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UMMC Ekaterinburg

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UMMC Ekaterinburg
UMMC Ekaterinburg logo
NicknameFox
LeaguesPremier League
EuroLeague Women (suspended)
Founded1938
HistoryZenit
(1938–1958)
Trud
(1958–1960)
Uralmash
(1960–2000)
Uralmash-UMMC
(2000–2001)
UMMC
(2001–present)
ArenaPalace of Sporting Games
Capacity5,000
LocationYekaterinburg, Russia
PresidentAndrei Kozitsyn
Head coachDmitrii Donskov
Championships17 Russian Championship:
2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
9 Russian Cups:
2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019
6 EuroLeague Women:
2003, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021
Websitebasket.ugmk.com

BC UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russian: БК «УГМК») is a Russian professional women's basketball team based in Yekaterinburg competing in the Russian Premier League, and until February 2022 in FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women. Founded in 1938 as Zenit Sverdlovsk, the club had its name changed to Uralmash Sverdlovsk in 1960.

In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022 EuroLeague Women suspended all Russian clubs including UMMC.[1]

History

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Beginnings

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Founded in 1938 as Zenit Sverdlovsk, the club had its name changed to Uralmash Sverdlovsk in 1960, like other teams from the city such as FC Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast. Four years later Uralmash reached the Soviet Top Division. In 1973 and 1974 it attained two 3rd spots, the club's best results in the Soviet era.[citation needed]

After the club's owner Uralmash was merged into the conglomerate OMZ, the club was bought in 2000 by the newly formed company Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC), adopting its current name. UMMC Ekaterinburg in 2002 won its first national championship. The following year it won the Euroleague in its debut season, becoming the first Russian team to win the top European trophy. The team also defended its national title, making it a double.[citation needed]

UMMC wasn't able to win the championship in the following five seasons with the rise of VBM-SGAU Samara and Spartak Moscow Region. In 2009 it began a new successful period, winning three doubles in a row. Spartak ultimately blocked its path to the Euroleague final, defeating UMMC in the Final Four's semi-finals in all four seasons 2008–11.[citation needed]

Championships

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Olaf Lange was head coach of UMMC Ekaterinburg for six years, during which time they had two FIBA EuroLeague titles.[2]

American Olympian Brittney Griner began playing with Ekaterinburg in the WNBA offseason in 2014.[3]

American Diana Taurasi of the WNBA played with the team for ten years.[3] In February 2015, it was reported that Taurasi was resting for the summer and sitting out the 2015 WNBA season at the request of UMMC Ekaterinburg, and was paid a bonus by the Russian team larger than her WNBA salary just to rest.[4] In 2015, Taurasi was reportedly paid US$1.5 million per season, significantly higher than the pay in the WNBA. She left the Ekaterinburg team at the end of 2017.[5]

In 2016, UMMC Ekaterinburg won the EuroLeague championship, also winning the title in 2018, 2019, and 2021.[6] Ekaterinburg won five EuroLeague titles between 2013 and 2021.[7] By 2022, the team was owned by Iskander Makhmudov.[5]

Russian invasion of Ukraine and loss of players

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After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, American-Hungarians Courtney Vandersloot (who led the team in assists) and Allie Quigley (who was second on the team in points), Bahamian-Bosnian Jonquel Jones (who led the team in points and rebounds), and Spanish player Alba Torrens left the team.[8][9][10][11]

Seven days earlier, on February 17, UMMC player and American two-time Olympic champion Brittney Griner was arrested on drug charges in Russia by the Russian Federal Security Service.[12][13] Griner was detained while returning to Russia to play with UMMC Ekaterinburg. In July 2022, it was reported that Griner's team captain and club director had testified on her behalf during one of several hearings, testifying to her good character in a closed hearing[14] along with player Evgenia Belyakova. From overseas, Taurasi praised the support.[3] On August 4, 2022, Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison and there was concern that Russia would hold her hostage as a response to the Western sanctions imposed against Russia in response to the Russian invasion.[15][16] Ultimately, she was released on December 8 in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had served 10 years of a 25-year sentence.[17][18]

In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022 EuroLeague Women suspended all Russian clubs, including UMMC.[1]

Titles

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Roster

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UMMC Ekaterinburg roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age
PG 1 Russia Tretyakova, Viktoriia 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) 26 – (1998-10-16)16 October 1998
F 3 Russia Shilova, Anastasiia 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 33 – (1991-01-10)10 January 1991
PG 13 Russia Beglova, Elena 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 37 – (1987-09-01)1 September 1987
F 14 Russia Kosu, Anastasia Olairi 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 19 – (2005-04-21)21 April 2005
C 7 Russia Klyundikova, Maria 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 26 – (1998-07-16)16 July 1998
PG 20 United States Bentley, Alexandria 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) 34 – (1990-10-27)27 October 1990
SF 22 United States Walker, Megan 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 26 – (1998-11-23)23 November 1998
C 38 Slovenia Lisec, Eva 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 29 – (1995-06-17)17 June 1995
PF 31 Belarus Papova, Maryia 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 30 – (1994-07-13)13 July 1994
C 32 Russia Maiga, Zhosselina 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 28 – (1996-04-30)30 April 1996
G 17 Serbia Nogić, Jovana 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 27 – (1997-12-17)17 December 1997
PG 91 Russia Levchenko, Kseniia 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 28 – (1996-03-29)29 March 1996
Head coach

Dmitrii Donskov

Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
Updated: 2024-10-28

Former players

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Basketball team in 2012
Brittney Griner

Former coaches

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References

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  1. ^ a b "A glance at the reaction of sports to Russian invasion". AP NEWS. 8 March 2022.
  2. ^ Kenney, Madeline (17 December 2019), Chicago Sky Hire Olaf Lange as Assistant Coach, Chicago Sun Times, retrieved 8 May 2023
  3. ^ a b c Peterson, Chloe (15 July 2022), Taurasi, Nygaard applaud UMMC Ekaterinburg director, player testifying for Brittney Griner, AZ Central, retrieved 8 May 2023
  4. ^ Stone, Avery (3 February 2015), Russian team offering Diana Taurasi more than her WNBA salary ... to rest, USA Today, retrieved 8 May 2023
  5. ^ a b Tsioulcas, Anastasia (7 March 2022), Why Brittney Griner was in Russia and what it has to do with U.S. women's basketball, NPR, retrieved 8 May 2023
  6. ^ Tikkanen, Amy (4 May 2023), Brittney Griner, Britannica, retrieved 8 May 2023
  7. ^ Phillippou, Alexa (2 August 2022), WNBA players' offseason teams, salaries change with Russia, UMMC Ekaterinburg no longer an option, ESPN, retrieved 8 May 2023
  8. ^ "UMMC Ekaterinburg Roster, Schedule, Stats (2021-2022)". Proballers.
  9. ^ Salvador, Joseph. "Report: Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley Leave Russian Team, Returning to United States". Sports Illustrated.
  10. ^ "Alba Torrens abandona Rússia i torna a Mallorca". dBalears. 2 March 2022.
  11. ^ "CT Sun's Jonquel Jones Safely Flees Russia After Invasion Of Ukraine". 2 March 2022.
  12. ^ Crowley, Michael; Abrams, Jonathan (5 March 2022). "Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  13. ^ Mackay, Duncan (6 March 2022). "American double Olympic basketball gold medallist arrested on drugs charges in Moscow". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  14. ^ Russian basketball team praises Brittney Griner in latest hearing, Al Jazeera, 14 July 2022, retrieved 8 May 2023
  15. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (6 March 2022). "Former Pentagon official: Russia could use WNBA star Brittney Griner as 'high-profile hostage'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Fears grow Russia could use US basketball star Brittney Griner as 'hostage'". The Guardian. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Brittney Griner: Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout". BBC News. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Brittney Griner released by Russia in 1-for-1 prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
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