Vorontsevich: “I’m really happy to be here”

Andrey Vorontsevich, after months without playing an official game, came back in the game Russia played vs Estonia on Saturday, won by 28 points by Russia (56-84).

Vorontsevich made a three on the very first time he touched the ball, and finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Russia made a record 19 three pointers in the game, beating their previous record of 16.

Russia will play Italy in Tallinn on Monday, at 15:00 CET.

Here are some quotes by Vorontsevich in the press conference:

"We started very well, going up 10-0, then Estonia started to play harder as they usually do but our defense was great. They usually shoot close to 40% for three and we kept them at 22%.

I want to lead the team and be the captain, supporting all the guys and trying to follow what the coach tells us to do. I’m really happy to be here and play with this guys, helping in any way I can.

I feel really confident and prepared, I’ve been training all summer. I even practiced individually with coach Bazarevich. Maybe I’m not 100% but I feel like I’m ready. This is a great opportunity for us to show our talent. It’s really good to play for our National Team and wear this jersey."

Coach Sergey Bazarevich praised him after the game: "I’m happy for Andrey, here was some doubt in Russia on why he was joining the NT now. But we trust our players and we know his club situation is just temporary … he paid us back today."