Meet the Opponent

St. Petersburg’s Spartak Club on the banks of the Neva River is one of the nation’s oldest and most renowned teams. Founded 19 April 1935 and up until WWII Spartak played twice in the USSR Championship (1937, ‘40, taking 9th place). Having won the 1958 city championship, the club went on to place for the nation’s championship. As of 1960 and up until the fall of the Soviet Union, Spartak was a consistent candidate in the USSR Championship, winning twice during this time: 1975 and 1992 (during that year the tournament ceased being the USSR Championship changing to that of the CIS (Community of Independent States).

The red-n-whites are the only in the history of the USSR and of Russia to hold the European Cup of Cups, won twice (1973 and 1975). In 1971 they went on to the finals for this European cup. Moreover, in the Spartak Club Museum there are two USSR cups for 1978 and ‘87; eight silver medals from the Union Championship for 1970-74, ‘76, ‘78, ’91; and one Russian (1993). The team also won the bronze four times in 1969, ‘81, ‘85, ‘86, and ‘87. Spartak has been under the leadership a long time of the Russian Coach Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin.

At the start of the season, rumors flew about that the days of the club were counted, but Spartak not only found its way out of a difficult financial situation, it invited a series of players, both national and foreign to play under its colors. It now focuses on making its place among the Russian basketball elite. The first steps in that direction have been taken.

Spartak (St. Petersburg)

5	Oleg Bartunov	Guard	1985	196
6	Alexei Karvanen	Forward	1974	199
7	Dmitry Nikolaev	Forward	1983	200
8	Alexei Ekimov	Center	1981	211
9	Ivan Karavaev	Guard	1986	192
10	Pavel Sergeev	Guard	1987	187
11	Boniface N’Dong	Center	1977	212
12	Fedor Dmitriev	Forward	1984	205
13	Alexei Tsvetkov	Forward	1984	206
20	Anton Yudin	Guard	1972	197
23	Stanislav Sotnikov	Forward	1985	200

Head Coach: Oleg Okulov
Asst. Coaches: Andrey Potapov, Alexander Orlov