Rilski Sportist men start summer training, building a strong squad

23-07-2008 20:31 | RilskiBasket.com

The men's team of Rilski Sportist is the first in Bulgaria to start its preparation for the new season, says RilskiBasket.com. Tomorrow all players will undergo medical and on Friday the new coach, Macedonian Aleksandar Todorov, will hold the first training session.

The players of Rilski Sportist are going to train in Samokov until mid September. Then the team is going to neighbouring Turkey to play several friendlies, as there will be just one month left to the start of the brand new National Basketball League of Bulgaria.

There are 3 new players starting with the team - Bulgarian shooting guards Bogdan Boev and Ivan Nikolov, as well as the young Serb Dragoslav Papic. The former two have already played in Samokov. Boev spent the last 3 seasons in Cherno More Varna, but just before that was a player of Rilski Sportist for 2 years (2003-2005). Nikolov has even longer experience in the team - from 2003 up till 2006, before he moved on to Balkan Botevgrad and Dunav Ruse.

Papic (205-F-87) is coming from the USA, where he played basketball at high school and college, after starting out at Beopetrol Belgrad junior team in his native Serbia. At Odessa Junior College he had 16.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg duiring his second and final season. He was spotted at some tryouts in Macedonia by coach Todorov, who was impressed by the young man's potential.

Besides those new names, prior to the upcoming season Rilski Sportist has under contract guards Branko Mirkovic and Aleksandar Gruev, who have now extended their deals, as well as forward Asen Saraliyski, who already had a longer term one.

Seven youngsters of Rilski Sportist's junior team (champion of Bulgaria for the 1989 junior category season) are staying with the men's team - Lubomir Kirov, Krasimir Georgiev, Dimitar Morunov, Ivaylo Vuchkov, Darin Ivanov, Stanislav Vaklinov and Kiril Istilyanov. The latter two are currently with the U-20 national team and preparing for the U-20 European Championship in Latvia.

The club hasn't finalized its roster quite yet. The new coach will need another two strong frontcourt players, possibly import. Their names will most probably be known in 15 days time.