Aleksandr ‘The Great’ arrives from Kiev
Recruit joins Springfield Sentinels semi-pro basketball team
SPORTS | Alan Kozeluh
Springfield has a new semi-pro basketball team, and the owners looked as far as Ukraine to fill its roster.
The Springfield Sentinels are the latest addition to the Central Basketball Association (CBA), a semi-professional league entering its third year. It includes teams from Illinois, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and Indiana.
Aleksandr “The Great” Skyrta, a 25-yearold point guard, was scheduled to fly in from Ukraine Wednesday to join the team for its first season. Skyrta describes his English as “very bad,” but he becomes surprisingly articulate when talking about the sport that he loves.
“It is (a) very dynamic and emotional sight which is worth seeing,” Skyrta wrote in an email to Illinois Times. “It is full of thrilling moments, and it impresses passionate fans by its high speed and poetry of motion.”
Skyrta has been playing basketball since he was 13 years old. He played for the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences in Ukraine before getting a job as an engineer at a hospital in the capital city of Kiev.
At 5-foot-10-inches, Skyrta is not the tallest man on the court but, according to Sentinels Owner Jamie Sullivan, he’s a flashy player who can hit the net from just about anywhere and do reverse dunks.
“He is certain to be a fan favorite,” Sullivan said.
Ukraine has been the stage for international conflict over the past year. Early in 2014, Kiev was the site of violent clashes between protesters and authorities over whether the country would join the European Union or maintain ties with Russia. The situation intensified when the Crimean peninsula in the south of the country voted to secede and was annexed by Russia. Russian, Ukrainian and European officials will be meeting in Kazakhstan on Jan. 15 to discuss the conflict.
Skyrta is leaving behind his parents and an older sister whom he says he will miss, but also who urged him to follow his dream to come here and play.
Sullivan, who had been announcing games for the Peoria Panthers and posting them online, said that Skyrta actually came to him about joining the team. He had been watching the games over the Internet and became interested when he heard Sullivan was starting a new team.
As a semi-professional league, the CBA does not pay its players. It acts instead as an exposure league, helping its players get noticed by minor and foreign leagues.
Also joining the Sentinels as team captain and shooting guard is the more local “Big Game” James Johnson of Springfield. A previous coach gave Johnson the nickname when he was nine, inspired by former L.A. Laker James Worthy.
Johnson has lived in Springfield since he played for The University of Illinois at Springfield. More recently, he has played for the Peoria Panthers, commuting from Springfield to make the games. Johnson was willing to make the commute, but jumped at the chance to play for a Springfield team.
“He said Springfield and I said ‘Woo!
You’re going to save me some gas money!’ ” Johnson said.
Johnson said he was excited to meet Skyrta, and that’s he’s excited he gets to play with someone from overseas.
“That’s one of my goals is to play overseas,” Johnson said. “Maybe he could show me a thing or two.”
The Sentinels still need to recruit a few more players before its season begins. There has been one tryout so far and there will be another on Jan. 18 at Lutheran High School, 3500 W. Washington St., which will serve as the team’s home venue.
“Our biggest thing is we need to get a big guy,” said Sullivan. “We need a big center.”
The Sentinels’ season starts March 29. Its first home game will be April 12 at Lutheran High School. Check out www.playcba.com for more information.
Contact Alan Kozeluh at [email protected].
