Scouting Report: Kazakhstan

Moniker: The Snow Leopards

Qualification: Beat Uzbekistan in the lone Central Asian qualifying match.

Last FIBA Asia Appearance: 2009 – 4 wins & 4 losses – Beat India, UAE, Kuwait, and Japan, but lost to China, Qatar, Jordan, and Lebanon.

 

Roster:

Name, Age, Height, Position

Jerry Johnson, 31, 6’0″, Guard

Anton Ponomarev, 25, 6’11″, Center/Forward

Timur Sultanov, 32, 5’11″, Guard

Rustam Murzagaliev, 21, 6’5″, Guard/Forward

Mikhail Yevstigneyev, 29, 6’7″, Forward/Center

Vitaliy Lapchenko, 21, 6’10″, Forward/Center

Nikolay Bazhin, 23, 6’5″, Forward

Konstantin Dvirnyy, 25, 6’4″, Guard

Dmitriy Klimov, 25, 6’8″, Forward

Rustam Yargaliev, 27, 6’5″, Forward/Guard

Leonid Bondarovich, 24, 6’9″, Forward/Center

Alexandre Zhigulin, 19, 6’9″, Center

Key Players:

1. Anton Ponomarev – Despite the presence of Kazakhstan’s first ever naturalized basketball player, Ponomarev will still be the barometer of this squad’s performance. The Snow Leopards will go as far as this once-NBA prospect can take them. Given his skill-set, Ponomarev should rank among the top five bigs in the tournament, alongside Yi Jianlian (CHN), Hamed Haddadi (IRI), Marcus Douthit (PHL), and maybe Quincy Davis (TPE), but he has to play with more urgency and consistency game in and game out. In last night’s tune-up against Gilas, he scored 14 points (hitting 4 treys) in the first half before getting bottled up for just 2 points the rest of the way.

2. Jerry Johnson – In much the same way Quincy Davis plugs the donut hole for Taiwan, Johnson plugs the Kazakhs’ dire need for a top-flight playmaker. Without Johnson, the Kazakhs are not a top 10 team in this tournament, but with “Triple J” (his full name is Jerry Jamar Johnson) calling the shots, the Snow Leopards should definitely make the quarterfinals.

3. Rustam Yargaliev – In their game against Gilas, we didn’t see much from the veteran 6’5″ wingman who plies his trade for BC Astana in the Kazakh and VTB leagues, but make no mistake, this guy is one of the aces up coach Matteo Boniciolli’s sleeve. He is a streaky sniper and a superb defender who has great size for his position. When KAZ faces the likes of Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Cho Sung-Min, and Sun Yue in round 2, count on Yargaliev to take on those assignments.

 

Points of Interest:

1. Fast Start – Grouped with two teams that placed outside the top 12 in 2011 and a team that is returning after a 12-year absence, it is a no-brainer that Kazakhstan should sweep all its first round games. If the Kazakhs hold form and manage to do this, then they will have managed to gain enough momentum to maybe upset any of the powerhouse quintets from Group C.

2. Dark Horse – Remember how Rasheim Wright positively impacted the Jordanians from 2007-2011? That’s potentially how Johnson can impact the Kazakhs this year and maybe for 2 more editions of the FIBA Asia tourney. Johnson gives them the kind of wing presence they’ve always lacked, and the kind of leader who should be able to pull everyone together when the going gets rough. Heck, they might even upset Korea, Iran, or China on a really good day.

Tournament Outlook:

Though the Kazakhs will face some really tough opposition in the second round, I have almost no doubt that they will make the quarterfinals of this tournament. Again, they should have an easy time sweeping Group D and then have a legit shot at upsetting any of the Group C qualifiers. Given all the teams’ current states, it’s probable that the Snow Leopards will face maybe the Philippines or Taiwan in the quarterfinals, both of which coach Boniciolli’s boys have a realistic chance of beating. – Rappler.com