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How many games are in a college basketball regular season
GAME OF BASKETBALL
INTRODUCTION
In order to determine the nutrition and hydration needs of a basketball player, and develop plans to help meet those needs, the structure of game day, practices, and the off-season must be considered. The rules of the game, which allow for frequent substitutions, time-outs, breaks between quarters (high school and professional) and a halftime break, lend themselves to incorporating good nutrition and hydration habits. These habits should be developed and maintained in practices and training sessions throughout the year.
An actual game of basketball is of fairly short duration, ranging from 32-48 min of total playing time depending on the level. However, like any sport, players have responsibilities before and after a game, during which time nutrition and hydration should also be a consideration. During the season, practices will vary in duration and intensity, although most teams will practice, lift weights, prepare with film sessions, or compete six days per week. Basketball is a long season; for high school and college athletes it spans semesters and the holidays, which in many cases influences the nutrition and training of the athletes. Tournaments and playoffs provide unique challenges with multiple games in one day or games on consecutive days. Lastly, although off-season expectations vary based on the level, most basketball players are engaged and hydration plans should be developed within the structure of the game as well as with consideration for training and practices throughout the season and year-round.
PART I: HIGH SCHOOL
Alan Stein
Introduction
High school is a unique time period in working with athletes because of the wide range of age, maturity, and physical stature. Regardless of these differences, in general, many high school basketball players have poor nutritional habits, do not get sufficient sleep, and lack proper recovery and training techniques. Addressing these issues is vital to keeping players healthy and maximizing their performance.
The Competitive Season
High school basketball games usually occur 2–3 times per week and are structured as four 8-min quarters with a 10-min halftime. Most high schools will play 25–35 games per season, depending on tournament play. The structure of game day varies widely amongst high schools. Some may have a walk-through or shoot-around right after school on weekdays and in the morning of a weekend game. Coaches may have a set meal coordinated with a walk-through; others leave it up to the individual athletes and parents. During the warm-up, most coaches will take the team into the locker room at a set time, which can be used as a planned fueling opportunity. Because of the great variability in schedules and strategies of different coaches, as well as school rules on eating and drinking during the day, an individual approach needs to be used to ensure players are adequately fueled.
The frequency of practices during the season will vary depending on the game schedule, but are usually 4–5 times per week, approximately 2 hours in duration, and consist of moderate to high-intensity drills focused on skill work, conditioning, and offensive and defensive sets and schemes. The afternoon prior to most games, teams usually gather for 30–45 min to discuss the opponent’s scouting report, walk through plays, and get in additional shooting practice of low to moderate intensity. In addition, some coaches hold film sessions before practices 1–2 times per week, which require about 15–20 min of mental intensity. Most coaches will also maintain in-season strength workouts about 1–2 times per week, 20–30 min in duration, with moderate intensity. The timing of practices and workouts varies greatly, often due to gym availability and coaches’ schedules, since most don’t coach basketball full time. The player’s lunch schedule and school policies are another consideration. Therefore, high school players need help in determining not only the right foods to eat, but also the right time to eat in relation to their school day and practice/training/game schedules.
The Off-Season
The landscape of high school basketball in the United States has changed vastly over the past 20 years. For both males and females, the now year-round mental and physical demands of the sport are at an all-time high, as is the competition to earn a college scholarship. The two biggest changes include specializing in basketball at an earlier age and participation on AAU travel teams in addition to their high school team, thus making it a year-round sport. The structure of practices and training programs of high school basketball players should be adjusted accordingly to accommodate for these two trends. For example, players participating in the sport at this level of commitment could benefit from a year-round strength and conditioning program focused on injury prevention, using sound recovery techniques (including adequate sleep), and developing good nutrition and hydration habits.
PART II: COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Jeffery Stein, DPT, ATC
Introduction
Collegiate basketball athletes usually range in age from about 18–22 years. While physically and physiologically they are a more uniform group than a high school team, maturity levels vary greatly. The transition during the freshman year can be difficult for some as they move away from home for the first time. Transition challenges include establishing healthy eating and sleeping habits. Also during the freshman year, players are usually introduced to more intense collegiate strength and conditioning programs, and many players will greatly change their body composition over their collegiate careers.
Lastly, the student-athletes have class, practice, and eating schedules that vary each day and from semester to semester. Athletes must be able to juggle their academic schedules and the demands of their sport, as well as the social environment of a college campus. The day-to-day variability in schedules means preparation is important for proper fueling throughout the day.
The Competitive Season
College basketball games are structured with two 20–min halves with a 15–min halftime. Many colleges will play about 25–35 games per season, depending on the level (NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, or NJCAA) and tournament play. NCAA teams must follow the 20–hr rule, which states teams are allowed up to 20 hrs of team activities per week, not including competition. Team-related activities can include practice, film, and weight training. Most programs will practice 4–6 days per week, depending on the game schedule, and practices may be up to 3 h of high-intensity work. In addition to on-court time, athletes are expected to attend film sessions, strength train, and attend to injuries in the training room when needed. Overall, the time commitment is greater than as a high school athlete. The travel requirement during the competitive season is also greater and, depending on the level, more time-intensive. While the top Division I programs charter flights to return home the night after a game, smaller schools rely on bus trips and spend significant time on the road. The provision of food and nutrition services also varies based on level. Most top-level schools have a sports dietitian on staff for consultation and education, but even at the Division I level, the use of a registered dietician varies greatly between schools. At the majority of the major and mid-major universities, athletes are provided a “training table,” or a cafeteria with foods selected specifically for the athletes. However, per NCAA rules, only one meal at the training table can be provided per day while the athletes are on campus. Snacks, such as fruits, nuts, and bagels, can also be provided along with occasional meals on special occasions. At smaller schools, athletes rely on their own cafeteria plan, and the budget is often limited to provide meals and snacks on the road. Overall, the demands of the sport increase at the collegiate level compared to the HS and AAU levels, along with the increased demands placed on the athlete to also handle their academic, family, and social lives. The increased demands combined with the increased independence of the athlete make it difficult to ensure that they are appropriately fueling and getting enough rest.
The Off-Season
The majority of collegiate basketball players are one-sport athletes and dedicate the off-season to improving their game, although multi-sport athletes are found at every level of competition. Most collegiate basketball players will be given a short time off after the competitive season, usually 2–4 weeks, to recharge and catch up on family and school matters as necessary before starting back with skill work and strength and conditioning workouts.
Basketball commitments during the off-season will vary depending on the level and coaching demands. Spring semester workouts can range from captain-led workouts and open gyms to coach-led individual skill workouts that vary from 1 to 5 athletes at a time. The non-competitive season is also prime time for the strength and conditioning program to ramp up to work toward the specific goals set for each athlete. During the summer, athletes at smaller colleges are usually at home and often balance an off-season training program provided by their coach with a summer job. At larger schools, the athletes are usually on campus for summer school and summer workouts. These workouts include strength and conditioning sessions 3–5 days per week and on-court workouts with the coaches. Overall, during the off-season the NCAA allows up to 8 h of team-related activity per week, 2 h of which can be direct contact, with the basketball coaches on the court.
Back on campus in the fall, again the commitment will vary depending on the level. Most teams will start up with open gyms and strength and conditioning workouts as soon as the athletes arrive back on campus. Shortly after the start of the school year, individual workouts might take place with the coaching staffs. During the preseason, coaches can work with players on the court for up to 2 h per week, preparing for the competitive season.
PART III: PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
Jack Ransone, PhD, ATC
Introduction
The best of the best basketball players make it to the professional level. For the first time, the athlete’s schedule is completely dedicated to the sport; however, there are also increased demands for the athlete’s time for charity work, endorsements, social obligations, etc.
The Competitive Season
For male athletes in the United States, the National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season runs October-April, with the playoffs extending into June. It is not unusual to play 3 to 4 games per week with the possibility of competing on back-to-back days. Each team plays 8 preseason games and 82 games in the regular season. Teams competing in the World Championship finals will play over 100 games in a season and postseason. Women play in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), whose regular season of 34 games runs June—September, with playoffs extending into October. For both leagues, most team practices are short (less than 1 h) and infrequent due to game and travel demands. Travel requirements are extensive, including a minimum of 42 regular season games on the road for the NBA and 17 for the WNBA. Both the NBA and WNBA have the luxury of traveling by charter airplane and staying at the best 5-star hotels with excellent restaurants. Many teams also employ or consult with a sports dietitian. However, nutrition is still a challenge, as most players seek meals on their own at restaurants outside the control of the team. Additionally, during a game, hydration is always a challenge. Inadequate hydration during competition can be further compromised by the demand for air travel immediately post game (low humidity environment of the fuselage) for half of the regular season games. Given the length of the regular season, frequency of games, and travel demands, proper nutrition and hydration practices are important and should be planned into the schedule wherever possible.
The Off-Season
Professional athletes are employed based on their ability to stay competitive. Therefore, the off-season is a period of time to recover from the long season, rehab injuries, develop a base fitness level, and focus on skill development. Overall the schedule is very individual. For example, younger NBA players might play in the summer league, while veterans may focus more on recovery and some specific skill work. All players will participate in training camp and preseason games, essentially extending the competitive season.
How Long Is A College Basketball Game? NCAA Game Time
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Basketball games are always attention-grabbing events at any level. Fans are not only interested in professional tournaments but also eager for college basketball.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the organizer of the tournament for young basketball players. Depending on the level of the match, the time will vary.
How long is a college basketball game? The total game time is about 2 hours 10 minutes.
A college basketball game takes place in two halves of 20 minutes each. The half-time interval for NCAA games is 15 minutes. The college basketball overtime is 5 minutes.
If you are still curious about the durations of different tournaments, let’s find out with Scott Fujita in this article.
Men’s college basketball game
Contents
How Long Is A College Basketball Game On TV?
With just two 20-minute halves each and a 15-minute break, the standard length of a college basketball game should be 55 minutes.
However, the total length of the match when broadcast on television is often much longer than that. Most NCAA matches last for 2 hours and 10 minutes.
With that total, we have 40 minutes for actual play, two 30-second timeouts for each team, and three overall timeouts. The total time is 48 minutes.
One exciting thing you should note is that college games are usually 8 minutes less long than an NBA game. Even so, the average real-time NCAA match duration is less than a few minutes. The number of timeouts and the frequency with which teams take the free throws during and after college basketball games are the main contributors to this problem.
Unlike NBA games, men’s college basketball games have no quarters. It means fouls will last for an inning and not much reset time. The more fouls a player commits, the longer the game lasts and increases the game’s length.
Each men’s college basketball team will have four timeouts in a basketball game. Three of them lasted 30 seconds, and only one timeout lasted 60 seconds.
They had to use a timeout in the first half, or they would have missed it. The second half stipulates that each team can stop the game only three times.
In addition to timeouts and halftime breaks, four sets of TV waiting times are scheduled for each round. Their name is stoppage and appears at 16, 12, 8, and 4 of each game. If there is no stoppage at one of these four milestones, it will be ignored.
View more:
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How long is a NBA game
How Long Will A Women’s College Basketball Game Last?
Unlike a men’s college basketball game, women’s matches usually last for 2 hours with four 10-minute quarters.
Women’s basketball games used to last as long as men’s. In 2015, new regulations changed the format of the game. The use of four quarters is entirely consistent with other major leagues. These matches also include a break between the 2nd and 3rd half.
During the game, each team is given about four timeouts, similar to the men’s game. Even so, the women’s groups have no limit on when they can use them.
The Longest NCAA Basketball Games Of All Time
In addition to the longest NBA game, some people are curious about the longest NCAA game in history. Let’s find out in this section.
Bradley Vs. Cincinnati
Bradley Vs. Cincinnati (1981)
The basketball match between Bradley and Cincinnati on December 21, 1981, was the longest NCAA match. After six innings, the two teams still kept the score even. It was only in the 7th extra time that Cincinnati gained the upper hand over Bradley.
This match lasts for about 4 hours, from 19:30 to 11:20. Interestingly, the score of this match was relatively low, 75-73.
Connecticut Vs. Syracuse (2009)
On March 12, 2009, Connecticut faced Syracuse in a match that lasted until sixth overtime in the quarterfinals of the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Syracuse was the winning team with a score of 127-117. The match lasted a total of 3 hours and 46 minutes. You can watch the footage of this college game here.
How Long Is An NBA Game?
A typical NBA game usually lasts from 2 to 2.5 hours. This number is not fixed because many factors can directly affect the time of the match.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) rules each round of an NBA basketball game to be about 12 minutes. With four games, the total playing time will be up to 48 minutes. The extra time of these matches lasted 5 minutes.
There will be a 15-minute break time between the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but they are only theoretical. Some issues will cause a basketball game to last longer than expected, up to about 2 hours in actual play. Compared to FIFA games, these matches last longer.
How Long Will The FIBA Games Take Place?
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) stipulates that each basketball game will have four quarters. With a total playing time of 40 minutes, each basketball quarter will last 10 minutes. We can see that the duration of FIBA basketball games is slightly shorter than that of NBA games.
This tournament also sets the following rules on break time:
Each team is given 20 minutes to prepare before the start of the competition
There will be a short break between the first and second half, lasting 2 minutes.
In order for both teams to have time to change the pitch and move on to the next half, the break between the 2nd and 3rd half is 15 minutes.
The break between the 3rd and 4th quarters is 2 minutes.
Extra time will have a break of 2 minutes.
If both teams play four quarters but still don’t find a winner, they go into overtime periods. The team with the most points in the first extra-time wins.
In the opposite case, the two teams will continue to play in the following extra time.
When the FIBA alarm clock goes off to end the round, the halftime break will begin.
How Long Does A High School Basketball Game Last?
High school basketball game
According to NFHS regulations, high school basketball games will consist of four quarters. Each round will last 8 minutes, with a 10-minute break in between.
Usually, people don’t use shot clocks in high school games. However, there is still a rule that mercifully turns the game clock into a running clock if a team leads by a specified number of points in the second half. Only a few states apply this rule.
Each state has different regulations, so there will be other criteria for regulating the time and managing clocks.
A junior high basketball game lasts shorter at 1 hour 30 minutes. These matches also cover four quarters with 6 minutes each quarter. In some states, the game time for each quarter can be as long as 8 minutes.
The break is 10 minutes long, and there is usually no shot clock for junior high basketball games. If the allotted time runs out and the two teams still tie, there will be an extra time of 5 minutes.
How Long Does A Youth Basketball Game Last?
Youth basketball games will last for about an hour. These matches usually consist of 2 halves of 20 minutes each. Unlike other leagues, the youth basketball game uses a running clock. This type of clock will not stop except for halftime breaks and timeouts.
The interval between sets is about 10 minutes. Also, when a team calls for timeouts, the match time will be extended by 4 minutes. With the primary audience being children, we have to consider a period to settle down and hold their positions.
Youth basketball games usually do not have over time, so that the score can be a tie in some situations.
Final Thoughts
On average, how long is a basketball game? It will be challenging to give a general answer as the time of each match will vary based on the tournament rules. A playoff game also usually lasts longer than a regular-season one because of the longer promotional period.
A college basketball game lasts from 1.5 hours to more than 2 hours, depending on many factors. Knowing about the playing time will make it easier for the audience to observe and follow the game.
ASB History / Collegiate Basketball Association
Collegiate Basketball Association was founded in 2007. The association holds the official Russian student basketball championship. It is attended by 800 men's and women's teams from 450 universities and colleges from 71 subjects of the Russian Federation. During the season, the ASB hosts about 5,000 matches, the total number of players in the championship exceeds 10,000.
The ASB is the largest student sports league in Europe and the second in the world. We are second only to NCAA (USA, 1,700 teams), ahead of NJCAA (USA, 750), CUBA (China, 617), NAIA (USA, 450), PCCL (Philippines, 250), CCAA (Canada, 170), RCBL ( India, 160) and AJB (Japan, 80).
The ASB Championship is included in the unified calendar plan of mass sports events of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and the consolidated calendar plan of events of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
Chairman of the ASB Supervisory Board - Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov. The permanent sports director of the ASB is Sergey Aleksandrovich Belov.
SPORT COMPONENT
The ASB Championship is held in two stages from October to June. The first stage is divisional. The second is the Belov League, an all-Russian playoff with the participation of 32 best men's and women's teams.
At the first stage, teams play in divisions formed according to the territorial and competitive principles. Games are held from mid-October to the end of February with breaks for the session and winter holidays. Each team plays at least 8-10 matches in the division.
CSB divisions are divided into two types - regional and higher.
Regional division - a group of teams from one, less often - 2-3 neighboring regions. The goal here is to attract as many students as possible to the championship, to accustom them to regular sports. To solve this problem, we removed the entry barrier: minimal financial costs, travel and accommodation costs for teams are reduced or reduced to zero by their geographical proximity, the ASB takes care of the matches. As a result, even a university without serious basketball traditions has no reason to refuse to participate in the championship.
Universities and institutes that are ready to assemble strong teams and partly finance them apply to the top divisions. As a rule, they include teams from three or more regions. This is a platform for the growth of sportsmanship.
In 2016, the VTB Student League, an elite division of the Student Basketball Association, was created with the participation of 16 of the best student teams in the country. And in 2017, by analogy with the men's elite division, a women's division was created - the Student Superleague. In 2020, both of these tournaments were renamed the Russian Railways Student League - the flagship division with the participation of the strongest teams in the championship and permission for professional students to participate. And in the 21-22 season, teams from the regions, as well as the first foreign team, the Belarusian Tsmoki-Minsk, were allowed to participate in the Russian Railways Student League.
The second stage of the championship ASB - Liga Belov. It was named after Sergei Belov, the legendary Soviet and Russian player and coach, Olympic champion, founding father and permanent sports director of the ASB.
Belov League is the final tournament with the participation of 32 best men's and women's teams, which receive tickets directly or through a sieve of qualifications. It is played from March to June. Universities get into the LB according to the results of their performance at the divisional stage. The Belov League is played in a playoff format, after each match the losing team is eliminated from the competition.
COMBINING SPORT WITH EDUCATION
The most important task of the CSA is to provide the most comfortable conditions for combining sports with the educational process. The league calendar takes into account periods of peak academic workload, mandatory breaks are provided for during sessions and holidays. Matches of the top divisions and the Belov League are usually held on weekends, which allows teams to travel to other cities without compromising their studies.
The league's regulations state the principle that students with academic debts are not allowed to participate in competitions. Based on this clause, individual players and entire teams were repeatedly suspended and disqualified. Today, everyone in the ASB knows that an open session means forfeiting the right to play basketball.
Digital protocols are kept for all matches of the Association. Statistics are promptly posted on the official website. The system of formation, storage and processing of digital protocols allows you to keep a detailed history of the tournament. Each player of the Association at any time can find out the statistics of his own performances in a particular game, season or all the time in the ASB.
Based on the top divisions, game organization practices are modeled and tested, which are then extended to the entire league. In recent years, student sports and student basketball clubs have been created in a number of universities. ASB works closely with them. We help teams create attractive brands with all the necessary attributes - from naming, logos, colors and fonts to banners, mascots, musical compositions, cheerleaders and corporate merchandise with team and university symbols.
All this makes it possible to attract a new audience and form in them a sense of emotional involvement in what is happening. Thus, the league contributes to the formation and promotion of the brands of teams and universities.
EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES
We use the CBA championship as a platform for training managers, judges, statisticians, journalists, photojournalists and video makers from among students. The CRS training program is currently being implemented in offline and online modes.
Offline events include seminars and congresses. Seminars are held during the academic year on the basis of universities participating in the league. Managers of basketball student teams from several regions come to each seminar, well-known practical speakers are invited, who are able not only to analyze specific cases of organizing games in student basketball, but also to motivate, “ignite” the audience.
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
ASB is implementing several additional projects and initiatives. Here are the most important ones.
ASB All-Star Games. Are held every year. They mean the game of the best Russian basketball students in the East-West format and the most intense show program with competitions, prizes, gifts, and performances by student support groups. In 2015, the ASB All-Star Game in St. Petersburg attracted more than 5,000 spectators, a record figure for Russian student basketball.
ASB 3x3. 3x3 is a bright new Olympic sport that was included in the program of the Olympic Games in 2020. 3x3 is an extremely democratic format that imposes a minimum of infrastructure and inventory requirements. To date, the ASB 3x3 project is being implemented in the format of regional tournaments, the winners of which come to Moscow for the annual final. The best student teams of Russia in 3x3 basketball represent our country in international tournaments. And at the 2022 Olympics, Stanislav Sharov, a graduate of the ASB, became the silver medalist of the games as part of the Russian team.
CRS team. This is a system of training camps and classes to develop individual basketball skills for the best ASB players and all students in Russia. Camps and training camps are held during the holidays, and based on their results, a team is formed that represents the ASB at international student tournaments.
ASB Fest. The University Sports Festival was first held in Crimea in the summer of 2016 with the participation of 400 of the best players, coaches and managers of the ASB. They were offered a specially designed format that combined sports and educational components with the opportunity to take advantage of the undeniable advantages of the Crimea - excellent sea, unique climate and resort infrastructure. Participants competed in 11 disciplines with elements of the GTO, basketball, rowing, football, table tennis and other sports. Everyone could acquire important management skills in the classes of the School of Managers. But the main distinguishing feature of the fest was its atmosphere, which was formed from joint support for friends and acquaintances, enchanting endings of games, informal communication and many fun activities. It is significant that the students who visited the festival themselves launched the eloquent slogan “My best holidays!” on social networks. Summer 2019th we have already held the fourth ASB Fest in the Crimea.
OBJECTIVES AND PROSPECTS
The main goal of the ASB is to involve the maximum possible number of Russian students in regular sports and in particular basketball. Sport is an excellent tool that allows you to cultivate in a person the desire for self-improvement, the ethics of social behavior, the ability to develop methods for achieving goals. We strive to create an optimal platform for implementing creative initiatives and ideas, gaining experience and knowledge.
Goal number two is to create conditions on the basis of individual divisions and universities for improving students' sports skills. At the same time, we emphasize the priority of the educational process and the need to organize training sessions and matches without compromising academic performance.
This is how we see the Association in the future. This is a mass league that allows each student to experience not sublimated, but real feelings of struggle, excitement, euphoria without getting into extreme situations. The best of the best at the same time can improve sportsmanship and, if desired, move into professional sports. Managers, journalists, photographers and videographers will receive their first professional skills and socialization opportunities here. Everyone, without exception, develops a powerful sense of belonging to their university, which then accompanies a person throughout his life.
Student basketball in Russia focuses on the mass character
The Championship of the Student Basketball Association has entered the decisive phase - the play-off matches have begun. In the regular season, a record number of teams played in the tournament - 149 men's and 80 women's.
Our student league in its current form has been in existence for four years now, basketball among university students is becoming more and more popular.
President of the ASB, Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation Alexander Konovalov told "RG" about the main achievements of the project, about the directions for the further development of the student league and how he himself maintains physical fitness.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: What are the main differences between the current ASB season and the previous ones?
Alexander Konovalov: We have come to the optimal form of admission of participants. Athletes with professional licenses are not allowed to play in our competitions, we have removed age restrictions, but at the same time, the regulations stipulate that a basketball player cannot play for his team for more than five seasons. Teams may enter full-time and evening students, as well as postgraduate students. The formula for the decisive stage of the tournament has changed somewhat. We have ditched the Final Eight format in favor of a home-and-away playoff. This will stimulate additional interest from fans. According to our estimates, the excitement around the upcoming playoff games is already serious.
WP: What do you think are the main achievements of the College Basketball Association project?
Konovalov: Our championship has firmly entered the sports life of universities and the whole country. The student basketball championship was held even before the creation of the ASB, but it was an irregular and inconspicuous event. Today, students from more than two hundred universities from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok play a full season from October to May. The tournament is organically combined with the training schedule, it is becoming more and more recognizable, every year we hold the "Star Game" of the ASB, which, along with the final games, is actively covered in various media.
RG: There is a serious gap in the strength of the play between the teams of the ASB and the American NCAA, not in our favor. Will something be done to reduce this distance, or do you see the main vector of the association's development as different?
Konovalov: Here you have to understand that in the US there is a general passion for basketball. For many kids, especially African-Americans who have been playing on street courts since childhood, playing for university teams with free education with a further prospect of getting a contract in an NBA club is almost the only opportunity to break out in life. The incentive is enormous. Coupled with the mass character of basketball players in America, this provides an advantage for their student league over ours or any other. But I can proudly say that for three seasons ASB has delegated 20 players to the teams of masters. In my opinion, for the first years of the project's existence, this is a good result. By the way, I do not think that at this stage the priority of the ASB is the preparation of professional players. So far, we are focusing on mass production. On the other hand, many graduates of the Youth Sports School do not have time to open up before the age of 18, and for them the opportunity to combine their studies at universities with well-organized sports gives them an additional chance to break into a professional team. The student championship is a significant part of the Russian basketball pyramid, and today our task is to expand it.
RG: In addition to your work in the ASB, you do not leave your other favorite sport - rowing. Tell us about it, what projects are planned here?
Konovalov: Student sports for rowing are even more relevant, since specialization here comes later. As a rule, with rare exceptions, rowers are revealed at the age of 23-24. In Russia, unlike in most countries, rowing is not a university sport, because of this, a lot is lost. About a year ago, the Association of Rowing Sports Lovers (ALGS) was established. Its main task is to support mass and student sports. The first steps - assistance in the preparation of the rowing eight of St. Petersburg State University. The guys are preparing according to a special program, which is combined with their curriculum. Also, ALGS revived the English Rowing Club in St. Petersburg. Now we are preparing for the traditional regatta "Golden Oars of St.