15 VTB United League Stars at EuroBasket 2015

The European championships tip off on Saturday in four countries--Germany, Latvia, France and Croatia--with more than 30 VTB United League players to compete at the tournament. VTB-League.com has highlighted 15 of the top league stars at EuroBasket 2015. Each of these men are leaders on their respective national teams and hope to bring home the gold.

Semen Antonov, Russia/Nizhny Novgorod

When short on personnel, you need to be creative. That's what Russia has done, frequently inserting two power forwards, Nizhny Novgorod's Semen Antonov and Lokomotiv-Kuban's Andrei Zubkov, on the court at the same time. According to head coach Evgeny Pashutin, Antonov can match European stars like Georgios Printezis and Kostas Kaimakoglou. Just like at Nizhny, Antonov plays selfless basketball, doing the dirty work while contributing on offense. He exploded for 27 points (10-13 from the field) against Greece in an exhibition game. Russia fans hope he can match that outburst in tournament play.

Rain Veideman, Estonia/Kalev

Rain Veideman has enjoyed two big seasons in the VTB United League, winning the league's Estonian Player of the Year award twice. Thanks to his play, Kalev shocked the league last season, just missing out on a playoff berth. The Estonian national team will also be a dark horse at the championships. But rest assured that the team's top sniper will do everything he can to lead his team to a top-four finish in the first round and berth in the Top 16.

Jiri Welsch, Czech Republic/Nymburk

35-year-old Jiri Welsch isn't likely to put up big numbers at EuroBasket, but he's still a very important piece on the Czech national team. The VTB United League's top Czech player last season can play in both the frontcourt and backcourt and has experience at the national team level dating back to EuroBasket 1999. Head coach Ronen Ginzburg also knows Welsch well from their time together at Nymburk in 2012-13 and has returned to coach Nymburk in the upcoming club campaign. 

Andrei Vorontsevich, Russia/CSKA

Vorontsevich made himself into a key member of the CSKA rotation last season. Always a talented defender, he improved his offense as a point-forward and was named Top Russian Player and Playoff MVP in the VTB United League. With Alexey Shved, Sergey Karasev and Timofey Mozgov unable to compete due to injuries, Vorontsevich is one of the biggest names left on the Russian squad.
He'll be expected to do the heavy lifting on defense and help run the offense at the other end. Andrey's shooting touch or lack thereof will be a huge factor in Russia's success. When he's hot from outside the paint, Russia is tough to stop, while shaky shooting from Vorontsevich will make the offense too predictable and easier to defend.

Nando de Colo, France/CSKA

The French star will try to help his club defend its 2013 title on native soil. A loaded roster didn't stop de Colo from earning a big role on the squad entering the tournament. He's valuable because of his versatility...capable of running an offense, defending two positions, playing at shooting guard and ripping apart defenses with his paint penetration. 

Zoran Dragic, Slovenia/Khimki

Zoran Dragic spent last season in the NBA, but only appeared in 16 games, averaging 4.7 minutes per outing. The Khimki newcomer must be starving for game time and will have a pent-up reservoir of energy to unleash on Slovenia's opponents. Dragic can drive to the basket, knock down the outside shot and hold his own on defense. If you don't know much about Dragic yet, EuroBasket will be a terrific opportunity to study up on the Khimki guard.

Kostas Kaimakoglou, Greece/UNICS

Kostas Kaimakoglou has played for the Greek national team at all age levels, including winning the U20 European championships in 2002. He's been on the senior team for more than 10 years, earning bronze at EuroBasket 2009. Now 32, he doesn't have too many more chances to top that achievement. Expect Kaimakoglou to do everything he can to lead Greece to a deep tournament run. A talented defender, rebounder, 3-point shooter and playmaker, Greece is heavily dependent on the bearded big man.

Victor Claver, Spain/Lokomotiv-Kuban

Victor Claver signed with Lokomotiv-Kuban this week after spending the second half of last season at Khimki. Claver had trouble finding a groove in Moscow Region, but he came up big in the final months following a rash of injuries to Rimas Kurtinaitis's squad. The Spaniard has a high basketball IQ and boasts great athleticism. As a member of the Spanish national team, he's won EuroBasket twice and silver at the Olympics. He'll play an important role in the upcoming championships.

Petteri Koponen, Finland/Khimki

Khimki's Finnish guard continued to improve last season, coming off the bench to put up big numbers in Moscow Region. Koponen won the Sixth Man of the Year and Top Finnish Player awards in the VTB United League. He's dangerous on offense, capable of scoring and getting his teammates involved. Koponen is a deadly 3-point shooter and clutch in big moments. Unlike his role at Khimki, the VTB United League star is the undisputed leader on the Finnish national team and hopes to carry the nation to a berth in the second round of EuroBasket 2015.

Arturas Milaknis, Lithuania/UNICS

It's been a busy year for Arturas Milaknis. The Lithuanian forward shot 46.2% from downtown last season in the Euroleague and won the Lithuanian playoff MVP before signing with UNICS and earning a spot on the Lithuanian national team. Lithuanian fans hope he can stay hot at EuroBasket, where he'll be asked to terrorize opposing defenses from the perimeter.

Sergey Monia, Russia/Khimki

Technically, Sergey Monia is no longer the Russian national team captain. But that does nothing to minimize his role on the squad. Captain Russia, as he's known, is the heart and soul of the team's defense. The Russian squad suffered several injuries leading up to competition, but the players that made the team are united and determined to leave everything they have on the court. Monia will keep everyone sharp in the locker room and lead the effort on defense, plus hit big shots when he's called on. Everyone knows by now to give the ball to the Khimki forward and let him go to work when the game is on the line.

Milos Teodosic, Serbia/CSKA

There's little more to say about Milos Teodosic. The CSKA and Serbia star is one of the best players in Europe and will be one of the biggest stars at EuroBasket 2015. Milos put on a brilliant performance a year ago to lead Serbia to silver at the world championships. He also earned silver at EuroBasket 2009. Serbia's success at this tournament will depend in large part on Teodosic.

Janis Timma, Latvia/Zenit

The Latvian forward was a leader at VEF last season, earning Young Player of the Year honors. He moved to Zenit in the summer, where much is expected of him in 2015-16. Timma's play leading up to EuroBasket 2015 should give Zenit fans plenty of optimism. He's one of Latvia's top performers and has the stats to back it up. He's a hard worker, battling for rebounds, hustling on fast breaks, taking big shots and even helping distribute the ball. Expect the 23-year-old to make a big impression on the continental stage this September.

Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukraine/Lokomotiv-Kuban

Fesenko put up big numbers last season in Saratov, where he helped the VTB United League newcomers advance to the postseason. During the offseason he signed with Euroleague-bound Lokomotiv-Kuban. That's great news for the Ukrainian national team, which wants to prove that its sensational 6th-place finish in Slovenia two years ago was no fluke. The Ukrainians are not very deep and a lot is expected from Fesenko. The center was captain of the national squad in 2011, the last time he was on the team. Big and powerful, Fesenko is almost impossible to stop when he gets the ball around the basket.

Vitaly Fridzon, Russia/CSKA

Russia coach Evgeny Pashutin often talks about how his squad will be a true team: aggressive defense, pressure, fast breaks and no ego on offense. Within that system, Fridzon is probably Russia's most dangerous player. He'll have more freedom than he does at CSKA and he'll need to both create and finish shots. Fridzon, of course, is deadly from the perimeter when open.