BC Dynamo Saint Petersburg was a Russian professional basketball club based in Saint Petersburg, that existed for two seasons. The club was founded in 2004 and dissolved in 2006. In the 2004–05 season, the club won the FIBA Europe League.
| Dynamo Saint Petersburg | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Founded | 2004 | ||
| Dissolved | 2006 | ||
| History | Dynamo Saint Petersburg (2004–2006) | ||
| Arena | Yubileyny Sports Palace | ||
| Capacity | 7,700 | ||
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia | ||
| Championships | 1 FIBA Europe League | ||
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History
edit2004–05 season
editDynamo Saint Petersburg was created during the 2004 summer when Vladimir Rodionov, owner of Avtodor Saratov, transferred Saratov's place in the first-tier Russian Super League to the club, along with some of its best players such as Vladimir Veremeenko.[1][2] The club - which had the aim of entering the Super League top four and qualifying for European competitions such as the ULEB Cup and EuroLeague - recruited coach David Blatt and players like Kelly McCarty, Ed Cota, Ognjen Aškrabić, Jón Stefansson and David Bluthenthal (who left after two months).[3][4] It finished the European third-tier 2004–05 FIBA Europe League unbeaten to win the competition after downing BC Kyiv in the final with 24 points from Final Four MVP McCarty.[4] Domestically the club, at one point second in the league, finished fifth in the regular season before losing in the playoff quarterfinals to BC Khimki, a team they had beaten in the Europe League semifinal.[citation needed]
2005–06 season
editThe 2005–06 season saw a roster overhaul as Blatt left for Italians Benetton Treviso, Fotis Katsikaris was brought in to replace him and Cota and Stefánsson were substituted by Jerry McCullough, Damir Miljković and veteran Darryl Middleton.
Defending their title in the FIBA EuroCup (the renamed FIBA Europe League), Dynamo was on the brink of elimination at the second group stage after three defeats in four games. But the Russians rallied to first beat CEZ ČNymburk and then Fenerbahçe by the 3 points needed to squeeze through to the quarterfinals on overall points difference. In the quarterfinals, they easily swept Maroussi thanks to McCarthy's good form to reach the Final Four again.[5] They could not repeat the previous year's achievement however as they lost their semifinal rematch to Khimki before falling to BC Kyiv in the third place game.
In the Russian Super League, Dynamo beat holders CSKA Moscow 62–61 in January,[6] and rivals Khimki 81–69 in March,[7] on their way to the second place in the regular season but were again foiled by Khimki in the playoffs, at the semifinals stage.[citation needed]
Dissolution in 2006
editThe club started preparations for the 2006–07 season, nominating Yuri Selikhov as coach to replace the departing Fotios Katsikaris,[8] and registering for the ULEB Cup, but it unexpectedly withdrew from all competitions and folded on 6 October 2006. Despite announcing a budget of $6 million for 2005–06,[9] Dynamo and its president reportedly made the decision after the city authorities stopped funding the club to the tune of more than $5 million (wanting a merger with Spartak Saint Petersburg). With their other major sponsor (one of the largest banks in Russia) poised to follow, the club used the bankruptcy to get out of its onerous player contracts.[10]
Season by season
edit| Season | Tier | League | Pos. | Russian Cup | European competitions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 1 | Super League | 5th | Quarterfinals | 3 Europe League | C |
| 2005–06 | 1 | Super League | 3rd | Quarterfinals | 4 FIBA EuroCup | 4th |
Honours
edit- FIBA Europe League
- Champions (1): 2004–05
Notable players
editNote: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Criteria |
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To appear in this section a player must have either:
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2006[a]
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2005
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2004
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Head coaches
edit
David Blatt 1 season: '04–'05
Fotios Katsikaris 1 season: '05–'06
Yuri Selikhov preseason: '06
Notes
edit- ^ Due to the club folding, never played an official game for Dynamo
References
edit- ^ Snastin, Kiril (12 October 2004). "Саратов остался без большого баскетбола" Русский [Saratov left without elite basketball]. Kommersant.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ Kazankov, Andrei (26 January 2009). "Vladimir Veremeenko, Unics Kazan". EurocupBasketball.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ Burlund, Martin (11 April 2006). "Foreigners power high- stake game at Dynamo". TheMoscowTimes.com. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ a b Taylor, Jeff (29 April 2004). "The amazing year of Dynamo St. Petersburg". FIBAEurope.com. Press Association. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "Final four team preview: Dynamo return to the Final Four". FIBAEurope.com. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "CSKA lost in St.Petersburg once again". CSKAbasket.com. 21 January 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "Russia: Dynamo St. Petersburg win important clash against Khimki". FIBAEurope.com. 14 March 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Zimmerman, Sergei (30 September 2006). "Питерского "Динамо" остаётся в элите" Русский [St. Petersburg's "Dynamo" remain in the elite]. Sport-Express.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Schreck, Carl (30 March 2005). "Rising payouts for playing hoops". TheMoscowTimes.com. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (6 October 2006). "The ugly side of European basketball- DSP collapse". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved 28 August 2015.