"MBK-2-NIKO-SDYUSSHOR-4" (Nikolaev) - BC "Prometey-2-DDTU". October 2 and 3. 14:00 and 12:00. Higher League. The 1st paired round. Mykolayiv. SC Nadiya. Broadcast - fbu.ua.
    
Tomorrow, on October 2, "Prometey-2-DDTU" in Nikolaev will hold the first match of a starting round of the championship of Ukraine among teams of the Higher league. Dmitry Markov, the head coach of Prometey-2-DDTU, spoke in an interview with the club's press service about his team's readiness for the season and its immediate plans.

- Dmytro Ivanovych, already this weekend "Prometey-2-DDTU" starts in the Higher League championship. How satisfied are you with the quality of the team's pre-season training? In what mood are the guys and the coaching staff approaching the start of the season?

- The guys underwent good, high-quality training. We got together quite early, went through all the meetings, did everything we planned. We may not have played as many sparring matches as we would have liked, but we had four good games to understand and see what was right and what was wrong. Based on these matches and all the preparation for the season, we are approaching the first round of the Higher League championship.

- In the off-season there were some changes in the team. I would like to introduce our newcomers.

- As in any professional team, changes in the composition of ours - it's an endless process. I always want it to have high-quality and promising players. We are constantly doing this, watching the guys we have, how they are developing, how young players are developing in other cities. Now accepted two young perspective guys from Kramatorsk and Kryvyi Rih, and also a little more experienced Vlad Orzul from Mykolaiv who was already "under Superleague". We strengthened a little because we want to play more aggressive basketball both in defense and attack. From this point of view, all beginners are suitable for us. The only thing is that we haven't found skillful guys for positions 4 and 5, but the picking process is not over yet and in the course of the season we will try to find someone. We do not have a more or less acceptable replacement for Bohdan Bryniuk, we would like to strengthen this central position. But in general we have a combat-ready team that is able to solve maximum problems.

We broke up with some guys we had worked with for a year. They failed to perform well, and we did not see any prospects in them. They were replaced by better performers, but everything will be shown in the first games of the championship.

- Last winter, the coaching staff of the first team began to actively involve your wards in the training process. Which of the guys could make significant progress?

- Naturally, those guys who joined the main team with a target of playing in the Superleague, stood out for the better. These are Bohdan Bryniuk, Ihor Klimov and Danyil Pirohov. At the moment, I see that 5-6 people have made a big step forward. I am waiting for the official matches to see if this is really the case. In the training process, their dedication is visible, as well as perspective. My task is for the youth to reveal themselves individually and for the team itself to move forward. I hope that the upcoming matches will show that we are moving in the right direction.

- Do you think it will be easier for the team to enter the season now than a year ago, when, frankly, it initially looked a bit rough on the background of the experienced rivals?

- Of course, yes! Last year we did not have the appropriate preparation. In the shortest possible time, the composition was assembled and  the boys were “thrown into the water”. Already in the course of the season we learned to “survive” and we did quite well, but, of course, not straight away. There were games that could not be included in the asset, but the guys worked and there were some visible progress. This year they have already received quality training. We worked a lot both individually and in groups. We have high hopes for this season, we will try to fulfill them. The second season based on the first should be much better. Now the level of the Higher League has risen a lot. I would like the championship to be held without division into subgroups, but there is a system for holding it. In the second stage, we would like to play with worthy, experienced and strong teams from the Western subgroup, to further development of our potential.

- Thank you, Dmytro Ivanovych! We wish you that all hopes for the season come true!

The course of the matches "Prometey-2-DDTU" and "MBK-2-NIKO-SDYUSSHOR-4" on October 2 and 3 can be followed via online broadcasts on the official website of the Basketball Federation of Ukraine. On October 2nd teams will com out on a court of the sports complex Nadiya in Nikolaev at 14:00, next day - at 12:00.