Sergei Monia
Sergei Alexandrovich Monja (Russian: Сергей Александрович Моня; born April 15, 1983 in Saratov, RSFSR ) is a Russian professional basketball player. Nuns career has taken a similar course as that of his still more famous compatriot Viktor Chrjapa. After 2004 he was selected right after Chrjapa in the NBA Draft, Monja played briefly in the 2005/06 season in the most highly endowed professional league NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers and another club. However, he could not prevail, and then returned to Russia, where he plays in the Moscow suburb of Khimki club BK since 2010. With the Russian national team Monja won the European basketball championship in 2007 and a bronze medal at the European Championships 2011.
Club career
Monja already played to juniors times together with Chrjapa at Awtodor Saratov and peaked at the U20 European Championships in 2002 a fourth place with the Russian youth team. Then they exchanged for domierenden Russian basketball club CSKA Moscow PBK. With this club you won the 2003 & 2004 Russian Championship, having previously won in the two years for the first time in the history of Russian Championship with Ural Great Perm another club the title. In the highest European club competition ULEB Euro League, twice reached the Final Four tournament, after finishing fourth in 2003 to third in 2004. When NBA Draft 2004 Viktor Chrjapa and Monja were in the first round at 21 to 23 position with Pawel Podkolzin, three Russians consecutively selected directly by NBA clubs. The Portland Trail Blazers had the rights to Monja by the draft pick and has also purchased by a player swap the rights to Chrjapa. During the one year older, Chrjapa was added directly to the squad of the club, Monja played another season at CSKA, in which you brought the Russian Championship and again in the ULEB Euro League 2004 /05, was fourth. Then moved Monja in the NBA, where he was passed by 23 games on the Sacramento Kings, where he made three more games. Chrjapa landed after the end of playing time for a player exchange with the Chicago Bulls, before he finally returned to Russia in 2008. Thus ended the " Russian Experiment" at the Trail Blazers, who had previously had good experiences with the former Soviet national team Arvydas Sabonis.
Monja played from 2006 with Dynamo, the local rivals CSKA, first back under Serbian coach Dušan Ivković, who worked at CSKA from 2002 to 2005 before. In the ULEB Euro Cup 2006/ 07 they reached the quarter-final play-offs, where you eliminated against the eventual champions Panathinaikos Athens, and finished second in the Russian championship in fourth place. In the following season took Ivković ' compatriot Svetislav Pešić as coach and the ULEB Cup in 2007 /08 lost to the semifinal against Pešić ' former club Akasvasyu Girona, but could in the second most important European club competition with a victory in the " small final " still in third place as well as in the Russian championship. Originally from the U.S. Russian coach David Leaf took over Dynamo as a coach in the 2008/09 season, in which one retired " Elite Eight " Final tournament in Eurocup 2008/ 09, the new name of the ULEB Cup, in the quarter- finals of the. In the Russian championship, however, could be improved by one place and won a bronze medal. For the 2009/10 season played Dynamo without Legionaries and reached under coach Sergei Basarewitsch a fourth place, where you had no chance in the Eurocup 2009/10 and was eliminated in the group stage after six defeats in six games.
In 2010 in Russia after a scandal involving manipulation, which also affected the Games of Dynamo, introduced with the Professional Well Basketbolnaja League a new top division. Monja moved to the Russian vice-champion in the Moscow suburb of Khimki and was able to deal with this for the ULEB Euro League 2010/11 to qualify, in which one but just been eliminated in the first round. After another runner with BK Khimki and winning the VTB United League after a tight final against CSKA in 2011 would retire this time surprisingly already in the qualification for the ULEB Euro League 2011/12 and won the ULEB Eurocup 2011/12.
National
Monja was first represented at the European Basketball Championship in 2003 in a final squad of men's national team. In this and the following EC 2005 they finished each eighth place and thus missed both the qualification for the 2004 Olympics and for the 2006 World Cup. At Euro 2007, it came under new coach David leaf up to a pretty significant 69 :81 - intermediate round defeat against hosts Spain unbeaten until the finals. Here, then, could be defeated by one point the favored hosts and could after 13 EM titles for the national basketball team of the USSR for the first time to fight for one European Championship for Russia. In the following 2008 Olympic Games is disappointed with only one preliminary round victory and an early withdrawal. At the 2009 European Championships was started also relatively weak and could qualify as defending only just with a first round win for the second round, in which they won all three games. In the quarterfinals, but lost to eventual finalists Serbia and finished seventh. In the 2010 World Cup was presented strongly in the first round and lost only one game against hosts Turkey. In the quarterfinals, but they met United States to the eventual champions and was also ultimately seventh. At the 2011 European Championships they won all games, including a remake of the quarter-final against Serbia, to the semi-final, which they lost against France. In the match for third place you could secure the bronze medal against the surprise team of the tournament Macedonia. At the Olympic Games in London in 2012, they lost the semi-finals again against France and was assured by Argentina against the bronze medal.
Awards and achievements
Association
- Russian Champion ( 7x): 2003-2005
- Russian Cup winner: 2005
- VTB United League winner: 2011
- ULEB Eurocup winner of the: 2012
- MVP of the All-Star Game in the PBL 2011
National
- Winner 2007 European
- Bronze European Championship 2011
- Bronze Olympic Games 2012