Vasily Karasev:
Zenit is betting on Russians

Zenit was among the league's biggest surprises last season. The team exceeded expectations on the court, finishing in the top four during the regular season, while selling out Sibur Arena several times.

In his interview, Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev told us that he expects even better results this season, introduced his club's new players, talked about Zenit's reliance on Russian talent and emphasized his committment to playing exciting basketball.

- Zenit St. Petersburg made its debut last season. What stuck out to you most?
- "Debut season" says it all. That's what I remember most: moving to St. Petersburg and returning to my hometown as a coach. And, of course, playing in front of big crowds at Sibur Arena.

- How are preparations for the start of the season in October progressing?
- We'll be focused on getting in shape at our first camp. A lot of the guys played for various national teams and our challenge is to get everyone in ideal condition by the start of the season. We also have newcomers on the roster, which is why we are also working on our offensive and defensive sets. We haven't had much game practice yet.

- Did you meet all of your free agent goals in the offseason?
- It's hard to say right now. The games will show. We probably got better at the positions where we wanted to improve. We'll have a better idea once our preseason schedule gets underway. We're betting on Russian players. We only have four foreign players this season, not five. That's the right strategy to take. Several talented young Russians have joined the team and they want to get better.

- Talented Latvian forward Janis Timma, named Young Player of the Year last season in the VTB United League, was brought in to replace Dmitry Kulagin. What role will he play on the new roster?
- We've tracked Janis for a long time and even wanted to bring him over last season, but it didn't work out. He's got so much ahead of him, but he's already a very mature player. We try to preach quick basketball and aggressive defense and we depend on talented players that can handle the workload. They also enjoy playing that style of basketball. We are really counting on Janis and he should become one of Zenit's leaders.

- Last season, the team finished second-to-last in three-point field-goal percentage (33.3%). Did that factor into your decision to sign a sniper like Ryan Toolson?
- Of course. We had a tough time last season. When you aren't dangerous on the perimeter, the defense adjusts. We tried to sign players with good outside shooting this summer. Not just Toolson, but also two young Russians, Karpukhin and Komissarov. I think we'll be able to turn things around.

- Tell us about another newcomer, Zabian Dowdell, who has prior experience in the VTB United League. Will he be asked to replace last year's leader Walter Hodge?
- It's hard to simply replace someone. Hodge was very strong and productive on offense. We ran a lot of things through him, but we were also dependent on him. If Walter struggled, Zenit played poorly. Now we're trying to create a team that won't be so dependent on one player. Dowdell will really help us on defense. He can be really aggressive thanks to his height. Zabian is not as reliable from outside as Hodge, but he takes care of the ball and can distribute. He knows the VTB United League after playing for Lietuvos Rytas and Enisey, which also helps. I'm confident he will help us.

- Let's talk about Russians. Pushkov, Komissarov, Antipov, Golovin, Karpukhin: who, in your view, is ready to reach a new level and surprise the fans?
- I don't want to single anyone out. Any of these players could crack the starting five and become a key member of the rotation. We are confident in each of them, but they need to prove it by working hard when they are on the court. That's great for Russian players. It all depends on them.

- Dmitry Golovin is one of the most active players on Twitter. How do you feel about that?
- I'm not on social media myself. I think it's a waste of time. But that's his decision. I can't forbid it. As long as it doesn't harm the team or his game, it's no big deal.

- Andrei Desyatnikov has made significant progress and sparked a lot of conversation. First, the young center entered the NBA Draft, then he made the Russian national team. Should we expect that he'll play a bigger role for Zenit?
- Even at the end of last season, he started to get playing time - and not because of his height. At times, the team played well when he was on the court and he made an impact. Andrei also really helped the national team at the Universiade. He's maturing, working hard and getting better. It's no an accident that he also made the national team. But it's too early to say that he could become one of Zenit's leaders. You need to take it step by step. No question, this talented center will get playing time and help the team. We are counting on him and I'm happy about his progress.

- Artem Vikhrov and Evgeny Valiev will miss EuroBasket 2015 because of injuries. Will they be healthy for the start of the season?
- Vikhrov started having trouble with his back at the end of last season and it got worse on the national team. Now our goal is to let him get completely healthy, because we are really counting on Artem. Valiev hurt his leg. Now he's working with our medical staff. There are some positive signs, but I'm not a doctor and I can't say exactly when he'll be ready.

- Zenit fairly unexpectedly finished in the top four last season. Is it realistic to stay at that level?
- In additon to attaining certain results, there are also other goals. Right now, we'd like for our Russian players to get a lot of playing time and build a foundation for future growth and wins. We'll have one less foreigner than last season, but thanks to selfless teamwork, we may be even more interesting. We always set high goals. We'll battle each game and try to beat every opponent. We don't want to drop further than we did last season and we'll do everything we can for that to happen. But at the same time, it's important that our Russians grow and develop in order for Zenit to have a strong base of Russian players. After doing so, we'll be able to reach a new level by signing high-quality foreigners.