SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN TOUGH TIMES
Spartak Moscow Region didn't sweep all before them this season, but the club did clinch a fourth successive EuroLeague Women crown. The accomplishment speaks volumes about the unity in the Spartak camp because the outfit had been rocked at the beginning of November by the shooting death of club supremo Shabtai Von Kalmanovic.
"I still cannot believe how we achieved what we did finally achieve," said Spartak general manager and sport director, Steve Costalas.
"When we lost Shabtai, I was sure that we would fold but that is when the Governor of Moscow, (Boris) Gromov, together with other local officials showed their true love to Spartak and their respect towards Shabtai's vision and guaranteed that the team would continue its mission.
"The players and the staff also came through and instead of looking to jump ship, they were patient and worked twice as hard and achieved something only Shabtai could have dreamed of."
Indeed, at another highly and emotionally-charged EuroLeague Women Final Four, Spartak beat their Russian rivals UMMC Ekaterinburg for the third consecutive season in the Semi-Finals and then laid waste to hosts Ros Casares.
Spartak won all 16 of their games in Europe.
Spartak did fall to UMCC in the Russian Cup and the Russian Superleague Women Finals for the second straight year, but the only word that can be used to describe 2009-10 for the Vidnoje club is successful.
What can we expect next season from Spartak?
The leading player in their four EuroLeague Women title-winning sides, Diana Taurasi, has decided to play for Fenerbahce next season.
But Sue Bird, Marina Karpunina, Ilona Korstin, Anete Jekabsone-Zogota, Sonja Petrovic and coach Pokey Chatman are among those returning.
In a major move, the club will also bring back Australia international Lauren Jackson - a leader in two of Spartak's EuroLeague Women championship campaigns.
Another big signing is expected to be confirmed this week.
Spartak, without question, will have a formidable side in 2010-11.
Costalas gave this interview to Basketball World News for FIBA Europe.
Steve, Spartak have lost Taurasi and Janel McCarville but still has a very strong squad for next season. What are the goals going to be for the club once the players are together with Chatman?
Steve: Next season, as well as the seasons to come, our goal is to have our "family" work as hard as it can to achieve the best result possible. We already miss Dee. We have already announced we are retiring her number and wish her the best, but if the Celtics can win a championship without Bill Russell and Larry Bird, everything is possible.
Anete, the 2007 FIBA Europe Women's Player of the Year, did not seem as influential in her first season with Spartak as many expected she would be. Is she a player that next year will be more assertive with Taurasi gone?
Steve: Anete is going to benefit from Dee's departure as much as she benefited playing with her for one season. They clicked together and worked very hard and Anete, without doubt, became a better player. Now that Dee has moved on, it is time for Anete to become our leader and to regain what is rightfully hers - the title of European Player of the Year.
Does Jackson's return make Spartak one of the favorites to get back to the EuroLeague Women Final Four next year when combining her skills with those of Sue, Ilona, Marina, Anete, Irina Osipova and so many other solid players?
Steve: Lauren is coming home. It is as simple as that. When we met at Shabtai's funeral, she told me that she would do whatever is best for our family and after one season, as soon as I picked up the phone and spoke to her, we both knew that it was just a matter of paperwork for her to return to Vidnoje. Everybody involved is excited and we expect that only good things can come out of this reunion. She will blend in with our other stars with most of whom she has played in the past
Can you predict the style of play of Spartak next season?
Steve: Pokey style. Or should I say the "Hokey-Pokey" style. Seriously, Pokey is the coach and if I get involved or disclose her secrets, then she will want to get involved with my job. And that is something neither of us wants. One thing is for sure: We will have fun and our opponents will not have fun...
UMMC Ekaterinburg are a team loaded with talent, too, and they have won two Russian titles. Does their presence make Spartak better, and likewise, does Spartak's presence make UMMC better?
Steve: For years now, UMMC has had some of the best players and some of the best coaching staffs in Europe. Our advantage was that we were a family and that we had Shabtai - the best owner, CEO and father in basketball. Let's not forget the last international title UMMC won was with Shabtai in the driver seat. But to answer your question, yes the competition makes us better. They are great and if for whatever reason we cannot win it again, I hope these girls win it because they have worked very hard.
What really did the loss of Shabtai mean to Spartak?
Steve: Shabtai was our father, our brother, our teacher and most of all Shabtai. He loved basketball and especially women's basketball. He changed women's basketball when he brought the best players in the world to play in Russia. Who would have ever dreamed that (four-time USA Olympic champion) Lisa Leslie would come to Russia and play in the EuroCup for Spartak, which just one year before was in the Russian second division?
How did you survive and not fold as CSKA Moscow did earlier this year?
Steve: I still cannot believe how we achieved what we did finally achieve. When we lost Shabtai, I was sure that we would fold but that is when the Governor of Moscow, Gromov, together with other local officials, showed their true love for Spartak and their respect towards Shabtai's vision and guaranteed that the team would continue its mission. The players and the staff also came through and instead of looking to jump ship, they were patient and worked twice as hard and achieved something only Shabtai could have dreamed of - to win the EuroLeague for the fourth consecutive time without Tatiana Shchegoleva and Lauren Jackson. What really was important was that before every game, we remembered Shabtai's favorite expression - "It's now or never".
How did the league recover from losing CSKA Moscow, which was a very prominent team?
Steve: The Russian League suffered a major blow when it lost CSKA Moscow but it was able to survive thanks to the hard work of the Russian Women's Superleague as well as the improvement of some other teams such as Orenburg, Kursk and St. Petersburg. But let's not forget the sudden demise of Dynamo Moscow and Vologda which really has surprised me. Hopefully we will see them improving and once more playing an important role in Russian and European Basketball.
Can you give us some insight to the Spartak youth program and why Russia's national team is going to reap the benefits of it?
Steve: People did not pay attention to what Shabtai said after winning his first EuroLeague title. He said : "I hope I win it with an all-Russian Team. That was a dream and (his late wife and former Russia international) Anna Arkhipova Von Kalmanovic, with the Olympic Reserve School and the Spartak youth program, is on a good road to making it possible. Already Spartak is supplying many players to the young national teams. Characteristically just in the last year, I had the pleasure and honor to serve as manager of the U16 Russian national team which qualified for this year's World U17 Championship in Toulouse and which had many players who came from these programs.
Looking ahead to next year again, how crucial was it to keep Pokey at the club in terms of continuity? Also, with Taurasi and McCarville gone, does this take some of the pressure off Spartak and lower expectations? Are the Turkish teams, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, going to be the ones to beat because of their big signings?
Steve: Pokey was the base of our rebuilding Spartak while hopefully keeping it within the elite of European Basketball. This has never happened before. Look at most of the European powerhouses of the last two decades. After some years of dominance most of them disappeared or are keeping their heads barely above the water. We surely do not want to have such a fate. Actually we hope to make it to the prom real soon. As for expectations: Ha.... we went to all four Final Fours as the underdogs and the so called "specialists" are still hiding.... As for the Turkish teams: I have yet to see a team win a title in the pre-season. It is still a long way to go and a grueling, full-of-surprises season so please repeat this question at the Final Four.
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