BC Avtodor (russian: БК «Автодор» Саратов), commonly known as simply Avtodor and internationally as Avtodor Saratov, is a Russian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

club based in Saratov. It plays in the

FIBA Europe Cup The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA's European-wide second level. Clubs mainly qualify for the competition based on their performance in natio ...

and in the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it ...

, the highest level of Russian basketball. In early 2022, after the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, Americans D. J. Funderburk and

Grant Jerrett Grant Alexander Jerrett (born July 8, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Utsunomiya Brex of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona. Early life Jerrett was born to Lamont and Barba ...

and Canadians

Kenny Chery Kenny Fred Chery (born January 24, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for Petkim Spor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He competed with State Fair Community College and then Baylor at the collegiate level. Early years Chery ...

and

Philip Scrubb Philip Alexander Scrubb (born November 27, 1992) is a Canadian–British professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He is a 6'4½" (1.94 m) tall guard. During his college basketball career, he won five CIS championshi ...

left the team.

History

Establishment and growth (1960–1992)

Founded in 1960 as Spartak Saratov, former player

Vladimir Rodionov Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukr ...

became its head coach in the 1982. The club was later renamed into Avtodorozhnik (road engineer) - shortened to Avtodor in 1996 - in reference to a late benefactor.

Scaling the heights (1992–2004)

Joining the Russian League at its creation in 1992, the club competed with

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

(being the first club to defeat them in the league) for national supremacy during the rest of the decade, finishing in second place four times between 1994 and 1999. It would win the regular season in both 1997 and 1998, but lost both finals series against CSKA 2–3, and 1–3 respectively. The Russian outfit regularly took part in European competitions during that period, reaching the semifinals of the 1998 second-tier EuroCup and playing in the 1999 top-tier EuroLeague (exiting at the first group stage). Avtodor defeated CSKA in the 2001–02 playoff quarterfinals, the only team to have prevented the Army men from reaching the top four in Russian basketball history to this day.

Demise and rebuilding (2004–2014)

After threatening to do so for years because of disputes with the local administration, especially regarding the lack of a convenient arena, Rodionov moved the organisation to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

during the 2004 summer. He would form Dynamo Saint Petersburg, transferring some of Avtodor's best players such as

Vladimir Veremeenko Vladimir Veremeenko (born July 21, 1984) is a Belarusian professional basketball player who last played for Tsmoki-Minsk of the VTB United League. Professional career The son of professional basketball players, Veremeenko was an early bloomer a ...

, and its place in the Super League. Meanwhile, a cash-strapped Avtodor voluntarily relegated itself to the second division for 2004–05, fielding an noncompetitive side made of youngsters, before moving down to the third division in 2005. Avtodor would win the second division in 2009 but did not have the financial means to return to the Super League. It did return to the Super League in 2012 but by that time the league had become the domestic second division. Winning that league in 2014, in large part thanks to the play of league MVP

Courtney Fortson Courtney Fortson (born May 23, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Spójnia Stargard of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. High school Fortson attended Jefferson Dav ...

and promising youngster Artem Klimenko, the club received an invitation to play in the top-tier

and the European third-tier

EuroChallenge FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier level transnational men's professional continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run ...

for 2014-15. The club was able to fund its participation thanks to increased support from the local administration, who reduced the funding of the city's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

club

Kristall Saratov Kristall Saratov is an ice hockey team in Saratov, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internation ...

to compensate.

Back at the top (2014–2019)

After losing seven of its first nine VTB League games, Avtodor regrouped with the help of November acquisition

Kyrylo Fesenko Kyrylo Anatoliyovych Fesenko ( uk, Кирило Анатолійович Фесенко; born 24 December 1986) is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for Al-Nasr SC of the Libyan Division I Basketball League. Standing at , he plays the c ...

and the play of December league MVP Fortson (who had no problem adapting to the league) to contend for a playoffs place. Despite three coaching changes, with Vladimir Antsiferov replaced by his assistant Sergey Mokin in late October before Rodionov fired Mokin and took the coaching reins himself on 3 March 2015, the club reached the EuroChallenge quarterfinals where they lost to

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...

. In the league, Avtodor beat major sides CSKA Moscow, Khimki Moscow Region, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and Unics Kazan to reach the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

, though they lost three contested games against Khimki to exit at the quarterfinal stage.

2020-present

In early 2022, after the

, Americans D. J. Funderburk and

and Canadians

and

left the team.

Arena

Avtodor formerly played in the Yunost arena, seating only a few hundred and unable to accommodate television broadcasts, which meant the side had to play its European games in Moscow. During the 1997–98 season, the club played its regular-season games in the Yunost arena before moving for its playoffs games to an indoor-football arena whilst a new arena was being refurbished. It moved to the newly reopened 1,500 seat Zvezdny Sports Palace in May of that year, though this arena also proved too small as 2,000 fans packed the venue during a 21 May 1998 game against CSKA (albeit the league title decisive game), with some hanging from the balcony. Calls for the club to move in the larger Kristall Arena (an ice hockey arena built in 1969), were finally heeded in 2014. Avtodor remodeled the arena for basketball play, which also raised the capacity from 5,450 to 6,100 seats, playing their first game there on November 11.

Honours

Domestic competitions

* Russian First Division **''Runners-up (4):'' 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999 **''Regular season champions (2):'' 1997, 1998 *

Russian Second Division The Russian Second League (russian: Первенство России II дивизиона ФНЛ), formerly Russian Professional Football League is the third level of Russian professional football. History In 1998–2010, it was run by the Pr ...

**Champions (2): 2009, 2014

Season by season

Current roster

Notable players

2020s * Evgeny Kolesnikov 4 seasons: '15–'17, '21– * Nikita Mikhailovskii 5 seasons: '17–'21, '22– *

1 season: '21–'22 *

Jaron Johnson Jaron Johnson (born May 5, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Varese of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Tyler Junior College and Louisiana Tech. High school career Johnson attend ...

1 season: '21–'22 2010s * Justin Robinson 1 season: '17–'18 * Coty Clarke 1 season: '17–'18 *

Nick Minnerath Nicolas Lake Scott Minnerath (born August 11, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE National Basketball League. He played college basketball for Jackson Community College and the University of Detro ...

1 season: '16–'17 * Artem Zabelin 4 seasons: '15–19 *

1 season: '14–'15 *

2 seasons: '13–'15 * Ivan Strebkov seasons: '13–'14 * Artem Klimenko 3 seasons: '12–18 2000s *

Semyon Antonov Semyon Sergeyevich Antonov (russian: Семён Сергеевич Антонов, born July 18, 1989) is a Russian professional basketball player for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. He also represents the senior Russia nati ...

3 seasons: '06–'09 * Artem Zabelin 3 seasons: '03–'07, '15-present * Yaroslav Korolev 1 season: '03–'04 *

Beno Udrih Beno Udrih (born July 5, 1982) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player who serves as a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He previously played in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Buck ...

1 season: '03–'04 *

2 seasons: '02–'04 *

Nikita Morgunov Nikita Leonidovich Morgunov (russian: Никита Леонидович Моргунов; born June 29, 1975) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played both the power forward and center positions. He represented ...

season: '02 *

Kebu Stewart Kebu Omar Stewart (born December 19, 1973) is an American retired basketball player. He played in the NBA and had a rich international career, playing in several countries. High school and college career Stewart was a star high school player at n ...

1 season: '01–'02 *

Victor Khryapa Victor Vladimirovich Khryapa (also trans. Viktor; russian: Виктор Владимирович Хряпа; born August 3, 1982) is a Russian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing for CSKA Moscow of t ...

2 seasons: '00–'02 *

Sergei Monia Sergei Alexandrovich Monia (russian: Сергей Александрович Моня; born 15 April 1983) is a Russian professional basketball player. He was selected by the NBA club the Portland Trail Blazers, in the first round (23rd overall) ...

2 seasons: '00–'02 1990s * Andrei Fetisov 1 season: '98–'99 *

Sergei Chikalkin Sergei Chikalkin (born December 11, 1975) is a Russian former professional basketball player. The 1.96 m 95 kg (6'5" 210 pound) shooting guard is known for his long-range shooting accuracy. Started his career as a pro in 1995 with ...

1 season: '98–'99 * Grigorij Khizhnyak 1 season: '98–'99 *

Roberts Štelmahers Roberts Štelmahers (born November 19, 1974) is a Latvian retired professional basketball player, who played the point guard position. Štelmahers was a member of the Latvia national basketball team from 1992 to 2005 participating in four EuroB ...

season: '98 * Julius Nwosu season: '98 *

Darius Lukminas Darius Lukminas (born February 9, 1968) is a Lithuanian former basketball player for the Lithuanian national basketball team and Žalgiris Kaunas. He was a shooting guard; his weight was listed as 90 kilograms and his height as 195 centimeters. ...

2 seasons: '96–'98 * Evgeniy Pashutin 4 seasons: '95–'99 *

Zakhar Pashutin Zakhar Yuryevich Pashutin (russian: Захар Юрьевич Пашутин; born May 3, 1974 in Sochi, USSR) is a retired Russian professional basketball player and basketball coach. At a height of 1.96 m (6'5"), and a weight of 95 kg (210 ...

4 seasons: '95–'99 *

Gintaras Einikis Gintaras Einikis (born September 30, 1969) is a Lithuanian retired professional basketball player and current coach. He stands at 6 ft 10 in (208 cm), and is a former center for the senior Lithuanian national team. Einikis is the only p ...

4 seasons: '95–'99 *

Vitaly Nosov Vitaly Yevgenyevich Nosov (russian: Виталий Евгеньевич Носов; born 1 February 1968 in Moscow, USSR) is a retired Russian professional basketball player. He was part of the Russian squad that won the silver medal at th ...

1 season: '92–'93

Notes

References

External links

*
VTB United League profile
Retrieved 25 August 2015
Eurocup profile
Retrieved 25 August 2015
Eurobasket.com profile
Retrieved 25 August 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Avtodor Saratov 1960 establishments in Russia Basketball teams established in 1960 Basketball teams in Russia Basketball teams in the Soviet Union Sport in Saratov