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Roman Gumenyuk of Ukraine (2009)

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  • Roman Gumenyuk of Ukraine (2009)

    UKR - Gumenyuk looks to make his mark in Ukraine


    KIEV (Superleague/EuroBasket Relegation Round) - If there is one thing that Roman GUMENYUK has learned in the past year that should benefit him in his career, it's the phrase `Good things come to those who wait.'

    The 21-year-old center that cuts an impressive figure when he runs onto the court with his 2.2m frame weighing 107kg has had to show plenty of patience for both his country, and club.

    Gumenyuk is Ukrainian, and he plays in his homeland for Pulsar Rivne.

    Though he's only averaging 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds 16 games into the Superleague campaign, he has enjoyed a significant rise in production of late.

    He goes into this weekend's action having averaged in 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in the last four games.

    Gumenyuk just helped his team advance into the Cup of Ukraine Final 4, scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes in an 85-69 second-leg win over Sumykhimprom.

    Do not be surprised if he is in the Ukraine national team line-up again this summer when Valentyn Melnychuk's team attempts to protect its Division A status in the EuroBasket when it competes in the Relegation Round.

    Gumenyuk spoke to Oleksiy Naumov for FIBA.com.

    FIBA: Roman, congratulations on the win and advancing to the Final Four. Prior to the game, your coach said the eight-point first-leg advantage could hurt your team and that instead of thinking about a win, you would be thinking about the possibility of losing by seven. How did the team manage to play so well and win comfortably?

    Gumenyuk: I think the fact that we lost to Khimik Yuzhny several weeks ago (in the Superleague), when they released five key players helped us this time. Back then, we thought the win would be easy and got pretty badly upset by them. This time we were in the right state of mind, did not allow ourselves to relax and stayed focused throughout the entire game.

    FIBA: Well, you let Sumykhimprom get a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter, but fought back and restored a lead of your own. What was the key factor?

    Gumenyuk: We always play like that at home. We start off very well - that's how it was against leaders Azovmash, Kyiv, Donetsk. But this time we found the energy to fight back and get the win. I think we first of all overcame Sumykhimprom psychologically - they were under the pressure of the eight-point difference and when they realized they would not be able to get it, they stopped. That explains our big lead at the end of the game.

    FIBA: You've had a substantial increase in scoring and rebounds the last several games and it's obvious you are improving your game…

    Gumenyuk: I think this is because my teammates are passing the ball to me a lot more. Most of my points come from their passes in the paint. My job is to get open, get the ball and score.

    FIBA: Do you get more confidence looking at your stats?

    Gumenyuk: You get the confidence when your solid play helps the team win. But if you keep losing, the confidence level is not changing.

    FIBA: Are you happy with your playing time?

    Gumenyuk: Yes. I played similar to this last year in Latvia (VEF Riga), but got injured at the start of the season and never managed to get back into rotation after I got healthy. I hope I get a lot more fortunate this year and avoid getting hurt.

    FIBA: You played for the senior national team last fall, but got cut three times right before the start of the game. What did you feel?

    Gumenyuk: Yeah, I was cut three times. It hurt a lot. You are coming in motivated and focused and ready to play and as you enter the locker room you are told you are not playing tonight. That was tough. So I asked the coach to tell me whether I would be playing or not a bit earlier and it helped me not to get too upset over the issue. This is normal, though, because this is the national team. I understand I was asked to join them as a prospect.

    FIBA: So you must be hoping Melnychuk is following you now when you are showing a pretty solid game…

    Gumenyuk: I am hoping he is. I saw him at our game against BC Kyiv in Kyiv, but I didn't do well then and even thought I wasted the chance to make him pay attention to me.

    FIBA: Still, being one of the 13 players on the roster of a national team is quite an accomplishment for a young player. Did you feel this even when you were not playing?

    Gumenyuk: To tell you the truth I was not even supposed to be there. I was called up to join the tryouts at the end of May, but was told my services would not be needed and I was free to go on preparing for the next season. But all of a sudden the league broke up and several key players were called off by their teams. That's when I joined the team. Not much to talk about the emotions here - I was given a chance and I tried to use it.

    FIBA: Growing up, did you ever hope you would be on your country's national team playing at the highest level?

    Gumenyuk: I come from a tiny village of Tlumach with nearly 10,000 people in it, so we didn't even have a basketball club there. There was some soccer and some volleyball so I didn't even think about it. But when I moved to Bila Tserkva (near Kyiv) and my coach started telling me I could achieve a lot in basketball, I started to get the hope. But I am still far from being the team leader, so there's nothing to be too happy about.

    FIBA: What do you need to do to become one of the leaders?

    Gumenyuk: Work hard. Also one needs the talent and the health as injuries can prevent from achieving high results.

    FIBA: The Sumykhimprom coach prior to your cup game said that neither his team, nor Pulsar belong in the Final Four. What do you think, what are the chances for you against Azovmash in the semi-final in Kyiv?

    Gumenyk: Just advancing there is a great accomplishment. But we'll fight. Nobody is going to give up before the game. If everybody stays healthy we'll make sure Azovmash does not get an easy ride. We are very motivated, especially after our success against Sumy.
    Last edited by rikhardur; 02-10-2009, 10:04 PM. Reason: Threads merged
    Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
    Artificial Nature

  • #2
    Roman Gumenyuk of Ukraine (2009)

    Name: Roman Gumenyuk
    Cuontry: Ukraine
    Team: Pulsar Rivine
    Age: 21 (09/19/1987)
    Height: 7-3 (2.2m)
    Weight: 235lbs (107kg)
    More Info: http://www.interbasket.net/news/958/...layer-profile/

    Playing in his homeland of Ukraine, Roman Gumenyuk is beginning to play better each game for the Pulsar Rivne team. The 21-year-old player is slowly becoming a force under the basket. When you weigh in at a hefty 107 kilograms (236 pounds) and stand at 2.2 meters tall (7’3”).

    His Superleague averages over 16 games are 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. But, over the last four games Gumenyuk has seen those numbers increase to 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. He has also had 1.5 blocks per game in those last four.

    Roman was a major factor in the team advancing to the Cup of Ukraine Final Four. He scored an impressive 14 points and posted 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes of his team’s 85-69 win over Sumykimprom to get to the finals.
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    • #3
      Last season he was playing in Latvia for VEF Riga so I had chance to see him couple times. I think he's still a work in progress and he's raw.

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      • #4
        Standing 2.20m I hope he won't become one of those tall prospects that go warm the bench in the NBA, return to Europe and then vanish.
        Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
        Artificial Nature

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