Nikita Morgunov
Nikita Leonidovich Morgunov (Russian: Никита Леонидович Моргунов; born June 29, 1975 in Novokuznetsk, RSFSR ) is a Russian professional basketball player. Morgunov was the beginning of his career with PBK CSKA from Moscow in the 90s four times Russian champion and celebrated his greatest successes with the Russian national team, with whom he became in 1998 Vice World Champion and 2007 European Champion.
Morgunov was released in 1993 by the Association Aleko from Stavropol as youth players to the Russian series champion CSKA Moscow, with whom he got four championships in a row and in 1996 finished third in the FIBA Euro League. In 1997 he moved to Lithuania for KK Atletas from Kaunas, with whom he played with the Lithuanian " veteran " Rimas Kurtinaitis. With the successful 1998 World Cup, during which the Russian national team in the quarter and semi-finals defeated both the Lithuanian national basketball team and the NBA players without being incurred U.S. Selection, Morgunov completed only brief appearances for the national team. Nevertheless, it took the NBA club the Portland Trail Blazers, who have the Lithuanian center Arvydas Sabonis had to Morgunows game position in the squad over different periods from January 1999 to November 2000 several times under contract without putting it in a championship game.
In the 2000 /01 season Morgunov returned to Europe, first to his former club CSKA back. In the uniquely played out Suproleague CSKA reached a fourth place, with Morgunov succeeded in the match for third place a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Both 2001 and 2002 CSKA lost his first and only two Russian league titles in Ural Great Perm. In January 2002 Morgunov joined Awtodor in Saratov, for he wanted to play before joining the Trail Blazers. Awtodor defeated in the first play-off round his old club CSKA and was eliminated in the semi-final against defending champion Ural Great from. For the 2002/ 03 season he returned to Moscow, but played for Dynamo MBK, the old local rivals CSKA, who was re-established in 2001 and played its first season after his return to the highest Russian league. In the Championship play-offs, they lost in the first round against defending champion Ural Great, who had to give in turn struck again in the final series CSKA. In the season 2003/ 04 Morgunov played in the Greek A1 Ethniki at Makedonikos from Kozani. In European club competition ULEB Cup 2003 /04 is eliminated in the second round, when you have a lead of 26 points from the first leg with a 58:90 at the Spanish club Caprabo Lleida yet playful in record-breaking fashion.
In 2004 he returned to Russia and was awarded a contract with Dynamo from the Moscow Oblast, which are located in the Moscow suburb Ljuberzy. With this club he reached three times the play-offs at the Russian Championship, where you eliminated each in the first round. 2007, the association was renamed Triumph and dissolved Morgunows still ongoing contract. After winning the European Basketball Championship in 2007 with the Russian national team, he signed a contract with another club from the Moscow suburb of Khimki. With BK Khimki he reached the final series at the Russian Championship, which started again in favor of CSKA Moscow. In the Russian Cup competition in 2008 but it was victorious in the final against CSKA. In Khimki Morgunov was not as desired for the course, but was nonetheless nominated for the Olympic team in 2008 and moved for the 2008/ 09 season to Rostov to Lokomotiw. In the play-off quarter-final series in 2008/ 09, in the Lokomotiw lost to Morgunows previous club Khimki, he retired to a cruciate ligament injury and failed for months. The club itself was transferred as Lokomotiw Kuban Krasnodar. For the season 2010/11 he got a new contract and eventually signed with Universitet Yugra Surgut out in the now second-rate by the formation of Professional Well Basketbolnaja League Super League Russia. Universitet Yugra closed the main round from the first, but lost the final series of play-offs against Spartak Primorje that rise after the exclusion of MBK Dynamo in the PBL. In the 2012/13 season Morgunov Dynamo Moscow joined, as these returned to the Super League.
National
After Morgunov was first used from 1996 only in qualifying matches, he reached 1998, the nomination for the final squad of Russian selection of Men in the Basketball World Championship 1998. Morgunov got only clearly won the opening match against Japan much operating time, there he was with 28 minutes but longer on the field than any of his teammates. Otherwise, he only got short assignments of less than ten minutes per game. After a brief preliminary round defeat in extra time against European champions Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) won at the second round all games and defeated in the quarterfinals of the Olympic medalist Lithuania as well as in the semi-finals, is occurring without NBA pros national basketball team of the United States. In the final they met again on Yugoslavia, against which it lost after a half-time lead with just two points.
His next finals appearance had Morgunov at the Olympic Games 2000. Through the poorer a direct comparison, finished second in the preliminary round Group ranks fourth and finished after leaving the quarter-finals being beaten against the NBA professionals and later successful titleholder from the United States to eighth place. At the European Championships in 2001 it was practically qualified after two successful games, including a high victory over the Greek national basketball team already for the final round and lost the final group game. Subsequently, but you also lost the quarterfinals to eventual bronze medalist Spain and rescued after two wins in the placement round in fifth place and qualification for the 2002 World Cup.
In the 2002 World Cup, they met in the first round to the eventual finalists Argentina and to the surprise team of the World Cup and eventual semi-finalists New Zealand and lost both games. After it had been enough to move into the second round, they lost there against hosts United States and later bronze medalist Germany and retired. At the European Championships in 2003, when Russia to participate in the 2004 Olympic Games playful, Morgunov did not participate. In the final round of the European Championship 2005, he was represented in the national jersey and Russia won first in convincing style the opening two games, so it was practically qualified before the final group match even for the final round. This was lost by a point against eventual finalists Germany and then again as a quarter final, this time against the eventual champions Greece. After they lost the games in the placement round, finishing in eighth place, you were not qualified for the 2006 World Cup.
At the 2007 European Championships Morgunov was again represented on the team by new coach David Leaf and you won all group matches and also in the newly introduced second round lost you just a game, but this clearly with more than ten points difference against hosts Spain. In the final match against tournament favorites Spain but they won in the final minute with a point and secured the title. For the Olympic team in 2008, he was nominated again and took with it to which up to this time only two Olympic tournaments of the Russian national team following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the participation of the United team in 1992 in part. This he has ahead of some well-known Russian basketball players of the 90s such as Vasily Karasev and Sergei Babkow who never participated in the Olympics. At the Olympic Games in 2008, cutting off the European champions, however, was disappointing. After only a preliminary round victory would retire from an early stage.