
The reviewer of Sport.ua Oleksiy Kolyago summed up the results of the season for Ronen Ginzburg's squad.
Instead of a prologue. Last summer, after the announcement of the Eurocup 2022/2023 participants, many comments appeared on the basketball branches of russist sports resources in the style of "what kind of weird club from Ukraine is this ", "how is it possible for them to play in such a tournament", "one or two wins is their maximum" and so on. The commentators practiced in which of them would name more suitable teams to participate in the second-ranked European Cup instead of "Prometey" and agreed that the participation of the players from Slobozhanske in the tournament is a kind of humanitarian aid to Ukrainian basketball. And how pleasant that the "titans" sent these "experts" after their warship at the end of the season.
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For Ukrainian club basketball in the 2022/2023 season, the main task was to survive. But the management of the "titans" decided to continue the progressive development of the team, even despite the full-scale war. "Prometey" applied for the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, which replaced the SuperLeague for the team from Slobozhanske, and on the international arena, Ronen Ginzburg's squad had to take part in the EuroCup, a tournament where there were no representatives of Ukraine for nine long years. At first, such steps seemed quite risky, but the club did a huge amount of work and were sure that they are capable of doing this.
When the not-highest level of LEBL became clear, it was easy to understand that the main litmus test for the "titans" during the season will be the second-ranked European club tournament. By the standards of this competition, the roster of the team from Slobozhanske was quite decent. But the status of a complete debutant, conditionally home matches in Riga and Kaunas and simply the fact that the club represents Ukraine (a country that is not in the highest positions in European basketball, and also in the midst of full-scale war on its territory), they assigned "Prometey" the maximum role of a "dark horse".
At first, it was really difficult for the players from Slobozhanske, but step by step the coaching staff adjusted the team's game, and the key players found their rhythm. The last one who did it was Ondrej Balvin. The Czech center completely repeated the case of his predecessor Miro Bilan. Last season, the Croatian center also hesitated for a long time, and only personal trust from Ronen Ginzburg saved him from being kicked out of the team, but then he became a cornerstone of the team. This season, Balvin has already followed the same path.
After seven rounds played, the team from Slobozhanske had three wins and four losses, and at that time the team's fans were thinking more about just getting to the playoffs than about entering the late stages of the tournament. However, after December 6, (the day of Prometey's last defeat in the group stage of the EuroCup), the “titans” went on a phenomenal winning streak of over thirty matches in a row in two tournaments. It also included eleven streight triumphs in the regular EuroCup championship.
"Prometey" has become one of the main newsmakers in European basketball. The team was written about in the articles; interviews with the players of the club from Slobozhanske appeared on the EuroCup website, and in the power rating of the second ranked European Cup, the club moved to the top five. It is worth noting that along with this, "Prometey" rocked Riga. If very few spectators came to the first international matches of the "titans" in the capital of Latvia, then at the end of the season, the number of fans considerably increased , and changes in the noise level and the quality of support for our team could be felt even through the screen.
Separately, it should be said that Ukrainian club remained Ukrainian and continued to talk about it. Appearances with the flags of our country, reminders about the situation in Ukraine at press conferences, donations to the Armed Forces, free tickets for Ukrainians and training sessions for the children of our forcibly replaced people. All this happened, and the "titans" not only threw the ball into the hoop, but also helped in their area of fighting.
Could “Prometey” win the EuroCup? For sure. But its majesty's case intervened in the matter. Fortune decided that things were going too well for the club from Slobozhanske, and a terrible epidemic of injuries fell on the team before the main games of the season. So that even the victory in LEBL turned out under a huge question mark, not to mention the successful results in the Eurocup.
But the club persevered. First, with a roster of seven and a half players and with a game pattern that was forced to change due to injuries, they won the LEBL Final Four, and then went through the 1/8 and 1/4 of the European Cup. On the international arena, the team from Slobozhanske skilfully used the results of their work in the group stage and, thanks to this, obtained a relatively easier playoff grid. In the first two rounds of the postseason, the "titans" defeated the German "Hamburg" and the Greek "Promitheas", which were not easy, but still quite strong opponents. But in the semi-finals, difficult opponents ended, only the favorites of the tournament remained.
This is exactly what the Turkish "Turk Telecom" was like, but even here, "Prometey" could expect for success. If the team (and especially Gian Clavell) would have been more accurate in free throws. If the players had not made so many non-obvious three-pointers in a clearly not the best shooting night for them. If James Dickey had not received mega-quick three fouls and had given Ondrej Balvin, who in the second half frankly got fed up, more time to rest. If Axel Bouteille from "Turk Telecom" had not hit several simply incredible long-range shots. After all, if “Prometey” had simply hit the ball in one of their last three attacks. But it turned out as it did. It's a pity, they could have won.
However, entering the top four teams of the EuroCup was a huge achievement for the club from Slobozhanske. And one of the main sensations in the European club season. A telling moment when the players of "Turk Telecom" after the victory over Ronen Ginzburg's squad hugged as if they had won the Euroleague, and some basketball players screamed and lay on the floor like little children. It says that Ukrainian club is no longer a "dark horse". For the representatives of the top European championships, the "titans" have already become their equals in the second-ranked European Cup. If "Prometey" continues its progressive development as an organization, then great victories are sure to come.
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Appetite comes during meals. And it's hard to disagree with that. The result, which seven months ago would have been considered extremely successful, is now perceived with a slight aftertaste of disappointment. However, "Prometey" fulfilled and exceeded its tournament tasks for the season. And they did something else. Over the past two years (the last FIBA Champions League is also considered), the "titans" have returned to Ukrainian fans of the orange ball the already forgotten taste of great victories in European club basketball. And after February 24, when there were less reasons for joy, it is doubly valuable.
Brilliant matches, victories over strong opponents, overcoming difficulties after massive injuries, the LEBL title, success in the EuroCup. The tournament path of “Prometey” became the brightest chapter in the 2022/2023 Ukrainian basketball season, which has now officially ended. And Ronen Ginzburg's squad can be given a good rating for that.