Vyacheslav ZAITCEV: «I wanted to play in Euroleague, so I chose UNICS»

Interview

23.08.2021

23.08.2021

One of the main additions of UNICS in the offseason was the 31-year-old guard Vyacheslav ZAITSEV, who told about the reasons for moving to Kazan, the benefits of coronavirus, and the full namesake-fashion designer.

Вячеслав Зайцеы



MY PARENTS STILL LIVE IN ST. PETERSBURG

- Does the famous fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev know that he has a full namesake who plays basketball? Did you offer a special cut shape?

- No, I have never encountered him. Everyone, of course, knows this fashion designer, there are even jokes about this, but I'm not sure if he knows about me. In a word, we are not familiar with my full namesake. If he was interested in sports, then perhaps it would be different. And in any case, in his specially designed for me uniform, no one would have allowed me to play in an official match.

- Is Leningrad or St. Petersburg specified as the place of birth in your passport?

- Leningrad, my hometown became St. Petersburg in 1991. My parents still live there in the center, and my family is registered on Industrial Avenue, where I bought housing - my wife and I have a four-year-old daughter. She watches basketball on TV and enjoys going to matches.

- Does the Petersburg brotherhood in basketball exist? For example, do you keep in touch with Anton Ponkrashov or Igor Zamansky, who previously played successfully at UNICS?

- Yes, I communicate with both. We played together with Anton in Khimki last season. He is now looking for a new team, and with Igor we played in Krasny Oktyabr in Volgograd. We still communicate regularly and maintain relationships. Now Igor works in Zenit St.Petersburg supervising the youth.



IN THE VTB LEAGUE THERE ARE NO PLAYING COACHES, AND IN VOLGOGRAD - THE PRESIDENT PLAYING

- Do you know where you spent the most statistically successful season? This is the 2015/2016 season at Krasny Oktyabr from Volgograd: 10.7 points averaged, 18 three-pointers, 133 rebounds, 87 assists, 44 steals and 12 blocked shots!

- Oh sure. Everything in Volgograd was going well for me, I had a good season. And all because I got a lot of playing time, hence such a successful statistic. Then he moved to Khimki, where they also had good seasons, although there was less playing time, the team was completely different.

- Does the name Dmitry Gerasimenko (born 09/29/1978 - Approx. T-s) say anything? What do you remember the playing president of Krasny Oktyabr?

- Of course I remember. Kept in a relationship for a while. Good man. Only positive emotions remained from communicating with him, as well as from playing in his club. A very interesting personality, a unique case - the playing president! There are no playing coaches in the VTB League, but here the president is playing. That season he played a little, maybe a couple of matches, and he did not spend much time on the court. He did not pull the blanket over himself, he gained points, played for his own pleasure and for partners. It was interesting with him on the site.

- Why on June 7, 2021, Khimki's open letter to the Governor of the Moscow Region was not signed by Alexei Shved from the team?

- It is necessary to ask Shved. Everyone has their own opinion, and their decision, everything was individual at that moment.

- Is the opinion of the head coach of the Spanish “Basque” Dusko Ivanovic important to you? This is what he said last season after the game against Khimki. “I would especially like to note the play of point guard Vyacheslav Zaitsev. He has grown into a real team leader, ”said Ivanovic.

- I read these words after the game. The fact is that he worked with me at Khimki when I got there. It was nice to know the opinion of the coach of the Euroleague team, in this case, Basque Country, positive words about himself.


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NOT ALL DREAMS COME TRUE, BUT IT CAN BE BETTER

- Have you ever worried about the NBA topic or is it already in the past? Commentator Vladimir Gomelsky in his conference "Week in the NBA" on the NTV-Plus website back in 2014 spoke about which of the Russians, in his opinion, could go to the NBA: "Vyacheslav Zaitsev, Alexander Gudumak and Artem Klimenko."

- Every child starting basketball had a dream to play in the NBA. Everyone dreamed, someone was able to realize it, someone did not. Not all dreams come true, but maybe it's for the best. I feel comfortable in Russia, I play in the Euroleague, which brings together very good players, including those from America. This is a very high-level tournament, one of the best in Europe.

- Calm and modest - is that about you? Do these qualities help in the game? “I try, on the contrary, not to lose my temper. This can negatively affect the result of the team. I am a point guard, I play with the ball more often than others, so I need to be less nervous, ”I quote from one of your previous interviews.

- Yes, I am calm, but at different times. I have never become arrogant in my life. But all people are different, and influence the team chemistry in different ways.

- Why did you choose UNICS? What attracted you to the Kazan club? Surely there were other options?

- Firstly, UNICS plays in the Euroleague, and I really wanted to continue playing in this tournament. This is the highest level tournament, the best in Europe. Secondly, I know how beautiful the city of Kazan is. The people here are positive. Having considered the options, I chose UNICS for myself. Euroleague, a good city, decent team chemistry - all this influenced my decision. The family is already with me in Kazan, they chose an apartment on Kasatkina Street - 10 minutes from the Basket-Hall.



BASKETBALL LANGUAGE IS ENGLISH

- This is one of the advantages of the coronavirus - the team conducts the preseason at home like UNICS is now, do you agree?

- Yes. When you sometimes spend a whole year without your family, some guys at Khimki had this, it's hard, inevitably affects your game. And then after work you come home, where your wife and daughter meet you, it's great. And when training camps are held somewhere abroad, it is always a break from loved ones. My family is here with me.

- There was some time in your biography such a coaching international as now in UNICS: two Croats (Velimir Perasovic, Milan Karakash), a Slovene (Jure Drakslar), a Greek (Ricardos Camposas), a Tatar (Artur Bigeev), an Italian (Claudio Coldebella, sports director)?

- No, of course, there are foreign coaches in many teams, but I have never met such an international. A very impressive spread of different countries. But the language of basketball is English, everyone understands each other.

Source: "Tatar-inform"