The Kyiv Budivelnik team played in the quarter-finals of the Northern European League (ENBL) less than a week ago and were one step away from the final four, where Alytus Wolves eventually won the place. However, the situation changed in a flash.
A couple of days ago, Budivelnik itself submitted a request to withdraw from the Balkan championships in which they competed. The club argued with financial problems.
Budivelnik was based in Rome, Italy.
According to Krepsinis.net, the players heard from the club managers that in order to continue their work, they must come to Kyiv this week. Obviously, the team didn’t want to go to war-torn Ukraine, so the team split up because they don’t have any more matches. News about the situation shocked the club’s players, who did not even have the opportunity to discuss everything at the meeting.
The first to find a new job was Bogdanas Blizniukas, who added to Šolė’s “Basket” team. Two Lithuanians also played in Budivelnik – Šarūnas Vasiliauskas and Aurimas Majauskas.
In the FIBA European Cup, Budivelnik reached the quarterfinals. In the Balkan League, the club took third place (6/1).