“This object is like a home to me”: Vedishchev on the opening of the largest youth basketball center in Russia

— On September 17, Krasnodar hosted the opening of the Lokomotiv-Kuban youth training center, which is currently the largest in Russia.

What emotions do you experience when looking at your brainchild?

- Emotions are the most amazing.

Honestly, I imagined that it would be good, but the result turned out to be higher than my expectations.

Everything in this project suggests that it is well-equipped, a lot of effort has been invested in it.

I am sure that the object will become the pride of Russian basketball.

Today it is the most modern, equipped in our country.

- A memorandum on the start of construction of a youth training center (ITC) together with the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) was signed in 2016.

Was it too long to wait?

- Of course not.

The memorandum is just a wish of the parties, and the road to execution is long.

There are many proposals, but there are few implemented projects of this scale, so I am very glad that we have done this work in five years, if we do not take the year of the coronavirus pandemic.

And today we are handing over a truly specialized basketball center to our teams.

How many times have you personally visited a construction site over the years?

Did you make any adjustments at the design stage as a former basketball player who understands the importance of certain nuances?

- He was present at the construction site almost constantly.

An incredible number of adjustments were made, design and documentation were tracked.

This project has been in my head since 2008, and as a basketball player who understands what is at stake, I took into account all the nuances.

This property is like home to me.

I built it as something for the soul, important for the team.

— Whose experience was taken into account during the construction of the ITC?

- Belgrade FMP, Real Madrid.

They saw a serious, specialized, specifically basketball facility.

As well as the Spanish "Valencia".

The club has a wonderful center that can accommodate up to 700 people.

Our MTC is slightly inferior in scale, but not in quality.

In this regard, everything is at the highest level.

- New technologies and the growth of the level of professionalism require from adolescence to keep up with the times.

Including in issues such as rehabilitation and medicine.

- The medical block is arranged at the most professional level.

We have an excellent medical headquarters, a recovery zone and so on.

I think that today we take a very responsible approach to the issue of rehabilitation, and most importantly, we now have the infrastructure on which we can carry out almost all medical activities.

• © PBK Lokomotiv-Kuban

- There is probably no end to those wishing to be selected at the ITC?

- So far, we are only opening it, and I would not say that we have a lot of applications.

Another thing is that it is up to our club breeders to select the guys, so we will be happy to open the doors to the most talented guys.

All conditions will be created to prepare them for the start of their professional career.

- The current composition of Lokomotiv-Kuban has nine of its own pupils.

The opening of the center is not only a step towards self-sufficiency, which is unique for Russian basketball, but also to ensure that Krasnodar becomes a forge of talent in the country

?

- I really hope that we will be able to look for talented guys due to the infrastructure that has appeared, but no less important story

the development of personnel.

I believe that on the basis of the ITC, with the help of the necessary classes, we will train talented coaches, graduates of the Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism (KSUFKST).

I think we will need to open a basketball specialization department.

I hope we will find understanding in this matter with the Higher School of Coaches.

P.F.

Lesgaft and become a branch so that we have the opportunity to share our experience with young mentors and train specialists of the highest level.

Because we won't train athletes without them.

• © PBK Lokomotiv-Kuban

— Do Russian Railways and the administration of the Krasnodar Territory have any plans to create a network of schools in the regions that will supply talented children to the training center so that it can eventually grow into an academy?

- Of course, there is a task to create a network of schools in the regions that will supply talented children to the training center of the Basketball Federation of the Krasnodar Territory together with the Lokomotiv Kuban club.

I suppose that in the near future a program will be developed to create branches of our ITC in the cities of the region.

Maybe at two or three points we will be able to open areas where trainers released from our system will work.

And we will be able to get ready-made basketball players into our senior youth teams.

- The RFB strongly supports your undertakings in the youth direction.

Have you discussed with Andrei Kirilenko the question of other regions of the country following your path and creating several similar institutions?

We are happy to share our experience.

Undoubtedly, Kirilenko and the RFB support the idea of ​​building several such facilities.

Here everything depends on the regions and people who are ready to take the initiative and move these projects forward.

- If the president of the RSE asks to give the national team the opportunity to hold a training camp at the ITC, will you allocate time for it?

- Of course.

We have repeatedly discussed this issue with Kirilenko, and I expressed my readiness to help the national team.

Moreover, the doors of our ITC are open to all Russian national teams, including women's.

- Do you plan to organize any activities with the players of the main team or open trainings in the new center in the near future in order to kill two birds with one stone - to attract additional interest in the club and help attract talented young people to the adult team?

- Yes, we will hold the training process of the main team and open training in the center.

But the distance between the present and the future of Lokomotiv-Kuban is already minimal in our country.

The coaches of the nearest Superleague reserve and the youth team are in close contact with the main coaches, and the appearance of such an infrastructure will unite everyone even more and give results.

— If we talk about the issue of logistics, how successful do you think the location of the ITC is?

- It is located in Krasnodar, close enough to the Basket Hall, ten minutes by car without traffic jams.

Of course, the training center will have its own fleet of buses, which, if necessary, will take children to study at the school of the Olympic reserve, at KSUFKST and, perhaps, to some games of Lokomotiv-Kuban, but our senior groups will spend most of their time in ITC.

It will accommodate 25 athletes.

The most talented will get there at the age of 16.

We will try to look for talented children and identify them to help them move to the next stage.