Russian basketball player Vladislav Goldin will play for the second consecutive time in the playoffs of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) of the United States, which received the strong and memorable name “March Madness.” Last year, the Russian team Florida Atlantic University (also known as Florida Atlantic Owls), to the surprise of many, reached the Final Four, where they lost to San Diego State (71:72) in a bitter fight. Despite the defeat, Vlad’s position in America only grew stronger. Literally everyone started talking about the outstanding Russian basketball player (Goldin is 2.16 m tall).
Respected experts shared their opinions about him, and a voluminous article dedicated exclusively to Vlad appeared on the authoritative resource The Athletic. In fact, it was the size of the player from distant Russia that almost immediately drew attention to the author of The Athletic: “If you are lucky enough to see Florida Atlantic players get off the team bus, chances are they The first person you see The notice will be Goldin.” But it wasn’t just because of this article that everyone remembered Vlad. Last season, the Russian demonstrated excellent playing qualities, played a vital role in the success of his team and ultimately became one of the stars of American college basketball.
Who else among us plays in the NCAA?
Ours are in the NCAA. Russians playing in American universities
Goldin averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. And in the decisive game to reach the semifinals against the strong Kansas State Wildcats, Vlad scored a double-double (14 points and 13 rebounds). Good numbers for a league followed by millions of Americans. “March Madness” is a completely separate topic. Right now, cities in the United States that are lucky enough to have a university competing in the NCAA playoffs are literally experiencing this event. Banners, posters and other advertisements will not allow anyone to switch to something else. And this is almost impossible. The attention paid to the tournament is so great that reports about the FBI’s interest in the sporting event appear in the press from time to time. Exceptionally professional. The NCAA playoffs are so important for the United States that the risk of irregularities must be eliminated in the bud: experienced agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation tirelessly keep their finger on the pulse.
2019 NCAA corruption scandal, ESPN headline
Photo: screenshot
After losing in the March Madness semifinals last year, Vlad stated that in 2024 the team would become stronger and perform even better. It must be admitted that Goldin himself is doing everything possible for this. The Russian’s already good statistics last year became even stronger this year: 15.6 average points per game (second on the team), 6.8 rebounds (best on the team), 1.6 blocks (best on the team), the second most successful field goal percentage (67%, while the guy who played only 12 games ranks first on the Owls, Vlad has 33) and fourth in the entire league.
Last year, the Owls advanced to March Madness for the second time in their tournament history. Appetite comes from eating, at least for Vlad and company. They have already taken the first step to repeat their recent success and now they are playing in the playoffs again.
Of course, not all students will become professional players in the future. They know it themselves. For many guys who play college basketball, this is simply invaluable experience and warm memories they will carry into old age. In the case of Goldin the situation is different. When asked by Match TV how he sees his future life, Vlad responded quite unequivocally: “I will continue playing basketball. Over time, professionally. Maybe in the United States, maybe in Europe or Russia, but I will definitely play.”
Vladislav Goldin
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The 22-year-old Russian has every chance of staying in the United States and entering the NBA. March Madness is a great opportunity for this. Scouts, coaches and various analysts closely follow each basketball player who has the ability to play in the North American league. Goldin definitely has that data. “Due to the current political situation, it will be easier for those who play in the NCAA or in Europe to be recruited. The closest three that are on the radar of US scouts are Demin of Real Madrid, Savkov of the G-League (Pavel is now on loan at Gipuzkoa in the Spanish second division. – Championship Note) and Goldin of Student In the team league, we should wait for them in the NBA,” Anton Ponkrashov previously shared his opinion with Match TV.
In addition to excellent statistical indicators, Vlad has improved in other aspects. Particularly in something as important as confidence on the court. The attitude of rivals towards the two-meter-tall Russian player this year has become much more serious. But Goldin doesn’t care too much. Understanding his abilities, the leader of the “owls” tries to make the most of them. The Russian has repeatedly found a way out of difficult game situations. And even when he finds himself surrounded by three players from the opposing team, as was the case in a recent game, Goldin, in the best tradition of dominant NBA players, takes them on and scores his two points.
Vladislav Goldin
Photo: frame of the transmission.
Whether Vlad ends up in the NBA in the near future or not isn’t really that important. The main thing is that Goldin himself decided to link his future with basketball. In any case, he is still very young, which means that he will have the opportunity to progress. Timofey Mozgov, who has the same height, entered the NBA just on the eve of his 24th birthday.
But this is not even the most important thing for Goldin now. Ahead remains a match with the prestigious Northwestern American University (Northwestern Wildcats), which will determine whether the adventures of the Owls will continue in March Madness 2024. It is noteworthy that in the last ten matches Vlad has seriously accelerated, improving his already excellent performance up to 19.5 points per game on average. We will know very soon if this will be enough to advance to the next round. On the night of March 22-23, the meeting with the Illinois Wildcats will take place, which the “Championship” will definitely talk about at the end.
