BC Astana continues to rise in the VTB United League

ASTANA (FIBA Asia Champions Cup) — BC Astana were among one of the surprises at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017, the Kazakh champions’ first ever participation in the tournament. In an inspiring run, they upset Petrochimi to make way towards the Semifinals and took down the Iranian powerhouse once again to claim third place.

Established in 2011, Astana have been on a rapid rise in the basketball scene over the years. They've won nearly every season of both the Kazakhstan Basketball Championship and the Kazakhstan Basketball Cup since.

Outside of domestic competition, Astana has yet to replicate the same success, particularly in the VTB United League. During their past 7 seasons in the league, Astana has secured only one winning record back in 2012-2013 and have spent most of their time treading water in the lower half of the standings.

Early in the 2018-2019 season, Astana are currently making waves as an exciting surprise contender in the league.

Coming out of the holiday break, Astana are on a tear with a 4-game winning streak. They command a 7-3 record to sit firmly at 4^th place which would be their highest finish ever in the VTB if maintained till the end of the season. More impressively, they’ve done their winning on the road with an undefeated 4-game stretch away from home.

Their success as the visiting team goes against what opponents have expected from BC Astana over the years. In the past seven seasons, Astana have only won 25.0% of their away games and have only had one season (2014-2015) winning at least 4 games on the road. A large part of this early success can be credited to new head coach Emil Rajkovic, who has steered the team to a 3^rd best offense in the VTB at 87.6 points per game.

Astana usually finishes among the bottom dwellers in terms of offensive production, but Rajkovic’s offensive schemes have turned things around.

Among the reasons contributing to Astana’s surge in the VTB is the rise of Kazakhstan’s man of the hour, Alexandr Zhigulin. It seemed like a surprise when Zhigulin made the headlines at the FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers by helping Kazakhstan upset the Philippines in Manila, but those who follow Astana would say that they saw it coming.

Only 11 days before the 24-year-old’s explosion of 30 points with the national team, he had set his VTB career-high with a total of 23. The stretch forward is getting the most playing time of his career in the VTB with 18.3 minutes per contest and is putting up 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds (both career-highs) in his time on the court.

Those who have been paying attention to Zhigulin from the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017 knew he would be able to contribute after putting up 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds for the bronze medalists Astana.

Coach Rajkovic can also trust the Karagandy native to score efficiently with shooting averages of 49.2% from the field, 40.5% from downtown, and 72.2% from the line. Astana’s rise to be among the VTB’s elite might seem out of the blue, but makes much more sense with the leap of production from Zhigulin.

Aside from Zhugulin, another mainstay who has raised his level of play is Anthony Clemmons who has been playing for the team ever since the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017. The former Iowa Hawkeye has been putting up solid numbers ever since, but he has mostly been overlooked due to the shadow cast by former-teammate Justin Carter. Now with Carter gone this season, Clemmons has stepped up not only as the ace of the team but as one of the best players in the entire league.

He has created such an impression locally in Kazakhstan that he has recently been granted citizenship in order to strengthen the national team as they make a final push to qualify for the FIBA basketball World Cup 2019.

Re-signing Clemmons, along with solid free-agent signings in Geofrey Grosselle and J.J. O’Brien, has well-represented the shrewd front office moves by Astana contributing to their flourishing start. The latest among those signings is Stephen Holt who is of Filipino heritage and recently played under coach Rajkovic at Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland. Signed before the last two games of 2018, Holt is averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on an impressive 15.5 efficiency rating.

In their young existence, BC Astana have made it a purpose to be on the fast track towards success. After conquering domestic competition and an impressive run in their first FIBA Asia Champions Cup, Astana are now on path towards their best ever finish in the VTB league. Whether it is the rise of local talents, clever signings, or a fresh effective offensive scheme from their new coach, it’s all been working in favor of Astana.

Will we see that come together once again at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2019 and can Astana make it all the way to win the title this time?

FIBA