Club Profile: Khimki Moscow Region

Jul 13, 2015 by Euroleague.net Print
Club Profile: Khimki Moscow Region

Reigning Eurocup champion Khimki Moscow Region returns to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the fourth time in seven years ready to keep its momentum going and challenge for bigger goals than ever before. Khimki had an outstanding Eurocup season, in which it won its regular season and Last 32 groups and swept three of its four elimination round series – including the finals against Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas. Tyrese Rice was chosen as the Eurocup MVP and also earned Eurocup Finals MVP honors. Petteri Koponen joined Rice on the All-Eurocup First Team and Rimas Kurtinaitis became the first head coach to win the competition three times. Khimki also reached the VTB League finals, but lost to rival CSKA Moscow. Khimki Basketball Club was founded in 1997, but by 2003 had made the Russian League semifinals and the first of three straight Russian Cup semifinal appearances. Khimki reached the Russian League and Russian Cup finals in 2006, but fell to CSKA in both, while Joventut Badalona beat Khimki in the 2006 FIBA EuroCup final. The young club’s hard work paid off when it downed CSKA in the 2007 Russian Cup final for the club's first crown of any kind. That season, it also reached the first of three consecutive Russian League finals and its first ULEB Cup Last 16. The club made more big strides in 2008-09 by reaching the Eurocup title game, but fell short against Lietuvos Rytas. In its Euroleague debut in the 2009-10 campaign, Khimki showed it was not an average newcomer and reached the Top 16. The club added more silverware to the trophy room by winning the VTB League in 2011 at CSKA’s expense. Everything clicked for Khimki in the 2011-12 Eurocup and it downed Valencia Basket for its first continental title. A year later, Khimki’s third Euroleague campaign finished in the Top 16, a win short of a place in the playoffs, but it was also the first of the two title-free seasons. Khimki won 15 consecutive Eurocup games in the 2013-14 season, but didn't have a long run in the competition, as it was ousted in the eighthfinals by eventual champ Valencia by a single point - it lost by 16 on the road and won by just 15 at home. Khimki learned from its mistakes and peaked at the right time in the 2014-15 season, winning the Eurocup Finals by an aggregate score of 174-130. Khimki now has the experience, talent and tradition to have a long run in the Euroleague, and that will be its goal: to set new highs in Europe's signature competition.

2014-15 Results: Eurocup: Winner, VTB League: Finalist,

Tyrese Rice - Khimki Moscow Region - EC14 (photo Khimki - Nikolay Kondakov)