Ilona Korstin: «The UNICS championship is absolutely deserved»

Interview

01.06.2023

General Director of VTB United League Ilona Korstin in an interview with Match TV called the UNICS championship the main event of the season, and also noted the combative nature of the players, the professional work of the coaching staff of the Kazan team and the great atmosphere at the white-green home matches in the Basket Hall.

— Which event of the season do you consider the brightest?

— For me, of course, this is a victory for UNICS. At the end of the regular season, CSKA seemed to be the clear favorite, and Zenit had a strong squad led by Xavier Pascual, and it was difficult to assume that we would see the final of the UNICS — Lokomotiv Kuban. But the Kazan and Krasnodar teams, despite everything, made it to the decisive series.

It turned out to be a very bright season: there are seven matches in the semifinals, a new pair of finalists in the decisive series, and the brightest event is the UNICS championship. I think it is absolutely deserved. The Kazan team showed its best qualities, showed a combative character and revealed its potential by 100%. This was largely due to the dedication of the players, the professional work of the coaching staff and management, the advantage of their site and the great atmosphere at the games in Kazan. For the first time, UNICS took the opportunity to win gold medals, and I congratulate them on that.

— Which of the players has made a qualitative step forward?

— I will mention Nenad Dimitriоevic from UNICS. The Macedonian guard revealed himself gradually, adding over the course of the season, and played a key role in the decisive matches, becoming the leader and subsequently the MVP of the playoffs.