No fright, no flight30 march 2007

On Saturday in St. Petersburg, Khimki’s players will play in the next and penultimate match as visitor in the regular stage of the 2006/07 season. Spartak’s Yubileyniy Sports Complex will be the venue for the game against Khimki, which this week gave a decisive step towards winning the Super League Championship medals. The Moscow Region Club set out for the city on the Neva with victory in mind, to not upset their winning streak, which is 6 years running. The match will take place at 19:00.

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)

5Oleg Bartunov Guard 1985196
6Alexei KarvanenForward 1974199
7Dmitry NikolaevForward 1983200
8Alexei EkimovCenter 1981211
9Ivan KaravaevGuard 1986192
10Pavel SergeevGuard 1987187
11Boniface N’DongCenter 1977212
12Fedor DmitrievForward 1984205
13Alexei TsvetkovForward 1984206
20Anton YudinGuard 1972197
23Stanislav SotnikovForward 1985200

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