Evgeniy Pashutin steps aside for younger players

In the Russia-England game, a farewell celebration from the Russian national team will take place for CSKA guard Evgeniy Pashutin.

“The time has come to step aside for the younger players,” said Evgeniy in an interview with our web site. “Of course, if there weren’t other players at my position, I would have remained with the team for as long as necessary. But now the experienced Vasily Karasev, Petr Samoylenko and Dmitriy Domani are in the squad, and they need to be on the floor as much as possible. All national teams go through the rejuvenation process sooner or later, and I understand that very well. Look at the leading international teams: Yugoslavia, Argentina, Spain and Germany all play with 25- and 26-year-olds. They hardly have any veterans. In a club team, it’s a different story. You can play until you’re 50. But the national team has to take other things into consideration. That’s why I made this decision.”

Representatives from the Russian Basketball Federation, as well as from the clubs that Pashutin has played for, will take part in the ceremony.