BC Avtodor explained

Avtodor Saratov
League:VTB United League
Arena:Sports Palace Kristall
Capacity:6,100
Location:Saratov, Russia
President:Vladimir Rodionov
Coach:Milenko Bogićević
Championships:2 Russian Super League
Website:www.avtodor.ru
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BC Avtodor (Russian: БК «Автодор» Саратов), commonly known as simply Avtodor and internationally as Avtodor Saratov, is a Russian professional basketball club based in Saratov. It plays in the VTB United League, the highest level of Russian basketball. In early 2022, after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Americans D. J. Funderburk and Grant Jerrett and Canadians Kenny Chery and Philip Scrubb left the team.[1]

History

Establishment and growth (1960–1992)

Founded in 1960 as Spartak Saratov, former player Vladimir Rodionov became its head coach in the 1982. The club was later renamed into Avtodorozhnik (road engineer) - shortened to Avtodor in 1996 - in reference to a late benefactor.[2] [3]

Scaling the heights (1992–2004)

Joining the Russian League at its creation in 1992, the club competed with CSKA Moscow (being the first club to defeat them in the league) for national supremacy during the rest of the decade, finishing in second place four times between 1994 and 1999.[4] It would win the regular season in both 1997 and 1998,[5] but lost both finals series against CSKA 2–3,[6] and 1–3 respectively.[7]

The Russian outfit regularly took part in European competitions during that period, reaching the semifinals of the 1998 second-tier EuroCup and playing in the 1999 top-tier EuroLeague (exiting at the first group stage).[8] Avtodor defeated CSKA in the 2001–02 playoff quarterfinals,[9] the only team to have prevented the Army men from reaching the top four in Russian basketball history.[10]

Demise and rebuilding (2004–2014)

After threatening to do so for years because of disputes with the local administration, especially regarding the lack of a convenient arena,[11] Rodionov moved the organisation to Saint Petersburg during the 2004 summer. He would form Dynamo Saint Petersburg, transferring some of Avtodor's best players such as Vladimir Veremeenko,[12] and its place in the Super League.[13]

Meanwhile, a cash-strapped Avtodor voluntarily relegated itself to the second division for 2004–05, fielding an noncompetitive side made of youngsters, before moving down to the third division in 2005. Avtodor would win the second division in 2009 but did not have the financial means to return to the Super League. It did return to the Super League in 2012 but by that time the league had become the domestic second division. Winning that league in 2014, in large part thanks to the play of league MVP Courtney Fortson and promising youngster Artem Klimenko, the club received an invitation to play in the top-tier VTB United League and the European third-tier EuroChallenge for 2014-15.

The club was able to fund its participation thanks to increased support from the local administration, who reduced the funding of the city's ice hockey club Kristall Saratov to compensate.[14]

Back at the top (2014–2019)

After losing seven of its first nine VTB League games, Avtodor regrouped with the help of November acquisition Kyrylo Fesenko and the play of December league MVP Fortson. Despite three coaching changes, with Vladimir Antsiferov replaced by his assistant Sergey Mokin in late October before Rodionov fired Mokin and took the coaching reins himself on 3 March 2015, the club reached the EuroChallenge quarterfinals where they lost to Trabzonspor.[15]

In the league, Avtodor beat sides CSKA Moscow, Khimki Moscow Region, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and Unics Kazan to reach the playoffs, but lost three contested games against Khimki to exit at the quarterfinal stage.[16]

2020-present

In early 2022, after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Americans D. J. Funderburk and Grant Jerrett and Canadians Kenny Chery and Philip Scrubb left the team.[1]

Arena

Avtodor formerly played in the Yunost arena, seating only a few hundred and unable to accommodate television broadcasts,[17] which meant the side had to play its European games in Moscow. During the 1997–98 season, the club played its regular-season games in the Yunost arena before moving for its playoffs games to an indoor-football arena whilst a new arena was being refurbished.

It moved to the newly reopened 1,500 seat Zvezdny Sports Palace in May of that year,[18] though this arena also proved too small as 2,000 fans packed the venue during a 21 May 1998 game against CSKA (albeit the league title decisive game), with some hanging from the balcony.

Calls for the club to move in the larger Kristall Arena (an ice hockey arena built in 1969), were finally heeded in 2014. Avtodor remodeled the arena for basketball play, which also raised the capacity from 5,450 to 6,100 seats, playing their first game there on November 11.[19]

Honours

Domestic competitions

Season by season

SeasonDomestic competitionsRussian CupEuropean competitions
TierLeagueTier LeagueResult
1993–941Super League2ndNot held3
1994–951Super League4thNot held2
1995–961Super League3rdNot held3
1996–971Super Leaguebgcolor=silver align="center"2ndNot held2
1997–981Super Leaguebgcolor=silver align="center"2ndNot held2
1998–991Super League2ndNot held1
1999–001Super League6thWithdrew2
2000–011Super League6thNot held3
2001–021Super League4thNot held3
2002–031Super League6thQuarterfinals4
2003–041Super League10thRound of 164
2004–052Super League10th
2005–063Higher League
2006–073Higher LeagueGroup stage
2007–083Higher LeagueGroup stage
2008–092Super Leaguebgcolor=gold align="center"1st
2009–103Higher League12th
2010–113Higher League9thGroup stage
2011–123Higher League5thRound of 16
2012–132Super League3rdRound of 16
2013–142Super Leaguebgcolor=gold align="center"1stQuarterfinalist
2014–151VTB United League7thGroup stage3
2015–161VTB United League6th2
2016–171VTB United League10thRound of 643
2017–181VTB United League6th3
4
2018–191VTB United League3
4
2019–201VTB United League12th
2020–211VTB United League9th
2021–221VTB United League6th4
2022–231VTB United League8th

Current roster

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Notable players

2020s

2010s

2000s

1990s

Head coaches

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leave or stay: American players in Russia. basketnews.com.
  2. 18 February 2015 . Map of the league - Avtodor Saratov . . 25 August 2015 . 2:40 . The man who ran the Avtodor company died in the 1990s. He was an amazing man. He'd won medals: was very distinguished. We became friends in the end and when he died we named the club in his honor. We took the word "Avtodorozhnik" [road engineer] and shortened it to Avtodor.
  3. Web site: Astana meets Avtodor . . 14 November 2014 . BCAstana.kz . 25 August 2015 .
  4. Web site: Club profile: Avtodor Saratov . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924181821/http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/news/i/6amicsl9d4uwskho/club-profile-avtodor-saratov . dead . September 24, 2015 . . 25 August 2015 . EurocupBasketball.com . 25 August 2015.
  5. Web site: Avtodor beats CSKA 98-87, grabs regular-season title . Fyodorov . Gennady . 11 April 1998 . TheMoscowTimes.com . 25 August 2015.
  6. Web site: Russian League final set despite arena problems . Fyodorov . Gennady . 8 May 1998 . TheMoscowTimes.com . 25 August 2015.
  7. Web site: CSKA takes crown with road win . Fyodorov . Gennady . 21 May 1998 . TheMoscowTimes.com . 25 August 2015.
  8. Web site: Avtodor Saratov - team history . . FIBAEurope.com . 26 August 2015.
  9. Web site: Vladimir Rodionov: Avtodor is going to be the League's fastest team . . 19 September 2014 . VTB-League.com . 25 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150929192723/http://www.vtb-league.com/en/news/avtodor-is-going-to-be-the-leagues-fastest-team.htm . 29 September 2015 . dead .
  10. Web site: Game of the Week. Khimki takes on Saratov; Monia returns home . . 31 January 2015 . VTB-League.com . 25 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150929152427/http://www.vtb-league.com/en/news/game-of-the-week-khimki-takes-on-saratov-monia-returns-home.htm . 29 September 2015 . dead .
  11. Web site: Russia starts cup drive with 116-73 stunner . . 28 November 1997 . TheMoscowTimes.com . 25 August 2015.
  12. Web site: Vladimir Veremeenko, Unics Kazan . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924051005/http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/features/player-spotlight/i/42848/vladimir-veremeenko-unics-kazan . dead . September 24, 2015 . Kazankov . Andrei . 26 January 2009 . EurocupBasketball.com . 25 August 2015.
  13. Web site: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/513840 . ru:Саратов остался без большого баскетбола . Snastin . Kiril . 12 October 2004 . Kommersant.ru . 25 August 2015 . ru . Saratov left without elite basketball.
  14. Web site: http://www.sport-express.ru/basketball/vtb-league/reviews/833923/ . ru:Автодор уже обещает Бой ЦСКА . Anfinogentov . Andrey . Bezjazychny . Aleksey . Rustamov . Timur . 7 December 2014 . Sport-Express.ru . 25 August 2015 . ru . Avtodor already takes aim at CSKA.
  15. Web site: Avtodor's bumpy season finds reward . . 9 April 2015 . FIBAEurope.com . 25 August 2015.
  16. Web site: Quarterfinals. Recap . . 12 May 2015 . VTB-League.com . 25 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518234352/http://www.vtb-league.com/en/news/quarterfinals-recap-2.htm . 18 May 2015 . dead .
  17. Web site: Avtodor downs CSKA 109-107 for 1-0 lead . Fyodorov . Gennady . 25 April 1997 . TheMoscowTimes.com . 25 August 2015.
  18. Web site: CSKA heads to Saratov leading 2-1 . . 16 May 1998 . TheMoscowTimes.com . 25 August 2015.
  19. Web site: Week 6. Recap . . 11 November 2014 . VTB-League.com . 25 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052938/http://www.vtb-league.com/en/news/week-6-recap-3.htm . 4 March 2016 . dead .
  20. Web site: Предраг Крунич возглавил «Автодор» . 2019-11-28 . 2019-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191128110314/https://www.avtodor.ru/index.php/news-events/item/3858-krunic-became-new-avtodor-head-coach . live .
  21. Web site: Дональдас Кайрис возглавил «Автодор» . 2020-02-04 . 2020-02-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200204133345/http://avtodor.ru/index.php/news-events/item/3982-donaldas-kairys-has-headed-avtodor . live .
  22. Web site: Горди Херберт возглавил «Автодор» . 2020-07-02 . 2020-07-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200702172325/http://avtodor.ru/index.php/news-events/item/4100-avtodor-was-headed-by-gordie-herbert . live .
  23. Web site: Эмиль Райкович - главный тренер «Автодора» . 2021-07-14 . 2021-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210714065932/https://www.avtodor.ru/index.php/news-events/item/4561-emil_rajkovic_glavnyi_trener_avtodora . live .
  24. https://www.avtodor.ru/index.php/news-events/item/4843-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B9%D1%88%D0%B0-%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%87-%D0%B3%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%80-%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0 Небойша Видич - главный тренер "Автодора"
  25. https://avtodor.ru/milosh-pavichevich-vernulsya-v-avtodor/ Милош Павичевич вернулся в «Автодор»
  26. https://avtodor.ru/darko-russo-novyj-glavnyj-trener-avtodora/ Дарко Руссо – новый главный тренер «Автодора»
  27. https://avtodor.ru/branislav-vichentich-novyj-glavnyj-trener-avtodora/ Бранислав Вичентич — новый главный тренер «Автодора»