Murzin banking on fighting spirit to carry Ukraine
KIEV (EuroBasket 2015) - Ukraine coach Evgeni Murzin has included several giants in his 22-man preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2015.
There are seven centers and a total of 14 players 2m or taller that make Ukraine firm candidates to have the biggest, in terms of size, 12-man team at EuroBasket 2015 in September.
Former NBA big men Oleksiy Pecherov, Viacheslav (Slava) Kravtsov and Kyrylo Fesenko are all on the preliminary list.
Only the 27-year-old Kravtsov, who spent this past season in China, has featured the last couple of years with Ukraine.
Fesenko recently joined Lokomotiv Kuban after strong campaigns in both the EuroChallenge and the VTB United League with Avtodor Saratov.
Artem Pustovyi, like Kravtsov a member of the Ukraine team the past couple of years, is on the list.
He will play abroad for the first time next season after signing for Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro in Spain.
Another player on the preliminary roster is young center Sergiy Zagreba.
Phoenix Suns pivot Alex Len and former Valencia center Serhiy Lishchuk are on the 22-man list but both have yet to confirm their availability.
Player insurance could scupper the chance of Len joining the team.
"He is concerned he might get injured," Murzin said of the 22-year-old big man in an interview with the xsport.ua website.
Health is the concern for Lishchuk.
Sergiy Lischuk will give his final answer on Eurobasket2015 on 5th July, after medical examination. He is ready to play, but health is issue
— Oleksandr Proshuta (@alex_proshuta) June 30, 2015
There are big question marks in the backcourt.
It's unclear if Sergii Gladyr, one of the national team's top marksman the past couple of summers, will play.
The 27-year-old SLUC Nancy player is included but Murzin has admitted that communication with Gladyr has been difficult.
He remains optimistic the sharp-shooter will eventually report to training camp.
Ukraine's top scorer in recent years, Eugene "Pooh" Jeter, and Kansas Jayhawks guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk are out.
Jeter had already indicated after the announcement that Mike Fratello would not remain as coach that he would not play.
Mykhailiuk will concentrate on his academic and playing commitments at Kansas, where he is a rising sophomore.
Olexandr Mishula, who played very well under Fratello, is a near certainty to make the squad and will contend for the starting playmaker spot.
"I will count on the people who respond to the call," Murzin stated.
"We have no choice, we have to fight, to remind everybody that there is still basketball in Ukraine."
We will be playing for the honor of our country. - Murzin
Ukraine has been beset by political problems, which led to the relocation of this year's EuroBasket from their country to France, Latvia, Germany and Croatia.
Murzin's side will play in Group D in Riga against Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
"Of course my dream would be to win the EuroBasket," Murzin said.
"Our actual goal is to get out of our group, and I believe it is feasible.
"The question is who will stay out so that we qualify, because we all know how strong Lithuania and Latvia are and generally there are no weak opponents at the EuroBasket."
Ukraine's preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2015: Joel Bolomboy, Kyrylo Fesenko, Sergii Gladyr, Dmytro Gliebov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Maxym Korniyenko, Viacheslav Kravtsov, Pavlo Krutous, Oleksiy "Alex" Len, Serhiy Lishchuk, Denys Lukashov, Oleksandr Lypovyy, Olexandr Mishula, Kyryl Natyazhko, Ruslan Otverchenko, Oleksiy Pecherov, Artem Pustovyi, Maksym Pustozvonov, Oleksandr Sizov, Stanislav Tymofeyenko, Sergiy Zagreba and Ihor Zaytsev.
Go to eurobasket2015.org for complete coverage of EuroBasket 2015.
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