"Being a part of this event is incredibly cool and enjoyable"

The Russian U21 men's 3x3 basketball team won five of the six stages of the FIBA Nations League, held in Tangshan, China, and secured the first place ahead of schedule after the fourth game day. The fate of the women's national team was decided at the final stage: the Russians defeated their main competitors from China (21:10), and also beat Kazakhstan (19:6) and Mongolia (21:6), becoming the winners of the tournament. Both teams have won tickets to the U23 World Cup, which will be held in China in September, but their participation still depends on the decision of FIBA.

One of the main heroes of the tournament was CSKA center Zakhar Lavrenov. This season, the 20-year-old native of Ishim managed to complete training camps with the national team under the leadership of Zoran Lukic, made his debut in the VTB United League for Nizhny Novgorod, where he played on loan, and now has clearly proved himself at the League of Nations. In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Lavrenov spoke about the specifics of 3x3 basketball and gifts from Chinese fans.

"The Chinese accepted it at the highest level"

— Have you recovered from China yet?

"It's okay. The flight back was difficult, but on the whole, pleasant sensations cover everything.

— Timofey Shikalov, another player of the U21 national team, said that it was hard for him to get used to the local food.

— Yes, Timokha didn't even feel very well on the first day. But then we got used to it, the food became more understandable. Rice, rice buns, breaded chicken, simply boiled chicken… Nothing that would catch the eye. The duck was Pekingese, but not very tasty. All kinds of bean mixes, greens. In general, nothing super-specific.

The only thing I remember was eating at a local restaurant. We were taken there on the first day. There's a thing where you make a dish yourself: you take raw meat and put it in a vat of boiling liquid. I've never seen anything like this before — it's very unusual.

— The tournament lasted seven days with one day off — is it hard?

— Yes, it was a difficult tournament. And not only physically, because the weather was very disturbing. It was very hot and humid, and the stuffiness was oppressive. The conditions are not the most familiar for us.

— You mentioned earlier that it was the stuffiness that bothered me the most.

— Exactly. It's not so much the heat as the humidity: it's not water that accumulates on your hands, but thick sweat. Heavily.

— Have you seen any insects or exotic animals?

— No, it's nothing like that. Small flies sometimes flew on the playground — a common summer story.

— Did the Asian atmosphere make it easier for other teams?

— I don't know for everyone, but it wasn't easy for the Kazakh brothers either. They mostly train in gyms, so such conditions turned out to be unusual.

— How did you communicate with the teams in general? What was the atmosphere like?

— The atmosphere on the court was tense, in a good sporting sense. There were few intersections behind the playground. They spoke English with the Mongols and a couple of Chinese, but only a little bit from the category of "How are you?", "What are they saying about us in the press?" — and that's it.

— And what did they say?

— They said that everything was fine, but what is shown on the news is not true. They say that relations are good, everyone is happy to see each other, and if Russia participates, everyone will benefit from this.

— Were there any excesses or provocations?

"Nothing at all. Everything was calm, dignified, and sporty.

— How did the Chinese receive you?

— At the highest level. Transfer, hotel — everything is perfect. Yes, the food is unusual, but high-quality. And the Chinese are insanely friendly: they loved to take pictures with us, asked questions, even gave us gifts.

— Were there many journalists and viewers?

— There are not a lot of journalists. There aren't a lot of people watching either, but I counted under a thousand in one day. Probably, the city itself is quite far from the megacities, few people went on purpose.

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— You recently started playing 3×3 basketball. What surprised me the most about him and what I had to change about myself?

— The speed surprised and at the same time complicates the game. In 3x3, each player is responsible for their own zone, and the pace is frenzied. I had to take on a lot of responsibility: playing with the ball, throwing. I was given a chance, and I tried to take it. Gradually, it began to work out. I hope I didn't let anyone down.

It's clear that I had to adjust a little, but I'm mobile enough for my size, and that's been one of the keys to success. It helped both offensively and defensively: I could defend against any player on the court.

— You've never scored so many three-pointers before.

— I just didn't leave them. In training, when I had time to throw, I threw normally. I've never played a game before.

— Were you allowed to throw from a distance in the season?

— It was in the 3×3 tournament that this was one of my tasks. I can throw, but in 5v5 there weren't many opportunities to attack from a distance.

— Which of the six players did you get along with the most?

— It is difficult to single out one person. We had great relationships with everyone. We hardly ever sat on our phones, we always stuck together. I had a good contact with Timofey Shikalov: he was my "little one", I was his "big one". In a good way, he doesn't care about sports, this lightness even helps him. On the contrary, I think too much.

— Did you spend a lot of time with the girls from the national team?

"Not really." There wasn't much time. But we supported them because we were there for them. Everyone was screaming, jumping, hurting. We even had our own ringleader, a fan who came to support us.

"Who is he?"

— A man who lives in Thailand or Vietnam, I don't remember exactly. I didn't remember the name either. But the guy is very cool and memorable: he screamed the loudest, stood out.

— Were the Chinese calm about this?

- yes. Moreover, some of the Chinese also supported us.

— Which game was the most difficult?

— Probably, everyone is from Mongolia. They didn't want to give up a single game moment at all. And we Russians, moreover, will not give an inch.

— Did you know in advance that a place at the World Cup is not guaranteed if you win?

- no. We found out about the fourth or fifth day after the game part. At the same time, we secured a way out after the fourth day. We discussed it right away: You can't relax, you have to win all the matches. No big deal, just winning every match.

— Your national team is one of the first in team sports to play internationally. What does it feel like?

"It's an honor." Being a part of this event is incredibly cool and enjoyable. I want this to be the first step towards all our teams being able to play again. Let's hope that it will be so.

— How do you assess the situation around Russian sports after the recommendations of the IOC to allow our athletes to enter the international arena?

— The fact that the IOC said "it is possible" is very good. We've been waiting for this for a long time. And the fact that someone refuses to let us in, and someone does not, is no longer our business. Let those who really understand it figure it out.

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— Everyone was discussing Bogdan Rublev's hands on social media. Are they really that huge?

"He's a big guy, really. And it's not easy to move it.

— Did the Chinese like him?

— I think all the guys evoked incredible emotions in them.

— Did the fans run after the girls?

— There was no obsession. Rather, they hunted us more, they really clung to us from all sides. But everyone was friendly: they brought gifts, asked for photos, said words of support, and smiled. They are very kind and funny people. On the last day, framed photographs were presented: with traditional costumes, a dragon, hieroglyphs, and some sights.

— When talking about the players from the national team that played at the League of Nations, they often mentioned the "Mini-Busket" and other children's tournaments, but you didn't participate in them as a child. Why?

— I didn't know about these competitions at all until my younger brother started playing them. But I often played at the Golden Autumn in Samara and Tolyatti. We have played many times in the Berkut League, which is the Voronezh league. I had various All-Russian starts in my childhood.

In general, I like that we have a clear trajectory: the Mini-Busket and other children's tournaments held under the auspices of the Russian Federation and the Russian Sports Foundation, the national championships, the Youth League, professional leagues, and national teams. Work hard and everything will work out.