Dmitri Sokolov (basketball)
Dmitri Nikolayevich Sokolov (Russian: Дмитрий Николаевич Соколов; born 21 January 1985 in Stavropol, RSFSR region ) is a Russian professional basketball player. Sokolov played from 2006 to the Russian top club UNICS from Kazan and moved in 2009 to the dominant Russian basketball club CSKA PBK from Moscow. In that year he took part in the European Basketball Championships in Poland in 2009 as a member of the Russian national team. 2013 he returned to UNICS Kazan.
Career
Sokolow changed after winning the silver medal at the U16 European Championship in 2001 with the Russian cadet selection from his Heimratregion Stavropol to the fourth division from Pulkovo Saint Petersburg. After a good performance at the U18 European Championship in 2002, he moved back to the Stavropol region to the first division and Korać Cup finalists in 2002 Lokomotiw from Mineralnye Vody. After a successful European campaign before, and a third place in the championship of Russia weakened Lokomotiw in the season 2002/ 03, reaching only about the play-offs at the Russian Championship, in which one was eliminated in the first round to eventual champion CSKA. Then the club was transferred to Rostov. In an enlarged to three clubs Super League Russia cutting off repeated in seasons seasons 2003/ 04 and 2005/ 06: After an eighth place in the main round would retire in the first play-off round against the eventual champions CSKA winless from. In the 2004/05 season they finished in sixth place in the meantime and played in the first round against UNICS Kazan, where you admitted defeat only just two wins against three losses.
UNICS Kazan it was then, the Sokolow, meanwhile U20 European Championship took with the new Russian youth team in 2005, in the season of 2006 /07 under contract. Sokolow received little playing time in his first season for UNICS and partially also used in the reserve team. In that season UNICS reached the final series of the championship and was runner-up behind CSKA Moscow. After an early exit in the first play-off round 2008 to 2009 reached the third place in the Russian championship and won the Russian Cup competition after 2007 had already been a finalist in this competition. In the second most important European club competition ULEB Cup in 2007 they reached the semi-final, which was lost to the eventual winners Real Madrid, 2008, the quarterfinals and 2009 Top16 group stage. Sokolow has increased in almost every season its statistical values and had in the 2008 /09 double-digit points per game average at European level.
After he had been through all the Russian representative teams in the youth and junior level, he was nominated in 2009 for the first time by coach David blade for a final squad in the men's area. At Euro 2009, the Russian national team came in as the defending champion, but finished after a quarter-final defeat against Serbia at the end of the seventh. Sokolow was in the national team was unremarkable and not used in two games. After a good season in 2008/ 09 but signed him the dominant Russian basketball club CSKA Moscow, who had previously given the long-standing national team player Alexei Sawrasenko Center. Sokolow won with CSKA in 2010 and the Russian double and the first regular hosting of the Eastern European VTB United League. In one of the leading European basketball clubs to Sokolow had similar at the beginning of his time to fight for his new season at UNICS. In its first year, 2009/10 in which CSKA in the main European club competition ULEB Euro League 2009/10 achieved a third place, it was used less than ten minutes per game. At the start of his second season, his use of time doubled especially in the ULEB Euro League also vitiated by infringement of Alexander Kaun, but CSKA difference in the first round and reached for the first time not after nine years of the Final Four tournament this competition. In the end it was enough in the Russian championship still to defend their title after they had just lost to runner- BK Khimki the final match of the VTB League.
In the following two seasons, in the CSKA still won the Russian Championships and the VTB United League, Sokolow came to little play in relation to his teammate Nenad Krstic and Alexander Kaun and could recommend as well as no final squad of the Russian national team, which he also participating in the 2012 Olympic Games missed. In the ULEB Euro League, they lost in the finals in 2012 and 2013 in the semifinals against the winner of each title Olympiakos Piraeus. After the 2012/13 season finally, his contract was not renewed at CSKA and he moved back to UNICS Kazan.