Aleksandr Belostenny

Aleksandr Belostenny had a long career with the Soviet national team from 1977-92, and although he was very mobile and a good ball handler for his height, he was never considered as the top Soviet center. At the beginning of his career he was overshadowed by 220 cm tall Vladimir Tkachenko and in the latter part of his career by the younger players, Valery Goborov and Arvydas Sabonis. Still, Belostenny, who played most of his career with Stroitel Kyiv and did not play often outside of the Soviet Union, was a great asset to the Soviet team as he managed constantly to surprise his opponents with his mobility and ball handling. Belostenny played with Stroitel Kyiv from 1977-89, except for a short spell with CSKA Moskva in 1980. With CSKA Moskva he won his first Soviet title and his second Soviet title came in 1989 with Stroitel. Internationally, Belostenny was one of the most decorated basketball players in Soviet history. He won Olympic gold in 1988 and bronze in 1980, won a World Championship in 1982 and silvers in 1978, 1986 and 1990. He also won European Championships in 1979, 1981 and 1985, silver in 1977 and bronzes in 1983 and 1989. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Belostenny played one season in 1990 with CAI Zaragoza and won the Spanish Cup with them, before finishing his playing career with TBB Trier from 1991-94. After his playing retirement, Belostenny turned down many coaching offers, including the one offered by TBB Trier, and instead opened a restaurant, Ratskeller in Trier, which became a very popular meeting place in the area. Belostenny operated his restaurant until his untimely death from lung cancer in May 2010.