A man of high stature (211 cm) and high achievements, the main of which is the victory at Eurobasket 2007, Morgunov Nikita Leonidovich completed his playing career in favor of the appointment to the post of head of the RSE department (September 2016). Veteran of domestic basketball is 41 years old, 26 of which are given to professional sports.
How did it all start?
In the second largest city in the Kemerovo region - Novokuznetsk, on June 29, 1975, the future European champion was born. He stood out among his peers in growth, but his parents were in no hurry to send the guy to basketball. Mom really did not want to see her son as a giant, so she preferred that he go in for athletics - decathlon. It all started from the moment when a team of athletes defeated the youth team of Novokuznetsk in basketball at a sports camp. In its composition, Nikita Morgunov went to the tournament in Belgorod (1990), where he was seen by coach Mikhail Komissarov from Stavropol.
Starting at 13 years old, which is rather late for this sport, the young man was distinguished not only by his high growth, but also by his strong physique. He perfectly felt the game, stood out for his purposefulness and hard work, which forced Komissarov to go to Siberia in order to persuade his parents to let his son go to the SUOR - the school of the Olympic reserve. The visit turned out to be successful, and already at the age of 15 a promising basketball player began to play for the Aleko professional team (Stavropol).
90s
Players whose formation fell on the 90s, grew up on the legendary victories of Soviet basketball. Nine times the team participated in the Olympics and nine times came with medals, including twice with gold. Morgunov Nikita, playing in the position of a heavy striker, had an idol among them, whom he dreamed of following. He was a talented long-lived in sports Arvydas Sabonis, with whom fate brought the basketball player in one team - Portland Trail Blazers. How did this happen?
After successful seasons in CSKA, with whom he became the four-time champion of Russia, the athlete went to Lithuania (“Athletas”) for playing practice, from where he was involved in the national team. In its composition, Nikita Morgunov became the silver medalist of the World Cup, which was an outstanding achievement for the 23-year-old athlete, and in 1999 the aforementioned NBA club signed a contract with him, where during training Morgunov managed to get acquainted with his idol.
True, for two years he did not have a single official match for Portland Trail Blazers. In an interview, he once admitted that overseas basketball is notable for its intensity and approach to the training process. But during his stay at the club, he received invaluable experience, which helped him in his future career, and received the nickname assigned to him - the White Tiger.
On the eve of the European Championship 2007
Until 2008, Nikita Morgunov, for whom basketball became the main business of life, was constantly a member of the Russian team. However, the main team of the country until 2007 had no serious victories. At the championships of the continent and the 2000 Olympics, the team could not overcome the quarterfinal barrier, and the best achievements remained: silver of the World Championship (1998), silver and bronze of the European Championship (1993, 1997). It seemed that the new generation of national team players, the backbone of which was made up of players who had successfully played for clubs in the 90s, would remain “lost”. After 2005, the team included many young guys - the triumphs of the 2005 European Youth Championship.
Morgunov overcame a thirty-year milestone, every year his chances of inviting him to the national team became increasingly dubious. Having chosen the path of active playing practice for himself, he often changed clubs, signing contracts for one or two seasons. Having played a year in the Greek Macedonikos, since 2004 Nikita Morgunov played for Dynamo (Moscow Region). Throughout 2005, he did not leave the front pages of the sports press, was recognized as the best player of the month, but on the eve of the 2007 European Championship, an athlete was forced to miss almost the entire season due to an injury. Nevertheless, the technical, long-range thrower and excellently reading the game, the basketball player received a traditional call to the country's main team from head coach David Blatt.
Contribution to Victory
The 2007 European Championship was held in Spain, whose team was the reigning world champion. The coach was tasked with taking at least third place to get a ticket to the Beijing Olympics. The unexpected victory of the Russians in the final became such an important event that all players and the coach were instantly awarded the title of Honored Masters of Sports. At the championship there was a happy combination of many factors: the coach’s talent, the excellent play of the leader Andrei Kirilenko and the psychological readiness of the team to fight. By the decision of the mentor, Nikita Morgunov played in the center position with Alexei Savrasenko, who did not have an adequate replacement.
Life has confirmed the correctness of this step. Even in the match lost to the Spaniards in the group stage, it became clear that Morgunov could neutralize one of the leaders of the Spanish team - Pau Gasol. An important step was the quarterfinal game with the French, who knocked out the Russians at the quarterfinals of the European Championships in 2003. In it, Morgunov brought the team 14 points, making a certain contribution to overcoming the quarterfinal complex. In the decisive game for the 1st place, the Russians again opposed Spain, only this time luck smiled on Blatt's wards. On account of Morgunov the key ball in the ending of the final.
Retirement
Since 2008, the VTB United League was created in the domestic championship of the country, in which many legionnaires from other countries play. Only 50 Russians are in demand on the floor, which does not allow creating the necessary competition for a place in the national team. Having no playing time, many of the heroes of the European Youth Championship - 2005 were lost. Nikita Morgunov decided for himself to pursue a career in the Super League ("University - Ugra", "Spartak - Primorye"). In second-tier games, he saw many talented players who could compete with eminent professionals. This forced him to take a principled position on the need to limit the number of foreign players in the domestic championship, without which, in his opinion, it was impossible to repeat the success of 2007.
In 2015, the RBF was headed by Andrei Kirilenko. It became obvious to everyone that experienced players who were truly devoted to basketball would come to key posts. The proposal to Morgunov to head the department of professional basketball is a logical step of the RBF president. He was already thinking about ending his career and tried himself in working with youth, he acted as an expert on the Match TV channel. The basketball player gladly accepted the appointment, allowing him to realize the tremendous experience gained during his professional career.