Ukraine prepare for life without Jeter

KIEV (EuroBasket 2015) - EuroBasket 2015 will mark for Ukraine a departure from the playing style they had employed in the past two big tournaments, and not only because there is a new coach at the helm.

Yevgen Murzin, who took over from Mike Fratello as national team head coach on 4 June, knows that he will not be able to field the backcourt duo which was Ukraine's driving force at both EuroBasket 2013 and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The player who led the team in scoring in both those tournaments, naturalised point guard Eugene (Pooh) Jeter, has announced that he will not play at EuroBasket 2015.

According to reports in the Ukrainian press, Sergii Gladyr intends to follow suit and also pull out, although coach Murzin will hold talks with the shooting guard in the hope of securing his participation in September's show-piece event.

The 31-year-old Jeter helped CSP Limoges retain their French Pro A league title last week and is in superb form, but has decided to take this summer off for personal reasons.

"The last two summers were great," Jeter had told eurohoops.net in a recent interview.

"It was a great chance for me to help a team that hadn't achieved something major to play well at a Eurobasket and qualify to a World Cup.

"I have a history with the team since 2008 and I've been through a lot with all the guys there.

"I remember that most people had predicted that we would be last in the rankings."

Ukraine ended up claiming sixth place at EuroBasket 2013 and securing a berth in the World Cup, for the first time in their history.

Jeter averaged 13.5 points and 4.1 assists in the tournament in Slovenia and his backcourt partner Gladyr added 12 points and five rebounds per game.

One year later at the World Cup in Spain, Gladyr suffered an injury in Ukraine's second game, against Finland, and missed out on the last three encounters in the group.

Jeter rose to the occasion and contributed 15.4 points and 5.0 assists but, with their starting shooting guard sidelined, coach Fratello's team did not manage to advance to the Round of 16.

Since coach Murzin will not be able to count of these types of performances at EuroBasket 2015, he has been trying to at least secure a strong frontcourt.

One of his first tasks was to secure a commitment by center Vyacheslav (Slava) Kravtsov and it was completed successfully.

The former Phoenix Suns player, who anchored Ukraine's defense at the World Cup and averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds, has informed the coach he will be available for selection.

Murzin however is working on the return of two more important big men to the national team mix.

One is Kyrylo Fesenko, who last pulled on the Ukraine jersey at EuroBasket 2011, but is coming off an outstanding season with Avtodor Saratov.

Fesenko averaged a double-double of 13.3 points and 10.1 rebounds in his 12 games in the EuroChallenge with the Russian team and propelled them to the play-offs, where they fell to eventual runners-up Trabzonspor Medical Park.

The other player whom Ukraine hope to see bolstering their frontcourt this summer is Serhiy Lishchuk.

The 33-year-old veteran parted ways with Valencia Basket earlier this week, in an emotional ceremony which honoured his six-year contribution to the club.

"I don't yet know if I will play for the national team," Lishchuk told FIBA.com.

"I would like to, but I have to see how I am physically and I also want to return and see how the situation is like in the country, because all I know is what I've heard from family and friends.

The veteran center has had a long history of injury woes and this season has been no exception.

Lishchuk has however gained a reputation for battling through physical problems, so it would not be an utter surprise to see him back in a Ukraine uniform.

In any case, coach Murzin has the seasoned veteran's complete support.

"Of course it would be nice to still have coach Fratello with us, but everybody knows the situation," Lishchuk said.

"Coach Murzin is not obviously a world-famous personality, but he is also a good coach and a good man, I am sure he will work hard and do what is best for the national team."

At EuroBasket 2015, Ukraine will play in Group D against Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania and hosts Latvia.

Go to eurobasket2015.org for more coverage of EuroBasket 2015.

FIBA