Serhiy Startsev, captain of BC Prykarpattia-Hoverla, reflected on the team’s preseason preparation and shared his expectations ahead of the Superleague kickoff in an interview with the club’s press service.
“Preseason training is always a challenging but crucial phase,” Startsev began. “We’re now approaching its final stage. We’ve played several important matches for us. Although the results haven’t been exactly what we’d hoped for, in these games the scoreline isn’t the only thing that matters. It’s a chance to observe and analyze what still needs improvement.”
He emphasized the value of match practice before the season: “The more games you play before the season starts, the better the team feels the flow and their on-court interactions. It’s an excellent opportunity to test what we’ve been working on in training. There’s still a lot of work ahead, mistakes to correct, and that’s what we’ll focus on until the official season begins.”
When asked about the impact of injuries, Startsev noted, “Of course, their absence affected the team, since Stepan Lesyk and Pavlo Horobchenko are important players for us. We’ve been training with the full squad, developing certain combinations and game scenarios, but due to injuries, we had to make some last-minute adjustments.”
He added, “Naturally, this influenced our play somewhat, but we hope the guys will return to training soon, allowing us to continue working with the full lineup.”
Looking ahead to the official season start on October 2, Startsev shared, “For every player, the beginning of the season is always an exciting event. Everyone is thinking about it a lot now because official matches are about to start. Our entire focus is on the first home game, as it’s important to start the season well. We are working hard, preparing, and eagerly awaiting the kickoff.”
As captain, he expressed his hopes for the team’s performance this season: “Like any player and as captain, I want to see victories—that’s what we work for. To win, the most important things are commitment, energy, the desire to fight until the end, and, of course, discipline.”
He concluded by highlighting the role of the coaching staff and the club’s ambitions: “We have a coaching team that gives us directions and prepares us for every match. The team is always set high goals. Hoverla as an organization has been competing at a good level for several years now, so we’ll take it game by game, give our maximum effort, and do everything possible to achieve the objectives set before us.”
