Truth be told, few Russian fans expected this year’s national team to be as good as they showed in FIBA Eurobasket.
Russian basketball has been on the decline for the last several years. Injuries hurt, age hurt and basketball wasn’t even a top five sport in recent polls.
Then, the federation hired the right guy, Andrei Kirilenko, to run things. He made some important changes and his very presence raised the profile of the sport, got players to buy in. Luck helped too. Only one player, ex-Net Sergei Karasev, couldn’t play because of injury.
Russia surprised in the tournament, getting to the Final Four, a big stepping stone in its renewal.