Evgeny Pashutin will coach CSKA Moscow

Evgeny Pashutin will be the head coach of our team in the upcoming season. Ettore Messina can continue his work in the club as a technical director.

Andrey Vatutin, CSKA CEO:

“First of all, on behalf of club’s management, players, personnel, office staff, all the fans I would like to thank great Ettore Messina for his work in CSKA. No doubt, he is the best coach in newest history of CSKA. Messina’s epoch was the golden epoch for army club. In his four years as a head coach we showed brilliant results which will be extremely difficult to repeat. Four Euroleague finals in a row, two Euroleague titles, four Russian league titles and two Russian Cups – that’s the achievements for ages. Overall it is impossible to overestimate Ettore’s influence on the development of Russian basketball: his knowledge was always at the disposal of all the young coaches. We will be very glad if Ettore Messina accepts our proposal and becomes the Technical Director of our club. We are waiting for his decision to come soon.

Because of the budget cuts CSKA will build a new team. We have discussed the concept of our project with the shareholders. The outcome of these discussions: CSKA should remain the leader of basketball in the country, a team capable of tackling the highest goals. In doing so, it is time to give a chance to Russian coach and to provide more opportunities to show themselves to domestic players. We want to see CSKA under the leadership of Evgeny Pashutin as young and ambitious team for at least two-thirds consisting of Russian players. I am sure this is the right way, which is fully adresses the interests of our basketball.

We are confident in our new head coach: Evgeny Pashutin has an extensive experience working as an assistant to Dusan Ivkovic, Ettore Messina and David Blatt. Last season Eugeny showed himself well in Spartak St. Petersburg. He is the coach, whose name, we think, will be linked to the future of our club. We believe that Pashutin has every chance to succeed. All the powerful CSKA infrastructure, the experience of managers and staff of the club, the support of fans are at his disposal. Together, we can succeed. Eugeny is well aware of the difficulties, and he is willing to take this great responsibility.

Seven years ago, when we together with Sergey Kuschenko started the project of basketball CSKA, the task was slightly different: we created European level superclub, which should be dominant not only in Russia but in the Euroleague also. The problem was solved sensationally - we took the continent titles twice. Even at those time CSKA was a leader of the national basketball. Trying to beat our team, rivals in Russia have substantially improved the clubs’ infrastructures, increased budgets, invited the best players and coaches. As a result, club basketball in the country made a qualitative leap forward, it achieved significant results on the European stage. However the pace of this development is clearly slowed today, the financial situation is different, and the time requires some new ideas. The race of budgets and the betting at the invitation of foreign stars are no longer working. I am sure, with an emphasis on Russian players and coaches, CSKA is laying a new stone in the foundation of our basketball. We have to trust the Russian players and coaches, to make the product attractive to investors.

Of course, the changes in the team, the coaching and administrative staff are coming. We are negotiating with candidates who can strengthen CSKA, but their names will be revealed after the signing of contracts."

Ettore Messina:

“The situation in the club called for change, and I am happy for Zhenya Pashutin to get this kind of possibility. Still I am happy for the time in Moscow, for the incredible achievements we were able to reach. I am also honored to have a proposal from Andrey Vatutin to work in the club on a different position, but I need to think carefully about it.”

Evgeny Pashutin, CSKA Moscow head coach:

“It is something unbelievable: CSKA is the best team if the country if not in Europe. To be in helm of CSKA is a dream of every coach, the great happiness, but at the same time phenomenal responsibility, because the club is always fighting for the highest goals. This is a challenge, a big life cycle. I have a lot of energy and desire to work and to continue winning traditions for CSKA, I want to raise the team to a new level. I would like to thank Andrey Vatutin and club’s owners for their trust.”