The Czars of the Russian empire

CSKA does not need introducing… They are the European Champions for the 2018-19 season and one of the most successful teams in the history of European basketball. They have made a strong start this season as well, since they have won all four games they have played for the Euroleague (@ Valencia 71-95, vs Bayern 79-68, vs Khmiki 99-86 and @Alba Berlin 66-82). 

Τhe brightest star: Μike James! Armani Milan showed him the exit last summer, but he did not give up. He signed a contract with the European Champion CSKA, and despite its roster being full of stars, he has succeeded to stand out with his outstanding performances!

I know you from someplace: Said list is long! However, it is only right we will be staring with Kyle Hines. The American center played for two seasons with the red jersey and swept up everything, celebrating two European titles (2012, 2013) and a Greek Championship (2011-12)! A special case is that of Daniel Hackett, who was adored by the fans of the team! The Italian guard played for Olympiacos for two seasons 92015-16, 2016-17). He won the Greek Championship in his first one, however, next December he got injured and was ‘knocked out’ till the end of the season. One more ‘red’ in the roster of the “Army’ team is the Latvian guard, Janis Strelnieks, who played with our team for two seasons (2017-18, 2018-19), as well as the trainer, Kostas Chatzichristos who had also collaborated with Olympiacos. The list however continues… CSKA’s Greek coach, Dimitris Itoudis, had been an assistant coach to Zeljko Obradovic with Panathinaikos, while the Greek international Kostas Koufos has joined CSKA since last summer. Finally, we got ‘introduced’ to Mike James during the 2014-15 season, when he was playing for Kolossos, while during the 2016-17 season and since February 2018 till the end of the 2017-18 season he was playing for Panathinaikos.

Like a tourist: In case you travel to the Russian capital to support our team, here are some tip-offs. It has a population of 12,576,879 and is the largest city of the Russian Federation and of Europe. It resides at the banks of the Moskva River, a tributary to Volga, at the western part of the country.

Must see: The Sate Tretyakov gallery, one of the most significant museums in the world. The Bolshoi theater, the ‘home’ to the most legendary ballets in the world and a marvelous neoclassical building, worthy of the grandeur and the beauty of its residents. The Moscow Mero, the most artistically decorated metro in the world with stations that resemble real works of art!

Must do: A walk at the Red Square. Walk the black paved walks together with swarms of visitors and admire the imposing monuments that are on it: The Lenin Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum, the Cathedral of St. Basil and the Kremlin’s red walls.

Must eat: Beef Stroganoff (beef marinated in spices and cooked with mushrooms and onions in a thick creamy yoghurt sauce). Blini with caviar and yoghurt (Blinies are like pancakes and crepes), Herring with beets and mayo.

Did you know that…

* In the game against Alba Berlin, CSKA ‘lost” Will Clyburn for at least four months. The American forward suffered a rupture of the anterior crusade ligament.

* Mike James and Mindaugas Kuzminskas had been team mates when with Armani Milan.

*Kostas Koufos has been team mates with Spanoulis, Printezis and Papanikolaou when with our National team. Together, they had won the bronze medal in the 2009 Eurobasket.

ΤHE ROSTER

Head coach: DIMITRIS ITOUDIS

Club Address: Leningradsky Prospect, 39 125167 Moscow - Russian Federation
Arena:MEGASPORT ARENA
Address: 3, Khodynskiy Blv., 125252 Moscow, Russian Federation
Capacity:13.926
Club Official Website: https://cskabasket.com

One team has a great history and another one the ‘historical’ victories!

CSKA and Olympiacos have faced off 27 times for the Euroleague competition, 19 of which ended in favor of the Russians. However, there’s a special element… The Army’s team has never won against Olympiacos during a Final Four! The two teams have met four times in the tournament and the ‘reds’ have won all four games two European titles (2012, 2013)!

You can see all the games here…

THE TWO TEAMS COMPARISON UP THE 4^TH DAY

OFFENSE

CSKA                                               OLYMPIACOS

DEFENSE

CSKA                                               ΟLYMPIACOS