Preview: Astana vs. Samara

The «New» Samara

Much has been written about the financial difficulties in the Samara region, and these have directly affected basketball—including our next opponents. The team we will face is not the same Samara we played against in November.

Several key players have left the club, including head coach Dražen Anzulović and international players: Nasir Brooks (Kolossos, Greece), Hayden Dalton (Uralmash), Brendan Adams (Hapoel Holon, Israel), Ronnie Harrell (Maroussi, Greece), and Alexander Gudumak (Lokomotiv Kuban).

Samara will finish the season under new head coach Vladislav Konovalov, who has been an assistant with the club since 2022. Additionally, players from their 3x3 basketball squad—Vladislav Karpov and Viktor Kashin—will support the main team.

However, whether the club will complete the season remains uncertain. Today, news broke that Samara has filed for bankruptcy. The club's general director, Kamo Poghosyan, confirmed this information, stating that bankruptcy could be finalized within 30 days, though there is still time to find a resolution with regional authorities.

In their last five games, Samara has suffered five defeats against Zenit (73:106, 54:103), UNICS (94:59), Lokomotiv (69:96), and MBA-MAI (78:80).

All-Star Presence

Despite the current situation, Samara will still be represented at the upcoming VTB United League All-Star Game. Center Ilya Popov (11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds) will play for the «Hosts» team, while forward Egor Amosov will participate in the Match TV Slam Dunk Contest.

Head-to-Head History

Astana and Samara have faced off 10 times, with Samara winning seven games and Astana taking three victories. The last time Astana defeated Samara was on April 14, 2024, in an overtime thriller that ended 94:92.

Coach and Player Comments

Gleb Plotnikov, Acting Head Coach of BC Astana:

«In the game against Samara, as in all others, we need to stick to our game plan, minimize mistakes, and stay united. We are expecting an interesting match.»

Askar Maidyakin, Center of BC Astana:

«We don’t have much time to prepare—just two days before the game. Our recent matches have shown that we can fight. We came close in two games, and I think we can challenge Samara and finally get this win. Their team is quite similar to ours—they also have no foreign players—so it will be a competitive game. We’ve analyzed our mistakes and realized that we were just a few plays away from winning.»

Match Details
Fixture: Astana vs. Samara
Date & Time: January 29, 20:00
Venue: Saryarka Velodrome, Astana
Broadcast: Club Website

 Don’t miss this match—it’s going to be thrilling!