Josh Banks - Participates in scrimmage Banks (ankle) participated in VCU's team scrimmage Saturday, per Wayne Epps Jr. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Impact Banks averaged 1.6 points on 32.1 shooting during VCU's 2021-22 season. Though healthy again, he is expected to continue being a backup wing that will not play much even if teammates Jayden Nunn or KeShawn Curry are out.
OCTOBER 15 • ROTOWIRE
Jalen DeLoach - Active during scrimmage DeLoach (ankle) participated in VCU's team scrimmage Saturday, per Wayne Epps Jr. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Impact DeLoach averaged 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds during the 2021-22 NCAA season. He will be competing against transfer Brandon Johns to be VCU's starting power forward. During the team scrimmage Saturday, DeLoach logged 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 FT) and six rebounds across 22 minutes.
OCTOBER 15 • ROTOWIRE
Xavier lands 4-star PG Trey Green Xavier landed the first commitment of its 2023 class from four-star point guard Trey Green, who announced his pledge on Twitter Saturday. G...
AUGUST 6 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Jarren McAllister - Tears ACL again McAllister suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, Wayne Epps Jr. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Impact It's a tough situation for the redshirt junior guard, who has now suffered three ACL tears in his college career. It's also the second time McAllister has needed the surgery on his right knee. McAllister missed the entire 2021 season with a left ACL tear, and hasn't seen the court since 2019. No timetable was offered for a potential return to action, but it's safe to assume we won't see the guard on the court for VCU anytime soon, if at all this upcoming season.
JULY 22 • ROTOWIRE
Adidas 3SSB: Four-star combo guard Freddie Dilione talks visits Rock Hill, SC — One of the top stock risers of the spring Freddie Dilione has started to take more college visits as his recruitment continu...
JULY 13 • 247SPORTS.COM
Memphis Grizzlies pick VCU's Vince Williams Jr. in second round of 2022 NBA Draft The Memphis Grizzlies selected VCU's Vince Williams jr. with the No. 47 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
JUNE 24 • COMMERCIALAPPEAL.COM
Hidden Gems: Vince Williams Jr. Carries Intriguing Two-Way Ability Despite being deemed a late-round prospect, Vince Williams provides major plug-and-play ability on both ends of the ball.
JUNE 9 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Iowa State men's basketball lands ex-VCU post player from the transfer portal Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger vowed to improve his team's post play. A step in that direction happened when VCU transfer Hason Ward committe...
APRIL 17 • DESMOINESREGISTER.COM
VCU beats Princeton 90-79 in NIT
Adrian Baldwin Jr. and KeShawn Curry scored 23 points apiece as VCU beat Princeton 90-79 in the NIT first round
MARCH 15 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marcus Tsohonis - Returns from concussion injury Tsohonis (concussion) racked up three points (1-3 FG, 1-3 3Pt) and one steal over 10 minutes during Friday's 75-64 loss to Richmond.
Impact Tsohonis missed the last two games before the game versus Richmond so its good to see him back out there. Tsohonis will continue to serve as a role player for the rest of the season.
MARCH 12 • ROTOWIRE
Marcus Tsohonis - Will be available Friday Tsohonis (concussion) will be available for Friday's A-10 Tournament game, Wayne Epps Jr. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Impact Tsohonis will be back after missing the last two games of the regular season due to a concussion. He should continue his regular role of coming in off the bench.
MARCH 10 • ROTOWIRE
Marcus Tsohonis - Likely to return Friday VCU head coach Mike Rhoades said Monday that he's "pretty sure" Tsohonis (concussion) will be ready to play Friday in the team's first Atlantic 10 tournament game, Jon Rothstein of...
Impact Tsohonis missed VCU's final two games of the regular season, but he looks as though he'll be somewhere between "questionable" and "probable" as the Rams prepare for postseason play. He concluded the regular season with averages of 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 three-pointers in 15.4 minutes per game over 26 appearances (three starts).
MARCH 7 • ROTOWIRE
Vince Williams - Solid production in win Williams ended Tuesday's 74-51 victory over St. Bonaventure with 13 points (3-11 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 6-6 FT), seven rebounds, six assists, one block and two steals over 35 minutes.
Impact Williams finished with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists for just the fourth time during the campaign. Despite scoring in double figures in two of his last three games, the senior forward is shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from deep during that stretch. His poor shooting recently may be a side effect of trying to play through his recent ankle injury, but either way, his overall production has still been consistent, so fantasy managers should still feel confident with Williams in their lineup for Saturday's regular-season finale against Saint Louis.
MARCH 2 • ROTOWIRE
Curry scores 14 to carry VCU over St. Bonaventure 74-51
KeShawn Curry had 14 points and six rebounds as VCU stretched its win streak to eight games, easily beating St. Bonaventure 74-51
MARCH 1 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vince Williams - Starting Tuesday Williams (ankle) is starting Tuesday's game against St. Bonaventure.
Impact Williams continues to nurse an injured left ankle and will play through the injury again Tuesday. He's averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 29.8 minutes over the past five games.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Marcus Tsohonis - Will not play Tuesday Tsohonis (concussion protocol) will not play Tuesday against St. Bonaventure, Wayne Epps Jr. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Impact Tsohonis is set to miss his fourth game of the season while under concussion protocols. The junior guard has appeared in 26 games this season, averaging 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.4 minutes per game. His next chance to return is Saturday against Saint Louis.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Vince Williams - Dressed and warming up Williams (ankle) is warming up ahead of Tuesday's game against St. Bonaventure, Wayne Epps Jr. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Impact Williams continues to battle a left ankle injury, but it is looking like he will try to play through it on Tuesday. Williams did not practice on Sunday, but was able to do some things on Monday.
CBB Rank 2021 moves along with VCU basketball next on the list, ranking at number 82.
After a season where VCU impressed the college basketball world and was robbed of its chance to play in the NCAA Tournament, VCU basketball is looking for revenge. They will have to do so without superstar Bones Hyland, but bring back the rest of their starters and have added key pieces.
You can check out teams 83-100 in our rankings right here.
Williams took a huge jump last year, going from 4 points per game scorer to double digits and second on the team. He improved greatly with a better role on the team, and now as the top guy, we should see this again. With another year of development, Williams could be a contender for A-10 player of the year and serves as a great piece for this Mike Rhodes-led team.
Make-or-Break Player: Jamir Watkins
Despite being 6th in minutes, Watkins finished 3rd on the team in points as a freshman. This year, he can improve even more on that and even become their top scoring option. If he continues to develop at this expected rate, the sky’s the limit for this guy. Without Bones Hyland, VCU needs a guy who can fill that role of being able to get a bucket when needed, and Watkins can be that guy and keep them at the same level that saw them make the NCAA Tournament last season.
Bench Rating: 8/10
Whether Coach Rhodes decides to have Watkins or Tshonis as the first man off the bench, each of them could be a top 6th man in the country. They’ve got another talented guy in Josh Banks right under them, who had a decent freshman year and take a leap. Curry or any of their recruits can fill that last role, making this VCU basketball team a deep team that shouldn’t be impacted too much by any missed time by a top player. Nichols is also a great get from Providence and could contend with Stockard for the starting power forward role.
Team Outlook
👀 this one. Ace Baldwin's 4.4 assists per game this season were a program record for a freshman.
With four of five starters returning and a talented transfer who took a big jump in Marcus Tshonis, the Rams are looking good this year. They will need a guy to fill in the role that Hyland had, but with a good combination of experience and raw talent, this team can surprise many.
The A-10 is looking challenging this season, with St. Bonaventure being a potential Top-25 team and Dayton (#91 on CBB Rank), UMass, and St Louis all potentially being tournament teams. If they can finish second in the conference like last season, VCU basketball should be a tournament lock, but they have an uphill battle to get there.
Projected Finish: 3rd in Atlantic 10
Projected Postseason Finish: Round of 64 exit
Ceiling: Round of 32 Exit
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The NCAA makes it much easier to combine studies and basketball
A well-known Russian basketball player about his overseas studentship and the importance of being able to read the game
Today we will talk about the peculiarities of NCAA training and games with Konstantin Nesterov. This player has 15 years of basketball career behind him, two of which were at the VCU University, after which he managed to become the silver medalist of the Universiade, and at the end of his professional performances he helped the Russian team win a medal at the 3x3 World Championship. In his club career, he defended the colors of such clubs as: Spartak (St. Petersburg), Arsenal (Tula), Lokomotiv (Rostov-on-Don), UNICS (Kazan), Triumph (Lyubertsy), "Red Wings" (Samara), "Spartak-Primorye" (Vladivostok).
How did you get into the NCAA?
My entry into the NCAA, since I was not the first to go there from St. Petersburg, was the result of Evgeny Kisurin leaving for the same VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). Before him, there was Kostya Pepelyaev, a center who stayed in America and began working as a programmer, and did not go further along the basketball path. Fedya Likholitov went there two years before me. In St. Petersburg, we played together for the Baltic Star under the leadership of Vladimir Ilyich Shtam. Denis Orlov was also with us, who, in his youth, came to Steinbock A.I. from Severobaikalsk. He did not immediately go to VCU, but first to "putyagu" - a military school that prepares boys for entering a university.
When I played for Baltic Star, coaches from VCU came to us and watched our games in the first league, and there were even cases when they went with us to a couple of away matches. Then in the winter during the season they offered me to go with them to America, and in the summer I took advantage of their offer. So, thanks, probably, to the connections of the same Shtam Vladimir Ilyich and St. Petersburg with Richmond (Virginia), which were at that time, this happened.
Is the NCAA coach-team relationship different from what we have?
Our coach at the university, since he did not play himself, applied a lot of coaching dogmas. For example, David Blatt has a well-developed intuition in relation to players, and he can feel the mood and suggest the most necessary for a particular moment from a half-word, half-look. And our university coach assured us that a certain system should work under all circumstances, even though this did not happen. The same Shtam in our St. Petersburg team often tried to guess the mood of the players. Somewhere once again shout, in another case, on the contrary, do not touch the player. For example, I really appreciate this approach. If you work with people aged 18-22, then anything can happen in the guys head - a girlfriend, study, missed the house, but anything, so sometimes it is necessary to act according to the situation, both during the game and in training.
Somehow at the beginning of the season there was a situation in our VCU team when the coaches wanted to tighten our discipline. Although she is always present anyway - you can’t be late, skip school, violate the regime at home, since most players live in a hostel. This is always in sight of the team, the university. Basketball players are an example. And at some point, someone was late for the tutor, which was specially organized for him, after which they just woke us up at 4 in the morning, took us to the stadium, and forced us to do all sorts of physical exercises. Thus, they wanted to improve the overall discipline in an army way, because the whole team is responsible for the actions of each player. But then, after we did the press, we were told to skate on the grass. At first, everyone did not understand how it was, why? The newcomers followed the leaders. And the same Fedya Likholitov, who had been playing in the VCU team for two years by that time, refused to do this, because this is a humiliation and does not keep pace with discipline. He was supported by a couple of old people, and they could not force us less experienced to do it.
What kind of attitude can there be after this? Moreover, at that moment the coach himself was not with us. All this was done by assistants - the third coach, a physical training instructor. But we understood that it was at his suggestion that in this way he was trying to influence discipline. And when this happens, you start to think, what does the coach want to achieve - to make us better as a team or to show our strength - to unite through humiliation? No matter how much he believes in such a theory, it does not work in practice.
What did you get there in 2 years that you wouldn't get here?
Before I left, I remember sitting with my basketball buddies and counting how many games I got in a season at 18. I played for the university in the city championship, in the first league for the Baltic Star, including away tours, and for it in the city championship with Khalit Vagapov, Borey Kozikov, plus in Gatchina in the city championship, and I also graduated from the sports school by 17- 18 years old. Having calculated, it turned out that I spend approximately a year as an NBA regular season - about 82 games. At the same time, I was still trying to study, before an American university, I managed to study at Voenmekh. It turns out that in Russia I played a lot at different levels and with different partners, and when I got to the States, there was already one team and a completely different program. Moreover, the understanding of basketball there is completely different, it is generally brought into a cult in America. Those who get into the NCAA, they have already achieved something at the school level and are already players for a reason - they are not “jars”. Accordingly, there is such an atmosphere that you work among people who are more technically savvy. The same black guys were more athletic and faster than others, they better understood some of their standard interactions that were not known to us. Those 2 years that I spent in America were useful for me, first of all, in strength training. There I felt that I was getting stronger every day, every week, and I understood that I could use it on the court. When there is a regular balanced diet and a regular barbell, this system takes you to a different level in terms of fitness and efficiency, which can be shown both in defense and in attack.
About studies and sports in the USA
It is very convenient that in American universities you can adapt to the basketball schedule and study the chosen disciplines according to a convenient schedule. Something to keep for the summer. Therefore, on the one hand, studying does not interfere, on the other hand, it was unusual for me, because I have to study completely myself. You cannot bring any presents to the teacher. There are no acquaintances through the sports department. Therefore, all tests and exams had to be taken independently. Because of this, you need to understand how serious a specialty you need to take in order to have time to play basketball, and at the same time have enough time and energy to study. Indeed, because of poor grades at the university, they are suspended from the game - this is not a secret. But for this there are "advisers" - people who help to make a schedule. I myself used their help, especially at the beginning, when I studied the language before taking on difficult subjects. In Russia, I probably would not have been able to get this. It's cool in the States to study and play basketball at the same time. And if I had arrived earlier - to an American school, then it would have been even easier at the university.
Like many others, I experienced a culture shock when I arrived in the US. After all, everything is different there than what is shown in our films about America. If I had one of my relatives there at that time, then I could have spent my American period more effectively both in terms of basketball and in terms of study.
Pro Basketball Conditions a
Everything was perfect in Richmond, from the gym to the shiny floor, balls, jerseys, the schedule that was specially arranged for us. Conditions for players and coaches are excellent. I don't know if we have anything similar at the student level now. There, the organization is getting closer to professional sports. And this is very inspiring to show the best results. When you work in good conditions, sooner or later you will show results, no matter how talented you are.
Also, the culture of the fan cannot be ignored. People around know the players of the team, students come to all the games. At that time, our new 7,000-seat stadium was constantly full. As in the matches of professional teams, there were many different entertainments, kiosks with popcorn. Each team has an orchestra that plays all sorts of hits, jokes; puppets who are constantly freaking out and filling in the gaps. Coming and getting sick is a pleasure. Moreover, not only current students get sick, but also graduates of different years who have been working for a long time. They, just like the youth, make noise, stomp their feet, lead the team to victories. This is, of course, a distinctive feature of their mentality, we, probably for objective reasons, have a different attitude towards sports. In our time, only the parents of the players and the closest ones came to cheer for the university in Russia. And we don’t have such halls at universities, so that those who come can comfortably, and not on benches, sit down and cheer for the university.
Personally prepared for specific opponents?
We had special trainers, and already in 2000 there were video machines that processed videotapes. And these coaches chose moments according to this or that player, according to combinations, according to the mistakes of opponents. And we looked through it together, discussed how we would act. Indeed, we prepared purposefully for each game, everything is very serious. Even on trips, special rooms were rented for team meetings with a TV and a VCR, everything was discussed, and each player received a detailed memo on the upcoming opponent: who scores better and from where, who needs to be tougher in defense, and who is freer. In general, we knew all the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents before meeting them, and understood how to act against them in defense and attack.
Gameplay
One important note about game play. If someone from the starting five quickly got two fouls, then no matter how good the player, he sat down on the bench until the big break.
In America, is it better to throw yourself than to pass?
Of course, in America, basketball is more focused on creating a situation for attacking on their own. But without the participation of partners, this will not be possible. In addition, in the NCAA, the physical development of players is different from the NBA, and more often, whoever is stronger has some kind of advantage, which is why they become leaders through which the attack is built. But teamwork is important, including in your own half of the court, because big games are won by defense. The strength of the team in the presence of a pronounced scorer will depend on how the partners can accept that the lion's share of attacks will go through him. And in university sports, team chemistry is even better because of unity in the process of solving problems or inflicting punishments on the whole team. In addition, the faithful basketball audience is primarily a fan of the team, and if you are part of it, then this is very inspiring for development.
The main thing in basketball is to learn to read the game
In continuation of the topic "Pass or throw" in relation to a young player, you can add the following. Now I train small children a little and I understand that everything depends on the person. A player who can't pass or shoot a three-pointer should do what he's more confident in. But if the second defender comes to the player with the ball, then, even there is such an expression “read defense”, you need to give the ball to the released partner. And if there is an opportunity to punch, you should beat. And so, for example, Boris Livanov in Spartak-Primorye said that he would put him on the bench if we missed our attack when there was an opportunity for a prepared throw, and this was a revelation for me. I think that the current Zenit St. Petersburg (where Livanov is an assistant coach) plays the same way. If there is a situation for attack, it is necessary to attack. But if you have two players and you can't get rid of the ball smartly in time, then you're making the wrong decision.
Confidence in a player comes from realizing or listening to the words of the coach when to pass and when to shoot. And it doesn’t matter if this happens at 16, at 20 or 35, but when you do it all the time, and your partners understand you, then confidence in your actions comes that will never leave you. Because from that moment you understand the game. This is more important than just doing a technical element well. When such a puzzle is assembled, you yourself begin to get new pleasure from the game and do not think what action to take in defense or attack. The game becomes one whole. This is very important for a player of any level - a schoolboy, a student, a professional, a collection.
How can young basketball players develop themselves better?
If you have the opportunity to finish a sports school and then go to preparatory classes in America, you won't find a better option. Studying, training in the States, learning the language and being in a constant basketball atmosphere will be both interesting and useful for yourself. After that, you can try to enter some market of student teams. There are a lot of universities there and there is always a need for young basketball players, especially tall ones. It all depends on how motivated you are, how you love and know how to work. In younger years, playing and training discipline is very important in order to cope with the competition and find the best path for yourself. But sometimes talented young people lack the ability to work and the desire to constantly plow for the sake of their own progress.
Of course, it would be cool if there were 1000 universities in Russia with the appropriate material and technical base, and a lot of people would like to study for a sports scholarship, like in the NCAA, then I would wish to stay in Russia. For example, it was important for me to stay in the family, and those two years that I spent away were difficult for me. I value the support of my family, and if I could go to an American university with my family, it would be easier. One needs to be an order of magnitude stronger psychologically. This is a challenge and you need to properly prepare for it.
So I played there for two years and then I decided that I would come back to play professionally. It was difficult to study, and maybe it would be worth graduating from university. Taking into account the year of Voenmekh and the transfer to the States, one year was not enough for me to get a bachelor's degree. But I decided in 2002 to return to St. Petersburg to be with my family and play for Spartak. Then there was Arsenal, and then in 2003, participation in the Universiade in South Korea, to which Alexander Sergeevich Kharchenkov invited me to the national team. It was a cool experience. At that age, my physical condition already allowed me to play at a good level, and I signed a contract with Lokomotiv Rostov. Just those successful three years brought me more emotions than even my student years. In Russia, I felt at ease.
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📝 Rules and features
Before we talk about the actual benefits of this sport, we must clarify its basic rules and concepts. So, basketball is a team game involving the use of the so-called basketball. Two teams participate in the competition, each of which is responsible for its own basket, which is a ring with a net, a basketball backboard, equipped on a rack.
To win, you need to throw the ball into the opponent's basket and at the same time protect your own basket from being hit by an "enemy projectile.
The venue for this game is a sports field where five players from each of the participating teams meet. It should be noted that in basketball you can only touch the ball with your hand, and you need to move it through bouncing on the floor, which make the game very reckless and difficult. player at the time of the throw.0005
📈 Why is basketball good for health?
From the above, it is clear that basketball is a very maneuverable and fast sport that provides a variety of physical activities. The gameplay here includes running, jumping, throwing and many other movements. Of course, participation in such a game provides training for various muscle groups and develops muscles to a large extent. If extra pounds are your problem, basketball will help you quickly lose weight and gain long-awaited harmony .
Other positive aspects are the strengthening of the vestibular apparatus and a natural increase in dexterity. In addition, basketball fans have excellent coordination and endurance. The positive effect of this game on human immunity has been proven, because it trains well the protective functions, as well as the respiratory apparatus . If you do it for a long time, you can increase your lung capacity.
The benefits of basketball do not stop there, because it improves the health of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, and also has a beneficial effect on the organs of vision. For the latter, the game becomes a kind of visual gymnastics, including constant observation of the ball, namely, this is necessary for training the eye muscles and developing peripheral vision .
How does basketball affect human psychology? Very positive, because it forms in us many useful qualities and skills. For example, endurance, ability to focus on a set goal, take initiative, work in a team and take responsibility .
🏀 Basketball for the younger generations
It's no secret that young athletes prefer those games that are spectacular and dynamic. This is exactly what basketball is - a favorite sport of many boys. The positive impact of this game on the physical development of children is obvious, but one cannot fail to note the enormous pedagogical benefits.
It has been proved that the guys attending the basketball section are more creative, responsible, collected and independent than their non-athletic peers. If a child has problems with discipline or self-esteem, parents should introduce him to this game. Recall that this can be done quite early (starting from primary school age).
Adults in Russia are not often fond of basketball, because football and volleyball in our area have much more fans. However, the situation is gradually beginning to change, and we are seeing considerable progress in this regard. We have already noted above that this game is not only very exciting, but also useful. It is no coincidence that a number of positions from basketball are included in recreational physical education programs.
❌ Contraindications for playing basketball
Unfortunately, not all people can play basketball. Those suffering from diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, as well as those with problems with the musculoskeletal system, should be aware of the danger this game poses to them. There are a number of other diseases in which basketball is absolutely contraindicated.
In order not to make mistakes and not cause any harm to yourself, before starting classes, you should undergo a medical examination and discuss its results with a specialist. It must be remembered that basketball is one of the traumatic games, so it is important for novice athletes to follow the safety rules. Without elementary preparation and a conversation with an experienced trainer, it is impossible to start classes.
in second round of 2022 NBA Draft The Memphis Grizzlies selected VCU's Vince Williams jr. with the No. 47 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday night. 
He concluded the regular season with averages of 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 three-pointers in 15.4 minutes per game over 26 appearances (three starts).
The junior guard has appeared in 26 games this season, averaging 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.4 minutes per game. His next chance to return is Saturday against Saint Louis.
They will have to do so without superstar Bones Hyland, but bring back the rest of their starters and have added key pieces.
2 assists, 1 steal
1 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists
This year, he can improve even more on that and even become their top scoring option. If he continues to develop at this expected rate, the sky’s the limit for this guy. Without Bones Hyland, VCU needs a guy who can fill that role of being able to get a bucket when needed, and Watkins can be that guy and keep them at the same level that saw them make the NCAA Tournament last season. 
Ace Baldwin's 4.4 assists per game this season were a program record for a freshman. 
..
Petersburg, was the result of Evgeny Kisurin leaving for the same VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). Before him, there was Kostya Pepelyaev, a center who stayed in America and began working as a programmer, and did not go further along the basketball path. Fedya Likholitov went there two years before me. In St. Petersburg, we played together for the Baltic Star under the leadership of Vladimir Ilyich Shtam. Denis Orlov was also with us, who, in his youth, came to Steinbock A.I. from Severobaikalsk. He did not immediately go to VCU, but first to "putyagu" - a military school that prepares boys for entering a university. 
Petersburg with Richmond (Virginia), which were at that time, this happened. 
He was supported by a couple of old people, and they could not force us less experienced to do it. 
Having calculated, it turned out that I spend approximately a year as an NBA regular season - about 82 games. At the same time, I was still trying to study, before an American university, I managed to study at Voenmekh. It turns out that in Russia I played a lot at different levels and with different partners, and when I got to the States, there was already one team and a completely different program. Moreover, the understanding of basketball there is completely different, it is generally brought into a cult in America. Those who get into the NCAA, they have already achieved something at the school level and are already players for a reason - they are not “jars”. Accordingly, there is such an atmosphere that you work among people who are more technically savvy. The same black guys were more athletic and faster than others, they better understood some of their standard interactions that were not known to us. Those 2 years that I spent in America were useful for me, first of all, in strength training.
There I felt that I was getting stronger every day, every week, and I understood that I could use it on the court. When there is a regular balanced diet and a regular barbell, this system takes you to a different level in terms of fitness and efficiency, which can be shown both in defense and in attack. 
Indeed, because of poor grades at the university, they are suspended from the game - this is not a secret. But for this there are "advisers" - people who help to make a schedule. I myself used their help, especially at the beginning, when I studied the language before taking on difficult subjects. In Russia, I probably would not have been able to get this. It's cool in the States to study and play basketball at the same time. And if I had arrived earlier - to an American school, then it would have been even easier at the university. 
Conditions for players and coaches are excellent. I don't know if we have anything similar at the student level now. There, the organization is getting closer to professional sports. And this is very inspiring to show the best results. When you work in good conditions, sooner or later you will show results, no matter how talented you are. 
This is, of course, a distinctive feature of their mentality, we, probably for objective reasons, have a different attitude towards sports. In our time, only the parents of the players and the closest ones came to cheer for the university in Russia. And we don’t have such halls at universities, so that those who come can comfortably, and not on benches, sit down and cheer for the university. 
In general, we knew all the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents before meeting them, and understood how to act against them in defense and attack. 
And in university sports, team chemistry is even better because of unity in the process of solving problems or inflicting punishments on the whole team. In addition, the faithful basketball audience is primarily a fan of the team, and if you are part of it, then this is very inspiring for development. 
I think that the current Zenit St. Petersburg (where Livanov is an assistant coach) plays the same way. If there is a situation for attack, it is necessary to attack. But if you have two players and you can't get rid of the ball smartly in time, then you're making the wrong decision. 
For example, it was important for me to stay in the family, and those two years that I spent away were difficult for me. I value the support of my family, and if I could go to an American university with my family, it would be easier. One needs to be an order of magnitude stronger psychologically. This is a challenge and you need to properly prepare for it. 
Then there was Arsenal, and then in 2003, participation in the Universiade in South Korea, to which Alexander Sergeevich Kharchenkov invited me to the national team. It was a cool experience. At that age, my physical condition already allowed me to play at a good level, and I signed a contract with Lokomotiv Rostov. Just those successful three years brought me more emotions than even my student years. In Russia, I felt at ease. 
So, basketball is a team game involving the use of the so-called basketball. Two teams participate in the competition, each of which is responsible for its own basket, which is a ring with a net, a basketball backboard, equipped on a rack. 
If extra pounds are your problem, basketball will help you quickly lose weight and gain long-awaited harmony . 
For example, endurance, ability to focus on a set goal, take initiative, work in a team and take responsibility . 
We have already noted above that this game is not only very exciting, but also useful. It is no coincidence that a number of positions from basketball are included in recreational physical education programs. 
