understanding that the salvation of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves. Basically, these are guys who are deprived by God of growth, physical data, they begin to gnaw not thanks to, but in spite of. And if you have height, skills and some kind of authority, you start to live so a little on easy. Moreover, when he started playing for this team, people came up there, the father of a guy from the Spanish national team of the same age, Daniel Casarrubios in 2004, he said “juego de los listos”, which means he is already a ready-made pro - in thinking, in skills . He played in CSKA number one, immediately began to steer the team, scored a lot, it was clear that a qualitatively different level.
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A post shared by Dmitry Rudovsky (@rudovskiy_dmitry)
Four sessions a week is a nightmare for a young player who is used to a completely different load. But Rudovsky was saved by the national team: if in six months at Estudiantes he played a total of 16 matches, then for the national team - more than 20. And the rivals, of course, were not from the championship of Madrid, but the “youth team” of Spain, Turkey, Italy, Slovenia, Serbia . It was a good help that helped keep Timofey in good shape and, so to speak, test himself at a higher level.
Return to Russia
It all ended pretty quickly: in March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic hit, and the pupils of the Estudiantes school were asked to go home. Rudovsky left and never returned to Spain.
Timofey Rudovsky: “The pandemic has begun, the first cases have appeared in Madrid. They closed a couple of schools. I had a roommate, an Estonian, his mother was Russian, so he spoke Russian almost fluently. We spent almost the whole year together, and we are told at the same moment: “You have to go, such are the rules. You can not return for a while, we will tell you when you can return. Go home." This was a week after the start of the pandemic. I assumed I wouldn't be back, but I wasn't sure. Because I thought that at least the season should be finished. Moreover, the contract and everything else. On the other hand, I didn't want to go back at all. Meaning? Therefore, I would say that I was lucky that the pandemic began and I was able to leave there.”
Timofey had an agreement with the school. It was not even a contract, because at this age players cannot sign contracts, but a training agreement. According to this document, he could not play for anyone else. But no one can forbid changing a school for a child, and the Rudovskys understood: this is just our way out.
Departure for the USA
Dmitry Rudovsky: “During the pandemic, we were in Moscow, training and preparing for something, for a brighter future. At that moment, one of our friends - his son also plays basketball, we often crossed paths, became friends - said that he had a good friend who himself coaches a junior college in California, at a good level there for many years, and he knows many trainers. He said: “We found a decent option through him, if you want, you can contact him, send him a video of Timofey, and he can find something there. ” We got in touch, got to know each other, I sent a video and literally 3 days later I received a message that the Sierra Canyon school coach wants to talk to you and invite you to come and join his team. We saw that Sierra Canyon is very well listed, one of the top teams, many children of former pro players play there.
In the summer, before leaving for the USA, Rudovsky trained with the youth project of CSKA. If suddenly, for some reason, he did not manage to leave for America, then he would continue his development precisely in the “army” system. Two coaches from the U16 team Alexander Gerasimov and Ilya Kuznetsov just arrived at the club, who knew Timofey and his capabilities very well.
But everything worked out with the USA.
Timofey Rudovsky: “I heard about Sierra Canyon about two weeks before there was any information that I would go to America at all. When I watched all sorts of highlights on YouTube, it seemed that the guys there are really tough, they play very well. And suddenly it so happened that a familiar coach went to talk to the coach, showed him my highlights and said: “The coach is interested.” I was very surprised, shock, one might say. I can’t even imagine, from the word “absolutely”. Then I just prepared, trained, I would say, I even forgot. It seems to me that I went almost with a clear head, because all the time before leaving I was just preparing.”
Dmitry Rudovsky: “Timofey studied at CSKA, then in Spain, and the logical continuation was to go to a strong school program in the USA in order to stay at the same level as development. Therefore, we accepted the offer, especially since it was accompanied by significant financial bonuses - "scolarship", which, in principle, is not offered to foreigners, but it was offered to us. We didn’t lose anything financially, we didn’t have to pay for anything, while Tim plays in the top team, studies at the school where the children of Alec Baldwin, Will Smith studied, the Kardashian family was noted there, Kendal Jenner, who is now Devin Booker’s girlfriend She is also a graduate of this school. That is, it is a cool school in terms of academic, educational. Therefore, there was no doubt, we went there.”
Timofey Rudovsky: “When I arrived, the first day I went into the hall, got acquainted with the team, I was just trembling. It was really uncomfortable. The funny thing is: I thought I knew English, but when they started talking, I couldn’t connect two words and didn’t understand anything. So for the first couple of months I was a little lost.
Training began, at first I was not distracted, but on the contrary, very concentrated. But he did not understand very well what the coach was saying. I got confused on the set. Suppose now the situation there is like this, you need to give a pass diagonally, and he just shouts: diagonal! I don't understand what he is crying about. I give the same transmission as the previous time - he yells at me. Here they have such a scheme: if you make mistakes, they shout at you. And every time. And maybe the fifth time, when you just say you don't understand, maybe he'll explain. And so it is necessary to grasp everything on the fly.
Playing with Bronnie
Rudovsky went to the USA in the 10th grade, and there are 12 of them in all. True, the first year was very conditional, because the students spent almost the whole year in quarantine and studied remotely, there were almost no trainings. They began in February-March, and the entire school season was compressed to a month and a half. And here's the bad luck - Timofey could not play for the school for the first month, and not a calendar month, but a competitive one. Such rules: you changed school, you already played for the national team, so please sit for a month without matches. And so it turned out that Rudovsky missed the entire 10th grade.
Sports activity began in the summer, when school teams began playing in the AAU - a kind of Summer League for high school students. There, Timofey was first declared for one team, and then sent to be strengthened in Strive For Greatness.
NBA fans have probably heard some familiar phrase now. Strive For Greatness is a documentary about NBA superstar LeBron James. And at the same time, this is the name of the team, the backbone of which is assembled on the basis of the Sierra Canyon school and in which, for example, the son of Scotty Pippen and the son of LeBron, Bronnie James, performs. And in general, this is a very stellar team, from which five NBA players have come out over the past six years.
Timofei Rudovsky: “The first time I met Bronnie was on my first day, when I first came to the gym. I’m already worried - I don’t know, there was such a feeling that he would come now, but I can’t even imagine what kind of person he is. Interesting. But it was like that, with an experience, so to speak.
The first time he comes, and I understand that he is already late. I think maybe it happens, maybe it doesn’t happen, but he can do it, maybe he’s not forbidden. After a week, I'm quite used to it.
By the way, last year it so happened that we didn't spend much time with the guys together at the basketball court, because the pandemic and everything else, we had all sorts of rules. So we didn't talk to each other much. I hardly spoke to Bronnie at all, probably for a month, well, sometimes, maybe in training - hello, what's up, everyone. When we started spending a little more time with the team all together, we started talking to him. Well, anyway, with the fear that maybe I'll do something wrong, I'm covered, I'll go back home. Such. (laughs)
Then, of course, everything got better, everything is everyday, Bronnie and Bronnie. Our team spirit is like this: the coach tells us that we are a family, we are all for each other, we all consider each other brothers, the team consists of brothers. It doesn’t matter what is there, we don’t betray, we love each other, surprisingly we don’t have any disagreements at all, no quarrels, nothing.”
Dmitry Rudovsky: “What I see is that everyone has equal relations with everyone in the team, they have nice relations. There is no one against whom we are friends, who is not friends with whom, we still communicate, there are many team events where the guys spend time together. Tim communicates with Bronnie in the same way as with the rest, but you need to understand that Bronnie has a specific life, he has been a celebrity since birth, and this leaves an imprint on his character, demeanor, relationships, he does not seek to get close to people, he has an even relationship with everyone, it is impossible to single out what is friends with this or that. He has friends, but they are from a different field, eSports, there is a team that is very famous and popular in America (the FaZe Clan team - approx. "Intercept"), Bronnie's career in this team is no less popular than Bronnie the basketball player.
Tips from LeBron
LeBron James himself comes to Sierra Canyon matches. If in the season he is busy with his affairs with the Lakers and, in principle, even when he comes, he follows all the rules, then in summer matches he can calmly sit on the team bench and start giving advice - either to the head coach, or . .. to Timofey himself.
Timofey Rudovsky: “When the playoffs were over for the Lakers, LeBron started showing up a little at games, attending. We played with Strive near Los Angeles, we had a few games. He came there for the first time. Then I had a story that a friend decided to cut my hair, saying: "I can cut, don't worry, let's try." He gave me a haircut, almost bald. I looked like I came from the army. You can imagine: a dude 206 cm, runs around with an army man's haircut and pushes everyone with angry eyes. At those games, I decided to cut myself with the guys, because it was a lot of fun, and hustle a little. The coach then tells me: LeBron asks me my name and then he says he's crazy. It was funny to me, the first impression was that I was crazy on the court in a good way - with dedication, with basketball anger. The next day, he already gave me a little hint during the game, after which I became, one might say, familiar with him.
At that time I was already used to it. He treats us all from Sierra Canyon, Strive like nephews. Uncle Bro, something like that. He called, he said: “Here you could give the pass down to the big one, and if your defender goes down from you for insurance, then you can get the pass back for three and throw it calmly, and not throw it with a pause and with uncertainty after the pass, when you looked down at the ring, down again and threw the airball. As I did at the time. He says - well, you could look there. I listened and the advice just soaked in. I would say so. Ears listen by themselves to such people .”
In addition to Bronnie James, LeBron's youngest son Bryce also studies at Sierra Canyon. He is a little younger and while playing for the JV team, JV is a junior varsity, that is, a junior team. Soon he will grow up to the main school staff.
Of course, all the attention that LeBron James draws to the Sierra Canyon team can't help but spill over to the players. Even despite the fact that Rudovsky only periodically starts and spends not the longest minutes on the floor, the number of his Instagram followers is steadily growing - when he came, there were less than a thousand, now there are more than five.
Cons Sierra Canyon
But playing in a super strong school team is not only pluses, but also inevitably minuses. Among the obvious ones are less playing time, less role and less attention from the head coach.
Dmitry Rudovsky: “Of course, there are difficulties, because the team is overloaded with five-star, four-star prospects and so on. We discussed this with Timofey in the summer, and I told the coach that it was better for us to move on, because there is an overload of stars, in a team of 3-4 people for each position. At the same time, oddly enough, there are not so many big guys, in the summer they took a five-star prospect, a guy who can play in the NBA in a couple of years, Kijanny Wright, under him there is one big white guy, not so advanced in skills, and to the position there is practically no fourth number, they do not formally use it. But we spoke with the coach beforehand, I asked him about the position, because we don’t want to go under the basket, a person has developed all his life as a defender, first or second, well, maybe play third, played in Russia, got the best third number. The answer was that we play 1-4, that is, we have one big and four perimeter defenders who interact, combine, and so on.
I used to call Americans deceitful, hypocrites, etc., now I coined the term delicate - flexible (flexible - approx. "Interception"). They promise very easily, they refuse very easily, they deceive very easily, and they have their own goals and objectives, and any price is justified. But there is no need to wring your hands, cry, you need to understand this and, proceeding from this, very carefully and carefully evaluate everything that is said. Therefore, in the summer, when it started again - you will make a big mistake if you leave, Timofey is an iron player in the starting line-up, etc. - I let it go, I understood that in the situation that we have, he has little chance of playing at the start . In the main team - of course, but at the start - it was cunning. I laid out in positions why they should play, and not Timofey, and even if he comes out at the start, what option he will have in attack. It all looked not very nice in terms of playing time and opportunities to continue to be active on the court.
But it so happened that Timofey stayed in Sierra Canyon. He himself wanted this, said that he would work even harder in training and earn a place in the starting lineup. He was the only shooter on the team and one of the few who could shoot three-pointers with a good percentage - it seemed to Tim that he had all the cards in his hands.
And the season started really well. In the US, there is a Fall League tournament - this is not the official start of the season yet, but pre-season games. In them, Rudovsky played a lot and well, but at that time several key players were absent from the team or were injured at once. As soon as the season began, the guys returned, and Timofey again began to receive 10-15 minutes of playing time. And there is a suspicion that this school will no longer be different - there are too many players who are portrayed not just a future in the NBA, but a stellar future. Bronnie James, Kijanny Wright, Amari Bailey, Shai Odom, the list goes on.
Plus, Timofey grew another 4 cm, and the coaching staff was tempted to use Rudovsky in the "four" - a position in which he had never played before and does not want to play. He does not have the skills of a power forward, there is no size to push in the three-second zone. Only growth, and if at the school level it can still work, then further is the road to nowhere.
Reclassify
But there is a way out. After the end of this school year, Timofey will have to unlearn in the 12th grade and then it will be possible to go to college to play in the NCAA. In America, there is such a thing as "reclassify" - this is an opportunity to skip the last year of school, spending the summer studying and passing exams in advance. In Russia, this is called graduating externally.
This chance is used by many athletes who have long decided on their future, and the school only hinders them in achieving their goal. A special commission is assembled to decide the issue, and in cases with athletes, this issue is often resolved in their favor.
Timofey Rudovsky: “I think it would be much more efficient to get into the university next year. Because there is a completely different preparation, and they immediately prepare for the NBA. At school, you have a lot of choices - you can be a lawyer, or maybe you will go to engineering, so basketball may not be the most important thing, you go to school, not play basketball. At the university, the situation will be completely different: if I play basketball, then this is the profession that I have chosen. So it seems to me that this is the most normal solution that you can choose from all possible.
True, there is an important “but” in this whole story - in order to use the reclassify option, the student must have good grades, and since Sierra Canyon takes its academic program quite seriously, it is not enough just to go to school .
Dmitry Rudovsky: “For this, there should be good grades, so far there are problems with this. As I said, the school is serious in terms of the academic program. As many people say, in the classroom we read and analyze the Bible, it is not there, there is Shakespeare in the original language, medieval English, which even an American still needs to understand, and romanticism in British poetry of the 19th century with Byron and other authors, and "The Son of Frankenstein" , and Fitzgerald. A serious program, not the English that "mom washed the frame" and "Timofey goes to school." A university level program, so this school has a very high acceptance rate for Ivy League colleges. Therefore, the children of very famous people study there, because it gives serious training. But it is difficult to combine both serious sports training and serious academic training. ”
Interest from the NCAA
In order to skip a class, you need to understand if someone from the NCAA is interested in you. And Timofey Rudovsky is interesting. He was already called in by Anferney Hardaway, former NBA star and current head coach of the Memphis Tigers in the NCAA Division I. But Memphis is still a strong team, the top 30 of the league, so it may be difficult for Tim to get more time there than he gets now.
The way out will be an invitation from a more modest university, but one where a team could be built around him so that he develops. And there is also such a university - the University of California at Santa Barbara with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos team.
Dmitry Rudovsky: “But in Santa Barbara there is a chance to become a start player, play a lot and be noticed, and play in the position that is needed […] We will go to the campus, see if everything is all right arrange, we will see what will be written in the official offer. Perhaps next year it will be possible to skip this pattern.”
Now Timofey's schedule is something like this: getting up at 5:00-5:30, going to the gym, throwing training, which he arranges for himself, and then - the way home, shower, breakfast and school. You can get the necessary physical activity only in this way. In the evening - team training for three hours. But the guys do not spend all three hours on the floor - it can be watching a movie, analyzing the matches played, scouting the closest opponent, and only then training.
The schedule is hard, but which of our guys abroad is easy. I hope everything works out for Tim, and this year we will see him play for the university in the NCAA.
If you liked the text, subscribe to my telegram channel - there I regularly talk about Russian basketball.
Photo: personal archive of Dmitry and Timofey Rudovsky, Good Looks
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“My course for the academy is 20 years of professional basketball”
- Igor, now you are the director of the Zenith Academy. Tell us what is included in its structure?
- A large number of teams, from super league to children's school teams. If we talk about the latter, then we have children's preparatory groups, they are scattered throughout the city. There are more than ten of them, and children of eight to ten years old are engaged there. Seniors represent the team in the Superleague, in the VTB United Youth League, in the Junior Junior League. Zenit-UOR are the champions of the Junior Junior League, plus now we are thinking about another team.
In addition, the system includes the Kupchinsky Olympus, Zenit-Central and Zenit-Admiralteyskaya schools. All this can be called the structure of the youth project "Zenith".
– Is there a boarding school at the academy?
- Yes. One of our team lives there - "Zenith" -UOR.
- When recruiting new players, does the academy rely on St. Petersburg residents or are young athletes from all over Russia considered?
- Naturally, we mainly look at the St. Petersburg guys. But if young promising athletes from other cities appear, then we can take them from there. That is, it is not necessary for us that since Zenit is a club from St. Petersburg, then all players must be from St. Petersburg. But all the same, eighty percent of each team are players from St. Petersburg.
– Is the training of young players at Zenit different from other VTB United League teams?
- I think there are differences, but it's hard for me to say what kind of training is in other clubs. At Zenit, we try to ensure that our young players perform at an exceptionally high level. Of course, sometimes I communicate with the leaders of other youth teams of the VTB United League, I have a rough idea of what they have built. However, you can’t compare here - each club has its own.
- In recent years, young Russian basketball players are increasingly leaving for the NCAA, youth projects in Spain and other countries. Do you welcome such a departure?
– Of course, I don’t know what conditions the guys are leaving for – it’s possible that they are good. At the same time, we would like our best guys to stay with us. But that decision is up to them and their parents.
– This year Zenit-UOR won the Junior League, and Zenit-M won the VTB Youth League. Is the club's academy going through its best years?
- Can't say if it's the best or not. The structure of the academies is built in such a way that it is impossible to take and make everyone champions in one year, this applies to absolutely any team. This is all happening progressively. And so it happened this year: two or three years, the guys grow up, gain experience. This year we have the victories of the DUBL, the youth team and the main team - triple gold.
Now we are in a transitional period: the guys from CYBL moved to the youth team, from the youth team to the super league. From there, we hope and want to play for the main team. Therefore, we are trying to reach this goal.
- When you were still a player, did you imagine that you would take the position of director of the Zenit Academy?
- Actually, I didn't think about it. I knew that I would definitely not be a coach, at least for young players. Because I would not have the patience, and the coaches should have it. However, in training, I can suggest - what even happens, the players listen to me.
- What is your average day at work?
– I join the trainings, but only from the outside: I watch how the guys work, how the coaches, doctors, administrative staff do it. I go to almost every workout, so I see everyone, I know everything about everyone. When the leadership comes, the guys work differently. In addition, I also have an administrative job.
– Before you became the director of the academy, did you take courses for this specialty?
- My course is 20 years of professional basketball. That is, after such an experience, I became the director of the academy.
- Are you connected to the main team of Zenit?
- I am present at the training sessions of the main team. Javier Pascual quietly allows all staff - and is especially welcome for youth team coaches - to be in class. I come to observe the training process, maybe I will pick out something for myself from this. However, now my task is a youth project.
- You have been the director of the academy since 2019. Is it possible to sum up small intermediate results of your activities?
– Actually, it wasn't easy. At the same time, the work was carried out from the very first days and at the moment the results are positive. I see this in the players too: who tries and wants, who trains - it all catches your eye and stands out. More than once I invited Pascual to the games, he himself singled out several players, and they are on the pencil of the first team. I myself most of all want them to play at the base of Zenit. I hope we will see someone there this year.
"Russian basketball is not in decline"
– Will the demand for young players increase in view of all the recent events related to the isolation of Russian basketball?
- We will see young people not because of the reduction in the limit on foreign players or the reluctance of foreigners to go to the country, but because of the sporting principle. There are always guys who stand out, and they will get into the first team. This was also noted by Pascual, and there is nothing artificial here.
- Can you agree with the phrase that the development of children's personnel is the number one task in such a difficult period?
– Of course. Each club wants its own pupils to play in the first team. Therefore, academies have been created so that these basketball players get into the first team.
- When you were still playing by yourself, Russian players played in the NBA, won gold at EuroBasket 2007. Now there is nothing like that. Does this mean that Russian basketball is in decline now?
- I think it's the other way around. The VTB United League is one of the strongest in Europe, so I can't say that Russian basketball is in decline. Our players stay to play in their native country because of the strong and high-quality basketball.
- Looking at the younger generation of Zenit and other academies, can you say that young players have a chance to adequately replace Alexei Shved, Timofey Mozgov, Nikita Kurbanov, who have been representing the national team for many years?
– Yes, of course. That is why academies have been created to worthily replace former leaders. Now everything is being done so that young players reach this level and there are more and more good Russian basketball players in the clubs of the VTB United League.
Photo: UNICS press service
“In the confrontation between UNICS and Zenit, I supported the second team”
– In addition to victories in the academy, your main team also plays well. How did Zenit manage to beat CSKA in the final?
- I watched all the games live, I also came to Moscow. The two strongest teams in Russia met, there were seven matches, each game was played “on thin”, there was no huge advantage for someone. But Zenit won this year, so it was stronger in all respects. For example, Pascual outplayed Dimitris Itoudis. Summing up: we won, so we are stronger.
– In the course of the series, the score was 3 – 1 in favor of the army team, the next game was held in Moscow. Then did not say goodbye to thoughts about the title?
- No, of course not. You always have to fight to the last. That's when the final whistle sounds, then you lost and do nothing. And when there are chances to win, then you need to try to use them. In this component, Zenit was stronger. In addition, we won in Moscow - on the one hand, we did not please the fans on our site, and on the other, it's even more difficult.
– In the VTB United League semi-final series, Zenit played with UNICS. In one team you are now working, in the second you spent seven years. Whom did you root for in that confrontation?
- Of course, in that confrontation I supported Zenit. But I can say that I still communicate well with the management and coaches of UNICS. I flew to Kazan for two matches of the series, met with the management, we shared our experience both in youth projects and in the main team. Therefore, I know the structure of UNICS, it was interesting to hear about it.
In that series, the Kazan club appeared to be a difficult team, although it is always difficult. Knowing President Yevgeny Borisovich ( Bogachev - ed. ), I can say that only the highest goals are set there.
- Will the struggle between CSKA, Zenit, here and UNICS only increase next year?
- Yes, I think that next year in the VTB United League will be even more interesting. We follow with interest the signings of teams in the current off-season.
- For the first time since 2011, CSKA did not become the champion of the VTB United League. Is this the end of CSKA dominance?
- Of course, I don't know what's going on inside the Moscow club. I myself worry only about Zenit, I want my club to win as many trophies as possible and become champions even more often.
Photo: UNICS press service
"I hope I'll find Veremeenko's number - and we'll talk"
- Zenit beat CSKA last season, you also had the opportunity to experience it in your own skin. How does it feel to face CSKA in VTB United League matches?
– Yes, I won CSKA for both UNICS and Krasny Oktyabr. I know that many teams are especially tuned in to games with the army team. Still a multiple national champion. When you win against CSKA, it gives even more emotions than ordinary victories.
Although for me personally there were no teams against which I would not be prepared to win. There was no such thing: I go out on the floor and know in advance that I will lose. In fact, why go out then? Therefore, I have always strived to win in any match, be it CSKA or another club. Although someone can give up slack when playing with outsiders. You think that you will win in the class, then you go to the court, but there is no victory. For this reason, you can not relax with any team.
- You had a long career, it lasted 19 years. What was the main achievement?
- No major achievement can be noted. Still, there were important stages in his career: how he started playing basketball, how he got into Spartak St. Petersburg, how he was invited to UNICS, and then to other teams. All these moments are significant for me.
- But most of your victories came in UNICS. Did you remember something in particular?
- I would say that not the majority, but all my awards, cups, medals are connected with my career in UNICS. I especially remember the match of the Russian Cup in Yekaterinburg - we then played against CSKA and won in an additional five-minute period with a score of 82:81. In regulation time, I converted a three-pointer from the shield and moved the game into overtime. That game is the most memorable. After that meeting, Stanislav Eremin came up to me and said: “Zamansky, just don’t be conceited.” I answered him: "It's too early for me."
- Can that match be considered the best in your career?
- No, that game was the most memorable. I still had the best matches, as well as just good meetings.
- In 2011, you won the European Cup with UNICS. What made that team special?
- Probably, it's not possible to say so right away. I remember that we won both the semi-final and the final with a difference of 15-20 points, let's say, we won relatively easily. In the final with the Spanish club Cajasol, as in all finals, there was a pleasant atmosphere. Besides, I always liked to play on the road, when you are cheering against you, when there are five or ten thousand spectators against you, who scream, whistle. I liked this kind of atmosphere. It gave me even more emotions, strength and desire to win.
– Evgeniy Pashutin led UNICS that year. What kind of coach is he?
- All coaches in my career are special. They won both cups and medals. The same Eremin, the foreign specialists with whom I worked, each of them is special in his own way: each has his own philosophy, each approaches work, training and games in his own way.
- For a long time in UNICS you played together with Vladimir Veremeenko, who disappeared from the radar in the last couple of years. Do you communicate with him?
- We talked to him when he was still playing for Tsmoki-Minsk, but somehow not lately. I know very well that he likes to change numbers, so now I have no connection with him. But we spent five years together, we always lived together on trips. I hope that I will find his number and we will call him and talk.
- Maybe you can say hello to him, he will suddenly see the interview ...
- Vladimir, my big hello to you. I hope that I will also say hello to you personally, and we will talk there.
Vladimir Veremeenko (left) and Igor Zamansky (right) / photo: UNICS press service
– In 2013, you left UNICS after five consecutive years at the club. You also had the first period (2001 - 2003), that is, in total you spent seven years in Kazan. Although most Russian players do not stay in clubs for more than a couple of seasons. How did you manage to play in the same team for such a long period of time?
- You sign a contract, go out on the court, play for the team, for the audience and for yourself. You always need to be in the best shape and benefit the club. If this succeeds, then the contract with you is extended. According to this principle, I spent seven years in UNICS. Although there were other proposals, but, as they say, they don’t look for good from good.
– Was it hard to leave UNICS?
– Honestly, it has always been hard for me to leave one club for another. Still, you get used to the management, coaches and partners. A good relationship develops with everyone - and then you need to move to another club where you don’t know a lot of people. It's always difficult. But such is our life as basketball players, this is how it works and nothing can be done.
- After the end of your career, you and Petr Samoylenko played in amateur competitions. It turns out that already at a respectable age basketball did not let you go?
- He still won't let go. I still play, train, since the gym is nearby - I went down the stairs and threw it into the ring. Basketball has not gone away from me and will not go away. Now I play in amateur competitions, get together with academies, management, coaches.
- And Samoilenko still plays in amateur competitions. Haven't crossed paths with him?
- After all, he only plays among Kazan teams, but I don’t remember that in Russian teams they intersected. Once we went to the Russian Championship, there were teams from different cities, Petya then played for St. Petersburg. Although, I don’t remember exactly, but we also played with him in the Crimea. He came there playing for the Kazan team "TANK088", but we did not play against each other.
Petr Samoylenko / photo: UNICS press service
- Do you keep in touch with any former UNICS players?
- Just with Peter Samoylenko. Sometimes I see Sergey Chikalkin, I communicate with Valery Daineko. I call them up when I travel to other cities for a youth project. We try to meet whenever possible.
- You retired at the age of 38. Was it difficult to play in the last couple of seasons?
- You can play up to 45, but health is important here. The main thing is that there are no injuries, and this base is laid in childhood. Therefore, I am grateful to my children's coach, who laid that foundation in me. It turns out that for 19years of my professional career, I twisted my leg once, and it was insignificant. Thanks to this base, I played at the required level and did not feel tired. I could, in fact, still play in the Super League - there were offers from there - but I decided that enough was enough.
– Do you suffer from injuries now?
- No, with that one injury that was in my career, everything is fine now, I don't feel it. And to this day, I actively support the form. Therefore, there are no injuries with age either.
- In addition to the children's "base", is there a place for sports medicine when playing at a respectable age?
– Yes, but medicine is completely different now than it was 20 years ago when I was playing. Progress does not stand still: some basketball players do procedures after each training session, which allows them to recover faster, devices have also appeared. I have never had this in my career, now in this regard everything is much better.
– Do you now think that you made the right decision to end your career at 38?
– Of course. If I accepted it, then it was my conscious decision that it was time to finish with professional basketball.
- How hard was it to make the transition from the life of a professional athlete to the life of an ordinary person?
– I talked to my friends about this topic. Some said it was hard, others said it was easy. I stayed in basketball, and the transition period was much easier than it could have been.
“Daughter has a soft brush”
– In 2010 you told that your son would be a basketball player. After 12 years, your words come true?
- Yes, he is now 14 years old, he plays in Olympus, in the team with which we cooperate. A month ago, he went to the training camp of the national U14 team, he was called there. I know that Zoran Lukic also came there ( head coach of the Russian national basketball team - red . ). But it's not like I force my son to play basketball. He wants to, tries and trains.
– Your daughter Daria Zamanskaya plays professional volleyball and is called up to the youth teams of Russia. Why did she choose this sport and not follow in her father's footsteps?
- It was easier with her. I always told her to watch it yourself, because basketball is a little bit specific for girls. She chose volleyball, she liked this sport since childhood. She is engaged in Dynamo-Ak Bars, won the European Championship and the World Championship with the national team. Now she's just in the training camp.
– Doesn't she play basketball?
- Plays when he comes in the summer. At the same time, she has a very soft brush, just right for basketball. I told her: “Dash, you can also play basketball.
For free.
g once upon a time).
For free.
Do not forget about the pros, they make the world a better place. 
But he is not just Timofey's father, but, if I may say so, his manager. 
My dad sent me there so that I could start somewhere. Maybe he loves basketball. We had a small action at school - who wants to, come, teach, work out. There I began to play slowly, and so it came to the "Panther". I trained at this school for two years and then went to the training camp in Vatutinki, in CSKA. And it so happened that the coach liked me and he called me to the team. 
" He was not yet 8 years old, he went to the training camp and after that they offered him to study. We will consider that this is such a starting point, more or less meaningful and organized basketball. 
Therefore, Europe is the best option.” Pasha left first, we actually went after him. By coincidence, it turned out that we were helped by the same agents who arranged for Pasha in Baskonia. Just a little different way: we went to Spain to train in the summer, attended a Spanish summer camp for several years, adopted the culture of advanced European basketball, this is speed, fast transit, activity in attack, in early attack. It was all useful to study, we saw many advantages in this. One such summer camp had an agent who represented the agency that recruited Savkov. We met, they say: "Well, let's take your boyfriend, we'll see." 
“Interception”), but they offered us two teams - Joventut and Estudiantes. 
Kirill could close the position in the three-second zone both by his age and by his senior, so Hoventut took him. There was only one place left in the school, and there was none for Rudovsky. 
It was very reminiscent of Badalona, only without the sea. It seemed that this was the best option, so, of course, they accepted the offer with pleasure. In the summer, we intensively prepared for a month, arrived there and became part of this team. 
And if you have height, skills and some kind of authority, you start to live so a little on easy. Moreover, when he started playing for this team, people came up there, the father of a guy from the Spanish national team of the same age, Daniel Casarrubios in 2004, he said “juego de los listos”, which means he is already a ready-made pro - in thinking, in skills . He played in CSKA number one, immediately began to steer the team, scored a lot, it was clear that a qualitatively different level. 
And the rivals, of course, were not from the championship of Madrid, but the “youth team” of Spain, Turkey, Italy, Slovenia, Serbia . It was a good help that helped keep Timofey in good shape and, so to speak, test himself at a higher level. 
Moreover, the contract and everything else. On the other hand, I didn't want to go back at all. Meaning? Therefore, I would say that I was lucky that the pandemic began and I was able to leave there.” 
” We got in touch, got to know each other, I sent a video and literally 3 days later I received a message that the Sierra Canyon school coach wants to talk to you and invite you to come and join his team. We saw that Sierra Canyon is very well listed, one of the top teams, many children of former pro players play there. 
And suddenly it so happened that a familiar coach went to talk to the coach, showed him my highlights and said: “The coach is interested.” I was very surprised, shock, one might say. I can’t even imagine, from the word “absolutely”. Then I just prepared, trained, I would say, I even forgot. It seems to me that I went almost with a clear head, because all the time before leaving I was just preparing.” 
That is, it is a cool school in terms of academic, educational. Therefore, there was no doubt, we went there.” 
And maybe the fifth time, when you just say you don't understand, maybe he'll explain. And so it is necessary to grasp everything on the fly. 
There is no one against whom we are friends, who is not friends with whom, we still communicate, there are many team events where the guys spend time together. Tim communicates with Bronnie in the same way as with the rest, but you need to understand that Bronnie has a specific life, he has been a celebrity since birth, and this leaves an imprint on his character, demeanor, relationships, he does not seek to get close to people, he has an even relationship with everyone, it is impossible to single out what is friends with this or that. He has friends, but they are from a different field, eSports, there is a team that is very famous and popular in America (the FaZe Clan team - approx. "Intercept"), Bronnie's career in this team is no less popular than Bronnie the basketball player. 
.. to Timofey himself. 
He treats us all from Sierra Canyon, Strive like nephews. Uncle Bro, something like that. He called, he said: “Here you could give the pass down to the big one, and if your defender goes down from you for insurance, then you can get the pass back for three and throw it calmly, and not throw it with a pause and with uncertainty after the pass, when you looked down at the ring, down again and threw the airball. As I did at the time. He says - well, you could look there. I listened and the advice just soaked in. I would say so. Ears listen by themselves to such people .” 
The answer was that we play 1-4, that is, we have one big and four perimeter defenders who interact, combine, and so on. 
It all looked not very nice in terms of playing time and opportunities to continue to be active on the court. 
Bronnie James, Kijanny Wright, Amari Bailey, Shai Odom, the list goes on. 
A special commission is assembled to decide the issue, and in cases with athletes, this issue is often resolved in their favor. 
And Timofey Rudovsky is interesting. He was already called in by Anferney Hardaway, former NBA star and current head coach of the Memphis Tigers in the NCAA Division I. But Memphis is still a strong team, the top 30 of the league, so it may be difficult for Tim to get more time there than he gets now. 
He moved to Spain at 16 and trains with the Basque Country 
One of our team lives there - "Zenith" -UOR. 
However, you can’t compare here - each club has its own. 
In addition, I also have an administrative job. 
More than once I invited Pascual to the games, he himself singled out several players, and they are on the pencil of the first team. I myself most of all want them to play at the base of Zenit. I hope we will see someone there this year. 
Therefore, academies have been created so that these basketball players get into the first team. 
In this component, Zenit was stronger. In addition, we won in Moscow - on the one hand, we did not please the fans on our site, and on the other, it's even more difficult. 
Still a multiple national champion. When you win against CSKA, it gives even more emotions than ordinary victories. 
Did you remember something in particular? 
In the final with the Spanish club Cajasol, as in all finals, there was a pleasant atmosphere. Besides, I always liked to play on the road, when you are cheering against you, when there are five or ten thousand spectators against you, who scream, whistle. I liked this kind of atmosphere. It gave me even more emotions, strength and desire to win. 
But we spent five years together, we always lived together on trips. I hope that I will find his number and we will call him and talk. 
According to this principle, I spent seven years in UNICS. Although there were other proposals, but, as they say, they don’t look for good from good. 
The main thing is that there are no injuries, and this base is laid in childhood. Therefore, I am grateful to my children's coach, who laid that foundation in me. It turns out that for 19years of my professional career, I twisted my leg once, and it was insignificant. Thanks to this base, I played at the required level and did not feel tired. I could, in fact, still play in the Super League - there were offers from there - but I decided that enough was enough. 
I have never had this in my career, now in this regard everything is much better. 
I know that Zoran Lukic also came there ( head coach of the Russian national basketball team - red . ). But it's not like I force my son to play basketball. He wants to, tries and trains. 
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