The Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) has officially unveiled the expanded roster for the national team's upcoming training sessions. The squad will gather in Novogorsk from June 7th to 10th before relocating to Sochi, where preparations will continue until June 25th.
The team will be under the guidance of a coaching staff headed by Zoran Lukic, with assistants Sergei Kozin and Alexander Polinkevich. Following the training camps, the national side is scheduled to play a series of friendly matches, with specific details about the opponents and dates to be announced at a later time.
The roster features a blend of experienced players and emerging talent across all positions. In the backcourt, the selected guards include Timofey Gerasimov, Vladislav Yemchenko, Vsevolod Ishchenko, Anton Kardanakhishvili, Vladimir Karpenko, Maxim Lichutin, and Alexander Shcherbenyov.
The forward positions are well-represented with Anton Astapkovich, Maxim Barashkov, Mikhail Belenitsky, Georgy Zhbanov, Pasha Ismailov, Anton Kvitkovskikh, Andrei Lopatin, Alexander Petenev, Samson Ruzhentsev, and Pavel Savkov all receiving call-ups.
Completing the squad are the centers: Alexander Gankievich, Ilya Krivykh, Andrei Martyuk, Maxim Ogarkov, Gleb Firsov, and Ilya Frolov. This selection provides the coaching staff with numerous options for both the training sessions and the subsequent friendly fixtures.
The announcement confirms the federation's plans for the early summer period as the team looks to build chemistry and tactical cohesion. The extended time in Sochi will be crucial for integrating the players and finalizing strategies ahead of the upcoming international schedule.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.