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How many basketball games can you play and still redshirt
How many basketball games can you play and still redshirt
A-10 petitions NCAA regarding redshirt eligibility in light of COVID rise – The GW Hatchet
Media Credit: File Photo by Elissa Detellis | Staff Photographer
NCAA college football currently operates under rules similar to the A-10 basketball proposal.
Men’s and women’s basketball conference play is in full swing, but the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to disrupt the season.
Men’s basketball has rescheduled two games so far due to COVID-19 issues, and women’s basketball has been forced to play multiple games shorthanded, leaving the future of the teams’ success this season in flux. The Atlantic 10 petitioned the NCAA earlier this month to allow redshirt players limited participation without jeopardizing a full year of eligibility to help combat COVID-19 roster shortages, a move that could help GW remedy its shortages throughout the remainder of the season.
Current NCAA rules prohibit players from redshirting after they have played in a game, but A-10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade is asking that players designated for redshirt be able to play in up to four games in emergency scenarios while maintaining their extra year of eligibility, The Athletic reported earlier this month.![]()
The waiver would apply to all NCAA Division I college men’s and women’s basketball players, although it would only apply for this season.
The proposal was submitted on Jan. 4 with the hope that it would be instituted immediately. But the NCAA requested clarification on a few points, and it was part of the agenda for the men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees, which met on Jan. 18 at the NCAA Convention.
The results of the meeting are yet to be released.
The NCAA currently applies similar rules to the college basketball proposal in college football. In football, players are allowed to compete in up to four games out of the 12-game schedule and still qualify for a redshirt season, per an NCAA rule change in 2018. College basketball teams typically play roughly 30 games in a season.
College basketball teams have dealt with a surge in COVID-19 cases thanks to the Omicron variant, and both the GW men’s and women’s basketball teams have been affected.
The men’s team had a 26-day pause in December due to cases within the program, missing games against Maryland Eastern Shore, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Joseph’s and Duquesne. The Saint Joseph’s and Duquesne games were rescheduled for Jan. 19 and Feb. 16, respectively.
The team will work to reschedule their match with Maryland Eastern Shore at a further date while the conference is in charge of rescheduling the game against the Bonnies and is still looking for a suitable date to reschedule.
As of Saturday, freshman guard Laziz Talipov is the only player on the men’s team who would qualify for a redshirt under current rules, as he is yet to play in a game this season.
If the temporary rule change is approved, freshman forwards Tyler Warner and Daniel Nixon, junior forward Miles Gally and senior guard Theofanis Stamoulis would be eligible for a redshirt season. Warner, Gally and Nixon have played four games, and Stamoulis has played two games.
The women’s team has struggled with COVID-19 throughout the season and has been forced to play multiple games shorthanded.
They were missing redshirt junior forward Mayowa Taiwo, freshman forward Sophie Haydon and freshman guard Leila Patel for their games against Lehigh (70-57 loss) Dec. 21 and West Chester (64-31 win) Dec. 28.
GW also suffered a 73-42 loss to Rhode Island on Jan. 12, when they were missing graduate student guards Kyara Frames and Sierra Bell, graduate student forward Ty Moore, junior guards Nya Lok and Essence Brown and junior forward Faith Blethen, all of whom have been important contributors this year.
The team dropped its fourth straight conference game to Massachusetts 68-41 Saturday in the absence of Moore as well. Assistant coach Adam Call was also missing for the victory over West Chester, while the team was without Head Coach Caroline McCombs for their 66-63 loss to Richmond Jan. 5.
The women’s squad has had three games postponed due to COVID-19 cases so far this season. Their game against Saint Louis, scheduled for Jan. 2, was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Billikens program.
Their games against Dayton and Saint Bonaventure, scheduled for Jan. 8 and Jan. 15, respectively, were postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Colonials program.
No one on the women’s team would be eligible for a redshirt this season under the current rules, since everyone on the roster has played in at least one game.
If the temporary rule change was implemented, freshman guard Leila Patel and sophomore guard Piper Macke would be eligible for a redshirt season. So far this season, Patel has played one game and Macke has played two games.
The women’s team will look to earn its first conference win of the season at home against Davidson Wednesday. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
This article appeared in the January 24, 2022 issue of the Hatchet.
Redshirt | Everything You Need to Know & Athletes' Personal Experiences
Redshirting can have different meanings and utility depending on your situation. As a collegiate coach, you can use redshirting to help with roster construction, depth, development of fundamentals, or to save a year of eligibility for an injured player.
However, the focus of this piece is for the athlete: what is redshirting, how common is it, and how you can use it.
Related: Rate your Coaches
What is Redshirting?As you look forward to joining the collegiate ranks of student-athletes, you have so many options regarding how you might spend the next period of your life. Redshirting, at its core, allows student-athletes to maintain athletic eligibility while still reaping the benefits of a scholarship. You can practice with your team, condition with your team, and get ahead in the classroom. Redshirting can grant advantages like having a year to mature, to get comfortable with campus life, and to allow an athlete to pursue academic opportunities like a Master’s or another graduate degree while still on scholarship. Acclimating to college life is no small task, and not traveling with the team might allow a student-athlete to up their GPA with core classes, or take the most difficult required classes to avoid them when with the team full-time.
Related: Rate your Facilities
However, redshirting is not all rose-colored glasses. Redshirting is asking an excited athlete to delay the gratification that comes with playing college sports. People cheering you on is a feeling like no other. A student-athlete may take a redshirt but then might feel like a team member. In some cases they might feel ostracized by their teammates. Minnesota Women’s Hockey team captain Kelly Pannek stated, “You’re going to go through it, you’re going to get through it. Lean on the people around you; your teammates, your staff, your trainers, whoever it is.” The most important thing to remember is that any redshirt decision should be yours. Seek advice from those you trust, from career consultants at the university, your coaches, and make a decision that is best for you.
Related: Rate your Campus Visits
Redshirting allows a student-athlete five years to use four years of athletic eligibility. There are a few different ways to achieve this, and though military and religious redshirts have happened, they are not as common as voluntary, medical, and academic redshirting, which will be discussed below.
Related: How Many Times Can You Redshirt?
“Mentally, it’s very tough. You do go from being ‘the guy’ to, frankly, riding the bench every single game.”
– Ross Cockrell, Duke, Football
Voluntary RedshirtingCoaches can use redshirting to take advantage of the athlete, as some coaches may break promises made during recruitment. Morgan Hollenback, a former Syracuse LAX player, stated, “my recruitment versus actual experience with Syracuse Lacrosse could not have been more different. I was told there was a place for me on a top-flight roster, yet as soon as I stepped on to the Syracuse’s campus, my coaches asked me to voluntarily redshirt.” Her place was on the bench, along with half of the incoming freshman class (6 of 12). Once the season started in the spring, a fifth year senior advised a freshman who was not a redshirt to not to be friends with the redshirts because “it’s a waste of time and they will never play.
” There was a distinct lack of communication of what redshirting would mean for the six freshmen, and by the start of senior year, four out of the six redshirts were no longer playing lacrosse at Syracuse.
Although Morgan’s case went poorly, voluntary redshirting can work for both the team, coach, and the athlete. The key is to have clear communication from the coaching staff and self-awareness of the athletes to know what they want for themselves.
Related: Pros and Cons of Redshirting
Medical RedshirtingObviously, athletes do not want to obtain a medical redshirt at the beginning of their college sports career. However, when playing sports at this level, injuries can and do happen. A medical redshirt can save a year of eligibility that you might have lost due to an injury.
In 2018 there was an NCAA medical redshirt rule change. According to the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance, Scott Young, “the NCAA has two requirements for a medical redshirt; the injury must have occurred in the first half of the season, and the athlete must have competed in less than 30 percent of the season.
You must provide documentation of the injury, and it must be considered season-ending.”
The hope is that this new rule change will decrease the frequency of season-ending injuries. Wear and tear can cause injuries to happen, and when they do happen, they are often severe. Allowing younger athletes to play in a few games over the course of a season can help the seasoned players keep their bodies fresh. Due to the recency of this rule change, it is too soon to tell if there is any evidence to back up this reasoning. However, with the rise in public concern over concussions, I think it was the right move to make for the NCAA.
Related: 2 Ways to Qualify for a Redshirt Year
Academic RedshirtingThe rate of student-athlete graduation has increased by 15% since 2002. In hopes of achieving an even brighter academic future for its student-athletes, the NCAA created the academic redshirt, which can happen when a player meets a university’s academic standards but is not up to the NCAA-required cumulative GPA of 2.
3.
The academic redshirt is determined by the athlete’s high school transcripts. As long as they maintain a 2.0 GPA, they can qualify for and receive an athletic scholarship, but if below 2.3, the student-athlete will be on an academic redshirt. You will be allowed to practice with your team, but you are not allowed to compete, official, or exhibition for the academic year. This is where I implore you to use the help of tutors, professors and advisors. They are in place for your benefit as a student-athlete and can help tremendously. Once the year has passed, hopefully, your GPA will increase. Here is a sliding scale to calculate the GPA, SAT, and ACT requirements of eligibility.
A circumstance to note is if an athlete should require an academic redshirt, return to the team, and then sustain a season-ending injury, the athlete may use a second redshirt. The athlete, despite two years of academic progress, will not lose any athletic eligibility.
Related: Redshirts, Grayshirts, Greenshirts, and Blueshirts
Situations in RedshirtingIn the instance of a voluntary redshirt going poorly, transferring schools may present better opportunities for you as the student-athlete.
There have been a few high-profile transfer stories in college football in the past decade, notably one at North Carolina State University (NC State). Russell Wilson redshirted at NC, gained a starting job, was drafted to play baseball, lost his starting job (and scholarship), and transferred without using a year of eligibility. He was able to do this using NCAA bylaws regarding graduate transfers, but he would have lost a year of eligibility for transferring had he not taken the redshirt year at NC State to make academic progress.
The new redshirt rule, enacted in 2018, allows a student-athlete to participate in some games without losing eligibility for the whole season. The athlete can benefit by keeping your eligibility without feeling the performance gap from your teammates. Yet, there are still cases where it would seem to make sense for a player or team to mutually agree on a redshirt, but it doesn’t happen. Three high-profile quarterbacks in recent years have had intriguing situations revolving around redshirts: Justin Fields (UGA), Jalen Hurts (Bama), and Tate Martell (Ohio St).
Justin Fields – Georgia Bulldogs to Ohio State Buckeyes
Justin Fields was a high-level recruit and lost a battle to the incumbent starter. Then, rather than appear in four games and maintain redshirt eligibility, he was used sparingly in almost every game, never throwing more than ten passes or rushing ten times. He lost a year of eligibility, and after the season ended, he announced his intention to transfer to Ohio State for 2019. Justin will be eligible to play in 2019 due to the granting of a hardship waiver.
Tate Martel – Ohio State Buckeyes to Miami Hurricanes
Tate Martell chose to redshirt his freshman year in 2017. During the 2018 season, Zach Smith and Urban Meyer scandal took place, and at the close of the season, Urban Meyer stepped down. Due to the combination of a new coach and the incoming transfer of Justin Fields, Tate transferred to the University of Miami (FL) and was granted a hardship waiver.
Jalen Hurts – Alabama Crimson Tide to Oklahoma Sooners
Jalen Hurts was wildly successful his freshman and sophomore season, but playing poorly in the first half of the National Championship game gave his backup the starting position.
Jalen could have sat out his Junior season and maintained eligibility for another year, but instead played as the backup in blowout games, and graduated in December of 2018. Now, a graduate without a starting job, Jalen could transfer anywhere he liked and ended up choosing Oklahoma, where he will be able to pursue a graduate degree.
Dean Farris – Harvard University to University of Texas
An interesting situation is that of Dean Farris. A swimmer for Harvard University, Farris will be foregoing the 2019-2020 swimming season to train for the Tokyo Olympics. His coach, Kevin Tyrrell, brought Dean the idea after a standout performance at the NCAA Championships, and Dean agreed. Farris will be training at the University of Texas under Eddie Reese, Olympic swimming coach. Reese has coached, or assistant coached the US Swimming Team since 1992. The decision to redshirt allows Farris to “enjoy senior year and not be stressed about graduating and trying to swim at the same time.”
Quotes from Athletes about Redshirting “Mentally, it’s very tough.
You do go from being ‘the guy’ to, frankly, riding the bench every single game.”
Ross Cockrell, Duke, Football
“You’re going to be a lot better in your fifth year than you are your first year.”
Mike Glennon, NC State, Football
“I went in hungry as ever. But to be honest, the weight training shocked me a little… I gained 20 pounds in 3 months. I ended up redshirting.”
Julian McWilliams, Ohio University, Baseball
“It was best for me, and I had to learn the playbook too, so it was good for me to get a year for me under my belt, learn everything about the game and Coach (Nick) Saban’s defense and everything and get ready to make a run at [spring scrimmage] A-Day.”
Ben Davis, Alabama football
There are so many situations where redshirting can apply to you, the student-athlete. Every situation is unique, and it is up to you to determine what your needs are.
Make a pros and cons list, educate yourself and then talk to athletes who have redshirt. You will need to hear athletes stories because coaches may not present the full story to you during the recruitment process.
Good luck guys, research is key!
Have an idea for a story or a question you need answered? Want to set up an interview with us? Email us at [email protected]
* Originally published on August 5, 2021, by Thomas Walker
"You can take the most talented NCAA player to MSU, but what is he going to play there now?" / Student Basketball Association
In the first part of the interview with actor and director Yegor Klimovich, President of the Russian Basketball Federation Andrey Kirilenko talks about the problems and opportunities for the development of Russian basketball, as well as the role of the ASB in the structure of the federation.
— In a person, when he gives a lot of time to some business, emotional burnout may occur after a while.
How do you feel about basketball now?
— I have a good feeling, understanding and attitude towards basketball, but you are right about burnout. I absolutely do not want to play basketball, except sometimes to go out with friends to throw the ball. But I don’t have this great desire that I had for 20 years – to come to the hall, take the ball, come to the game, start watching basketball. I shy away from basketball games, I shy away from going out on the court myself, but my job today is a little different. It is related to basketball, but not related to watching or playing basketball. It's all a process around. So yes and no here.
- But I saw you play basketball with Khabib.
- Again, this does not mean that I hate basketball, I hate to play basketball now. Of course, I love playing basketball, but I don't like it to the extent that I had for 20 years, when you got up at 7 in the morning every single day, then practice, play, and here you are 24/7.
— What do you replace it with now?
— Now, if we are talking about work, there are a huge number of processes where the basketball game becomes the crowning achievement. But we still need to live to see this game, it needs to be organized, starting from negotiations with opponents, opponents. If international, then international; if domestic, then domestic clubs. The structure of different competitions from children to adults, veterans. We now have a large project “Quiet Basketball” – these are basketball guys with various disabilities, that is, different directions. The TV channel is a large basketball ecosystem in which basketball as a spectacle takes up half a percent of the time.
— You travel a lot in Russia. What are the main problems of basketball in the regions?
- There are a lot of problems. It is not very correct to single out one problem here, because the problem is closely related to economic history.
There is very little money, resources, because of this the coaches have low salaries, the teams do not have the opportunity to travel to competitions, the teams do not have the opportunity to fully maintain the structure, build infrastructure projects. I understand this. At the very beginning, I said that there is a problem in which you can do something, but there is a given. So there is a certain given, and now there is no need to tear the hair on your head and say that it should not be like this and everyone around is to blame. We just need to work in the conditions that we have. I am very proud of my work in the Russian Basketball Federation, because in six years we have never paid attention to the fact that someone should be blamed for the process, for what is happening. There is a given, let's work with it. I like that during this time we have taken many positive steps that do not beg for the problems that exist, but steps have been taken, and they are really useful, they make progress for the development of basketball.
But this does not mean that basketball is now in super condition. Step by step, it is simply necessary to heal some processes that are taking place.
— Is there any ideal pill or development strategy, starting from which these problems can be solved?
- Development strategy - yes, pills - no. There is no magic pill. Moreover, if we say that there is a lack of funding, a lack of certain resources ... If suddenly at some point Gazprom becomes a sponsor of the Russian Basketball Federation and allocates one hundred billion dollars every year for development, it’s not at all a fact that we can do a structure that is similar, for example, to varsity basketball or the NBA. This is impossible due to the fact that this is not only a resource story, not only money, but also people, first of all, who need to be trained and trained. In the days of the Soviet Union - we like to draw parallels - there were a huge number of coaches who worked in the same conditions, they were all about the same level.
There was a slightly different system, communist, because everyone was equal, because there were a huge number of coaches. Now those coaches who were a big clip are retiring. The young guys who come already have too wide a range of salaries, conditions, work opportunities. There is no such huge incentive to work. You can’t blame them, every person wants to provide for his family, every person wants to work where they pay more. Naturally, all this affects, these are economic processes that affect the problems of basketball, including. But we are working in the conditions that we have. No need to complain about it. Step by step, you try to improve the direction, give some impetus to enthusiasts to start working. Without people in the regions, without enthusiasts, nothing will work. Andrey Kirilenko cannot take one now and change basketball in the country. It's unrealistic. There must be people on the ground. For example, when I hold my meetings, I say: “Guys, you are the only people who work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in your region, you know what problems you have in your region.
Kirilenko cannot sit in an office in Moscow and tell how you live here, what problems you have.” We can only help, push some project. But if local people are not active, then the region will not develop.
- You touched on college basketball . We know that in the Russian basketball system there is a Student Basketball Association . What role do you assign to her?
— Of course, the College Basketball Association has a huge role to play. No need to just draw any parallels with the NCAA. Many are trying to impose this certain structure on me: why don't we have it like here, not like a structure that generates one and a half billion dollars every year. We have something else - and this is a given. The data that exists, and you have to work with it. Here I would like to express a big compliment to both Konovalov and Kryukov for the fact that they are dragging this project along, doing everything possible so that it develops not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively.
If it started 10 years ago in the format of 5-6 universities, now there are 600-800 universities that participate in this movement - this is very cool. It is clear that today the level of basketball is slightly behind the professional level. So far, there are very few examples of players who go from students to professionals. There are, but it's all very point. I see that in college basketball the ideology itself is higher than just basketball. This is the involvement of young guys who study in colleges and institutes, in some kind of struggle among themselves in a good sports way. Thus, a huge number of friends appear. And against the backdrop of basketball, other tasks are still being solved. Not everyone will be a basketball player: someone will be a manager, someone will be a referee, someone will be a businessman. We have a huge number of examples when businessmen, having gone through some university and now earning a lot of money from their business, are returning to basketball in the form of partners, sponsors, team owners, heads of some federations.
They help basketball further. Here it is more important for me that these guys are in sports, have some kind of outlet for their emotions through basketball.
- You had some controversial issues with the CRS , when Sergey Kryukov called and said: “Andrey, how can we solve this issue?”
— We had no conflict situations. We constantly solve a huge number of issues together, they concern everything in general. For example, at the beginning there was a big request from Kryukov and Konovalov regarding the formation of the ASB team for the Universiade. Prior to that, a team of more professional players was formed for the Universiade, but they are just at the student's age. Technically, this is all correct, but the College Basketball Association would like to see its real players who constantly play in the ASB structure. We gave this opportunity, we really tried it, we saw that the level today is not yet ready to be top, compared to American college basketball or even Italian.
Now we tried back, played a little bit. That is, they gave it back, tried to take a certain number of players from the Student Basketball Association, but still attract professional players to balance the level. Until we try, we won't see. We must try, we must be open here.
— Do you have an internal attitude towards the Association and student basketball as a younger brother or still as an equal organization that occupies its own niche?
- This is an equal organization that occupies its own niche, but still the last decision-maker, the person who makes decisions, is the Basketball Federation. We have in our hands a kind of final authority that puts a seal. We are certified by the Ministry of Sports in this vein. You can use it in different ways, you can say: “No, it won’t be like that,” and that’s it. But we are very open in this regard. All our participants - we try to get into their structures to a minimum, manage them and participate to the maximum in order to strengthen the product.
These are Lokobasket, IES-BASKET, ASB, VTB League, amateur league. Now there is veteran basketball, but it is more in the structure of the federation.
— You attend a lot of College Basketball Association events. Are there any things that surprised you , or that you emphasized for your work?
- I really like that [in the ASB] there is a large geography. We have a huge country, and we simply have to light up the regions, give the regions the opportunity to see basketball. To see basketball on a large scale, and those finals and Superfinals held by the Student Basketball Association are held very widely, on a large scale. It is very nice. For example, the last time I was in Belgorod, it was a super final - a great event. This is a great story for the fans, and for all the participants. It is very important for us that those participants who are in the ASB championship communicate with each other and carry the ideological component further against the background of basketball.
— In the fall, within the framework of the “Movement Up” festival of the ASB 3x3 Superfinal, held the Russian U-23 championship in 3x3 basketball, the winner of which was the ASB team. I would like you to rate this tournament.
- It's hard for me to give any assessment now. I really like that ASB doesn't just stop at classic basketball, which is now 3x3. I am very familiar with some of the first steps of 3x3 in the Olympic movement, which, in fact, led us to silver medals for both men and women in Tokyo. Therefore, it is very close to me. I believe that street basketball has great potential. We all come from the street, we played with friends on the street, and now it is somehow fixed in an official way. It seems to me that there is huge potential behind this, the future, especially in the regions, because there is not much infrastructure, and here all you need is to go outside. In order to have a professional team that would play at a high level, you really need a huge injection.
Not like in football or hockey, but you still need injections to support the team. 3x3 is much smaller, very regionally tolerant, and you can get a high-level team to represent your region.
- One of the representatives of ASB was on the 3x3 team that won silver medals at the Olympics. Can we say that partly thanks to her we have the first set of Olympic medals?
- Of course. And not only the ASB, I would also mention the regions here, our children's teams, for example, IES-BASKET. Even just participation in the Olympic Games was formed on the basis of such an aggregate rating. This rating was given not only by the performances of teams, that is, pure basketball, but half of this rating was occupied by tournaments held by all our participants. That is, the region hosts a 3x3 basketball tournament, it registers all participants in the FIBA system, and we get rating points for this. All the regions that participated: ASB, which held 3x3 tournaments, IES, which held 3x3 tournaments, all these points went into the overall standings, as a result of which we qualified for the Olympics without qualifying tournaments directly.
We really got the opportunity to prepare normally in a calm manner to approach the Olympics in our best conditions.
— When the rumors that 3x3 basketball would enter the Olympic Games first started, did you even believe in this idea?
- I knew. When this was discussed, it was not just the words: “Let's try,” but there were already concrete steps, conversations with the Olympic Committee about inclusion, all the studies that led to this were carried out. The audience that street basketball has in the world is enormous. Naturally, it is very important for the Olympic movement to have this large audience on its site.
— To what extent can the Student Basketball Association become a training ground for professional athletes?
- Not yet, but over time, why not become. It's all a matter of time and persistence. I think what ASB does is great. If it continues in the same development dynamics from year to year, we will eventually get this platform.
It will not be the same as in other countries, because we are going a little differently, and the infrastructure that we have at universities does not yet allow us to have a full-fledged team, to have full-fledged championships, where you would fight for the best, let's say.
- We all know about the structure of NC AA that this league is trying to attract the best athletes from all over the world. Will talented students be invited to play in Russia in the future?
- I don't see it yet. This doesn't mean it's a bad idea. This is actually a good idea, just like, for example, Real Madrid or Barcelona - they invite players not only from Spain, but from all over the world: Mirotic, who is from the Balkan countries, went through the structure. Now Yegor Demin from Russia has got to Real Madrid and he will follow this path just like those guys. We do not yet have a vector of attracting foreign players and students, so for now I would still not look in a foreign direction.
I would still concentrate on my players and my structure, because the structure is more important even than the players now. You can have super players now, you can take the most talented player from the NCAA, bring him to play at Moscow State University, but what will he play there now? He will be head and shoulders above everyone, but as a result he will not have competition. Still, when he plays in the National Student Association in America, he has a huge number of competitors. This is a slightly misleading comparison. We always try to pull this comparison, unfortunately it won't work. Our structure is generally different, so we need to start from it, we need to dance from it. I believe that in the conditions that we have, what the ASB is doing is right. They are great fellows, that step by step they do not give in to the fact that now something did not work out, they hung their heads and do not work. No, they increase the number of teams, attract more participants, work very hard to ensure that managers emerge from this, because people are our Achilles heel.
We need to train, we need to train people, judges, coaches, managers. This is a cumulative moment.
— What are the main achievements of the College Basketball Association over the past 15 years?
- At a minimum, perception. Eight years ago, no one really knew where college basketball was. Although I played at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, then it was like a certain desire of one or two people. Now, after all, this perception as a full-fledged student basketball with a huge number of participants, teams, is a whole movement. "Move up" as a kind of slogan. The Student Basketball Association is not just an organization, but a movement of students who love and play basketball, but at the same time they are still passionate about some kind of communication with each other. This is probably the most important merit - when you have this movement. And since the students are quite energetic and enthusiastic guys, they will already grow meat on this, come up with new projects and add some zest to it.
"Got to the Champions League final, made a dream come true." The main captain of Russian basketball
Sergey Monya was the captain of the Russian national team for many years, and now he "rules" in the Khimki locker room. Nikita Zagday brings to the public what is usually behind closed doors. "Honest Basketball" with one of the most sincere basketball players in the country.
– When was the last time you were recognized on the street?
- Yesterday after the game. And so outside of basketball - the day before yesterday.
- Where was it?
- At the bank.
- You went to the bank and they say: "Sergey Monya"? Or how was it?
- No. I went in, I had to do one operation there, quickly left. And the man also came in and said: "Sergey, we need to beat the Unicaja." I said: "Thank you, we will try." And they dispersed.
- How many games did you play against Unicaja yesterday?
- 21 minutes.
- Is this almost the longest match in terms of time on the court?
- This season, yes.
- Is it hard to be useful on the bench?
- No. On the bench this year is such a role when you need to vigorously support the team. I like it. Worry about other guys who are on the playground.
– What was the last piece of advice you gave to your teammates?
- Yesterday at the game, Alexei Shved said: "Look at me in the corner." I was alone, he did not give a pass.
- But this is not advice, but a claim.
- No, not a complaint. He said, "Yes, I probably didn't notice." And so with Gill, probably, when we were released together on the site. This rarely happens. And so we agreed that in some situation we would change in defense.
- Andrey Zubkov, when he came to Khimki, said: “Sergey Monya prepared a place for me. I'll take it." I think you play more than him.
- The season is not over yet.
Now only half. I think we are playing in half with him. Yesterday I played more, next time he will be more than me. To be honest, we don't even know when we'll be going out.
- Were you hurt by his words? A young guy comes and says that he will take Moni's place here.
- Not just hurt, but vice versa. When a player comes with motivation, it's interesting. When a player comes without motivation and fire in his eyes, it's bad. There were such ones in Khimki before that. A whistle from training - and he immediately goes home. It is not interesting to train with such people.
- Can you say that you have a friendly team?
- Yes.
- They don't give you a ball in the corner on the court, the Swede throws 30 times. No friendship on the playground.
Sergey Monya and Alexey Shved / Photo: © RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
– On the site, yes. We play much better in training than in matches. This is true.
- Why?
- I don't know.
- Will the salary be full in January?
- She already was. We were not fined.
- A big scandal when internal conversations in the locker room became public. How did you react? You are the captain of the team, and you have been publicly fined 50 percent.
- At the beginning, to be honest, I did not understand what the cameras and microphone were for. And then after the meeting, we immediately had a training session, and we were told that this video was posted on YouTube. I didn't think anything good at that moment.
- Khimki got off to a very good start in the Euroleague: three wins at home, leading the table. And then a black bar. You lose to everyone. What happened?
- Mostly we lose on the road. At home, we lost only twice. These three wins were at home at the beginning.
- What happened in the match against Kalev?
- Crap yourself.
- To quote your club's CEO: "They make ten times less than you.
"
- I don't know how much Kalev players earn, but I'll tell you that we screwed up. We should not have lost to Kalev in any case.
- Well, Kalev can't lose. Can anyone?
- This is the first time in the history of my career, Khimki, that we lost to Kalev.
- Your NBA career. Many say that it didn’t work out for you because you are too Russian.
- I don't know that I'm too Russian. It did not work out because there was not enough skill. It's a completely different game. If there is a throw, then you can play there.
– Have you lost confidence in yourself?
– There? No, on the contrary.
- When did you feel that you lacked skill? Chances are given, but you can't take advantage of them.
- No, it didn't. I was only 22 years old, I was thinking about the future. I've been planning to play for ten years. Therefore, this is an invaluable experience. Even when I wasn't playing, I worked a lot with the coaches.
- Then you were the hero of the charts. In every match, you had moments that were just “wow”. And now such moments are once a month at best.
- Once a year. At six months. He scored only once from above in half a season.
Is this old age?
- Probably yes. Fits.
- You used to have a passion to cover someone.
- That was not the target. I just like block shots, passes, dunkers - fast basketball. Sometimes I have a feeling that I will cover the player. Sometimes I get a pot myself. This is part of basketball. Of course, I am pleased when I cover the player.
- Is David Blatt the best coach you've ever worked with?
– I would say David Blatt and Rimas Kurtinaitis.
- Rimas Kurtinaitis is said to be leaked by you.
- I don't know who is speaking. I didn't leak it, and the team didn't leak it.
- The team lost to everyone in a row. Couldn't you support the coach with victories?
- You want, but sometimes it doesn't work out.
These are different things. At that moment, the team was in crisis, and we were losing games that we should not have lost. And there were such games that they lost by one wicket.
- When was the last time you came to the management and said that you would not stay with this coach?
Sergey Monya / Photo: © RIA Novosti/Aleksey Filippov
- Never.
- I'm talking about Dusko Ivanovich. Evil tongues lie?
- I had no problems with him. I was at all trainings, passed all the training camps. And going through the training camp with him is not to be envied. If he had stayed, I would have gone to another team by 99 percent.
- Did you negotiate with Lokomotiv Krasnodar?
- Yes.
- Andrey Vedischev said that the Monya family did not want to move to Krasnodar.
- This is not quite correct information. I would move. The family would stay here because the children go to school. And it’s not worth changing it, circles, dances, classes because of my move.
I would go there alone.
- Why didn't you move?
- Because I wanted to stay at Khimki. I don't like to move somewhere every time. I have been in the team for the eighth year already, I know everyone: not only the players and management, but also the drivers and cleaners. They treat me well. The coach changed, and we won a ticket to the Euroleague after enchanting games with Zenit. I didn't want to change anything.
- Are you friends with Viktor Khryapa?
- Yes.
- Viktor Khryapa negotiated with Khimki. Did you consult?
- He consulted with me, club president, general manager and head coach.
- Seriously?
- First time in my career. I was on vacation, they called me. They asked whether to take it or not.
- And what did you say?
- Well, what do you think?
- Competitor for your position.
- He said that he should take it. Especially since he's leaving as a free agent.
Weakening the main competitor. But they thought differently. I think this is a big mistake.
- You are a team player, Swede is an egoist. How do you get along in one team?
- He is now taking revenge on me. I yelled at him a lot at Dynamo, and now he yells at me. Joke, of course. We normally live in a team. Alexey is a very talented player, but when he is in the heat of the moment, when he plays for more than 30 minutes, he can score at the end, or he can lose.
- As a team captain, how can you influence this?
- No way... After the game or during a timeout, calmly approach him and say. Avtodor lost during the match. In the end, he sat down, came up to me, said some nuances - and won the game.
- What were you talking about with the Swede at the Olympics when Blatt told you: “Stop talking! On the bench!
- He said that we don't go out together. Discussed some game moment.
– It wasn't a showdown?
- No.
This is purely a basketball discussion. Blatt changed us because we did not listen to him at the moment when he was explaining something. And the whole team was distracted by this. Blatt did the right thing.
- When was the last time you fought on the floor?
- When I was at Dynamo.
- There was a fight. When I played for CSKA, I fought. People still talk about fights in Saratov. It's a sport - you have to respect your opponent.
- You must respect, but also not give up your place on the floor. There are different things. We have a contact sport, emotional.
- What can make you get into a fight now?
- If the player is talking nonsense. Pinching.
- Thrash talk is part of the game. Pinching?
Sergey Monya / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Grigory Sysoev
- Of course. There's a lot going on under the ring. But you always feel whether they do it on purpose or not.
– Were you pinched under the ring?
- It happened.
- In the Euroleague?
- And in the Euroleague, and in the VTB League, and in the national team. Come into the locker room after the game: all hands are scratched or there are bruises.
- When you were young, you posed naked. You were called the sex symbol of Russian basketball.
- They didn't explain what the photo session would be for. I was there only naked to the waist. Now I wouldn't do it again.
- Andrei Kirilenko said that Karl Malone forbade giving a hand to an opponent after falls.
- A simple example is Lokomotiv-Kuban. They can't say hello. You walk in the gym halfway through, where they are warming up, and they either do not greet, or greet very quickly so that the coach does not see.
- You can tease them like this.
- Passed by Stas Ilnitsky like that. Me: "Stas, hello." He kind of squinted, then quickly came up to say hello and left. There are such trainers.
- Don't you have one?
- No.
