Oleh Blokhin quits Greek AEK
A very strange bit of information came from Athens: coach of the local
AEK, our own famous forward Oleh Blokhin, has announced he is leaving his
post. The decision is all the more surprising because his players took
an honorable second place in the national championship of Greece and soon
will begin in the Champions League third qualification leg. Kyiv Dynamo's
record holder in the number of matches played (432) and goals scored (211)
has not yet revealed his future plans, but we can suggest that the best
player of Europe (1975), winner of the Cup Winners' Cup (1975, 1986) and
the Supercup (1975), would do best back home.
Will We Conquer in the Northern Europe League?
The headquarters of the North European Basketball League (NEBL), where
Ukraine is represented by the Kyiv club, has drawn up its calendar of championship
games. The Kyivans will play in Kyiv's Sports Palace against Sweden's Boras,
Estonia's Kalevon, and the Latvian Broceni Army Sport Club on January 7-8,
2000, and vs. the Russian Central Army Sport Club, the Lithuanian Zalgiris,
and the Swedish Plana-Basket. Out of fourteen teams, the two best will
qualify for the Final of Four, while the rest will play off for two berths.
The Final of Four is tentatively slated for mid-March. According to
insiders, Kyiv is considered as one of the top contenders for hosting the
games. The authority of Oleksandr Volkov, Olympic champion and Kyiv BK
president, is likely to tip the NEBL balance. Incidentally, the team headed
by the legendary basketball player, has recently gone on a training tour
of the US, where it has already won several clear-cut victories, reports
Andriy BILEICHUK.






