By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Among lots of excitement on BCL Day 8, Nizhny Novgorod’s Ivan Strebkov managed to grab the spotlight by nailing 29 points against Sidigas Avellino along with six rebounds and three assists leading his team to victory.
The 27-year-old is emerging as the leader of Nizhny Novgorod and he is entering his prime, earning his winds in the Basketball Champions League.
Strebkov debuted with the second team of CSKA Moscow (CSKA-2) at the age of 15 (2006-07). He stayed there until January 2013 when the club decided it’s best he went on a loan to Avtodor Saratov.
After a year there, he got back to CSKA and finally got a chance in the main team. That’s when he got EuroLeague experience joining the squad for eight games in the 2014-15 season. However, he didn’t find the change he was looking for in the limited playing time. It was time to move on.
The next stop was nonother than his current team, Nizhny Novgorod. Strebkov put on a fairly good performance in both VTB League and his first EuroCup season but it was in the 2016-17 season that he ‘exploded’. That was also when he played his career-best game to date for which he was named the EuroCup Round 8 MVP. He registered an index value of 36 with 31 points including 5-8 twos, 4-6 threes, and 9-9 free throws plus two rebounds, four assists and seven drawn fouls.
It was obvious Strebkov enjoyed the atmosphere in the club and his constant good performances earned him a two-year extension until the end of the current 2018-19 season. And he has continued in the same manner, especially this season. Apart from catching fire against Avellino in BCL he also put on some strong performances in VTB League. One of them was certainly the 25 points against Astana.
Ivan Strebkov has been with Nizhny Novgorod for four years and there is no doubt that his experience partnered up with Kendrick Perry’s ambition will be the key to the squad’s success this season. So far, they didn’t disappoint…
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League