Alexander Belov, basketball player: biography, sporting achievements, cause of death

The life of Alexander Belov was short, but very bright. Having broken into the world of domestic basketball at a young age, he managed to become a legend for 10 years of his career. Unfortunately, the fast was not only the start, but also the finish of the great basketball player, but about everything in order.

Attach to the game

Soviet basketball player was born on November 9, 1951 in the city of Leningrad. To the basketball ranks he was introduced by Vladimir Kondrashin, who, while still a beginner coach, went to various schools in search of talented children. Noticing 10-year-old Sasha, the coach with difficulty, but still managed to persuade him to try his hand at basketball. It was Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin who could instill in the young Belov love for this game and became his mentor.

Carier start

At 16 years Alexander made his debut as a member of the Spartak team (Leningrad). Despite the fact that the guy had not the highest growth in the team (exactly two meters), he came to the center positions and could compete with higher rivals due to the ability to choose position, mobility and good leap. In the attack Belov could successfully pass to the ring or throw from a long distance, but his main function in the team was still defensive.

Invitation to the national team

According to Alexander Gomelsky, Belov, having a very high and powerful leap, was always on time in the right place. His jump caused true astonishment. Sometimes it seemed that Belov simply hovered in the air. And when he got into the protective rack, slightly bent his legs and raised his elbows, the place under the shield simply did not remain for the opponents. He did not let anyone reach the shield. In addition, Alexander Aleksandrovich Belov with a young nails well felt the game and was doing well in tactics. All this allowed him to compete with opponents, whose growth was 10-15 cm more.

It was Gomelsky who invited the young basketball player to the USSR national team. At that time, Alexander was only 17 years old. A year later, in 1969, the men's national basketball team played at the European Championship in Naples. The 18-year-old was the main discovery of this season. At that time he managed to play in the Major Leagues three seasons, so he had enough experience not only to confront the hard-core players, but also to take on a key role in the team if it is necessary for the game.

Benefit in the finals

Prior to the decisive battle of the above championship came the team of Yugoslavia and the USSR. At the final game, they walked shoulder to shoulder. In the second half, our team managed to come off, having scored 12 points in 8 minutes. Opponents for this time gained just 2 points. Belov scored three points, but his main merit is quality defense. It was thanks to Belov that the team was able to successfully play the time, which determined the outcome of the whole match.

Colleague feedback

The team-mate and namesake of Alexander Sergey Belov in his book "Moving Forward" did not miss the opportunity to pay tribute to the hero of our today's conversation. According to Sergei, with his growth, Alexander was not a center, but a heavy forward, nevertheless he glittered at the position of the fifth number. Defense, as Sergei observes, is the basis of basketball, and in it Alexander openly succeeded. He was perfectly prepared and took on the most important tasks of the team. According to the colleague, it was Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin who managed to instill Belov's love of playing in defense, which requires a special philosophy.

The fact is that the lion's share of the players tries to score more in the ring to be seen, while the defense and the ability to give the right pass to the "front line" is no less important task, which not everyone can feel to the right degree. Alexander Belov - a basketball player with a capital letter, if only because he is one of the few who knew how to enjoy the game on the defensive.

USSR Championship of 1970

At this championship, "Spartacus" showed a new tactic of the game, which was built from protection. This decision allowed the team to win silver and excite the team of CSKA, which for the past five years, did not know equal. And after all in "Spartacus" then there was only one star - the youngest player of the team.

Change coach of the national team

At the World Cup in 1970, the USSR team was able to win only third place, vexingly losing Brazil (64:66) and America (72:75). After a disastrous championship, the coach of the team was the same Kondrashin. For seven years of coaching, he brought the team a few brilliant triumphs. The main one was the legendary event for Soviet basketball - the victory of the national team at the Olympic Games in Munich.

Universiade of 1970

With the arrival of Kondrashin in the national team, the successes of his beloved disciple were only multiplied. In 1970, Belov won the World Universiade. And even in spite of the fact that the Union did not consider this tournament prestigious, a victory in it costs a lot, because the struggle for superiority was conducted with the Americans.

Second European Championship

To his second European championship Alexander Aleksandrovich Belov felt much more confident in the team, including due to the high confidence of the coach. The team played well at the tournament and in the finals it surpassed the 5 points of Yugoslavia, which at that time were world champions. Belov an average of 8.5 points per game, and this despite the fact that he was a defender.

Olympics

Preparation for the Munich Olympic Games was very serious for the USSR national basketball team. After all, the team there had to meet with the strongest rival - the US team, which did not know the defeats at the Olympic Games since 1936. Despite the abundance of good players in our team, only two-meter Belov could effectively defend his shield against American professionals.

As predicted, the finals of the Olympics were combined teams of the United States and the USSR. About this legendary match, when the American team lost its gold to the Union, will remember for a long time. Particularly brightly in history came the pass of Ivan Edeshko and a throw along the ring of Alexander Belov, which marked the fiasco of the Americans and the incredible success of Soviet basketball players.

The moment that determined the victory at the Olympics

The denouement of the great match was extremely tense and interesting, so it is worth remembering it in detail.

Throughout the battle Soviet basketball players had a small margin in the account. However, at the end of the second half, the Americans approached them. 10 seconds before the end of the match, the score was 48:49. M.Paulauskas gave a pass to Belov, who was under the shield of the enemy. Alexander missed, but picked up the ball. To win the team, he only needed to hold the ball to the siren. But Belov did not have the opportunity to control the ball, so he gave Z. Sakandelidze a pass. The latter was tightly held by opponents, and he had to go on a foul. As a result, the US team was given the right to 2 free throws, both of which were perfectly implemented.

A few seconds before the end of the game, the Soviet team had almost no hope of victory. But when Belov looked at the coach and saw his calm look, the basketball player realized that all is not lost. After that, the Soviet team twice threw the ball into the game, and both times ahead of time a siren sounded. The third time the ball got to Ivan Edeshko, who gave an excellent pass to Alexander Belov, who was at that moment in the center of the field. After outsmarting the Americans and breaking through to the ring, Belov made a very accurate and accurate throw. The ball was in the ring, and the final siren sounded. So the USSR became the champion of the Olympic Games in basketball. Sergey Belov in his book calls this moment "the supreme justice" for the applied efforts of the team on the way to triumph.

In general, at the Olympics, Alexander Belov, a basketball player who knew the right defense, performed very effectively - an average of 14.4 points and 5 rebounds per match.

Further development

After the Olympics, Belov became famous throughout the world and received an invitation to the NBA, but the man preferred to bring titles to his club and the national team's national team. Thanks to Belov and Kondrashin's coaching, they have won more than one victory. Alexander Aleksandrovich Belov was the core of the team, and not just a leader. He was the main creator of all the victories of the above-mentioned collectives.

The Olympic Games in Montreal brought the national team of the USSR only a bronze. But Belov's personal figures increased. He became the most productive player in the team, scoring an average of 15.7 points per game. Players of such a level as Alexander, the world knew not so much. He did not care who he was playing against and against whom. Thanks to game intelligence and technical endowments, a basketball player could find a common language with anyone. And the man was very artistic on the court. He bathed in the love of the fans and drew strength in her for new achievements.

"Look at the scoreboard!"

From time to time, Belov allowed himself to take an imposing stroll through the court during the game. In one of the games in which "Spartacus" was confronted by a frankly weak team, Alexander literally strolled along the "battlefield". Fans wanted from a basketball player a beautiful game, and one of them shouted: "Let's play!" After several such calls Belov looked in the direction of the screaming fan and replied: "Look at the scoreboard!"

Health problems

After the Olympics in Montreal in the life of the great athlete began a dark streak. He began to complain more and more often about health, to be exact, on pains in the chest. In this regard, the coach in each match gave Alexander a few minutes of rest.

Love

A bright moment in Belov's life was his acquaintance with Alexandra Ovchinnikova, who was a successful basketball player. Between them there were bright feelings, which did not interfere with constant training at different bases. According to Alexandra, Kondrashin was very pleased with such an alliance and even encouraged Belov to consolidate his feelings with marriage. The girl was very modest and positive, so she perfectly compensated for the explosive temper of our hero. In April 1977, the couple legalized their union.

Premature exit from sports

In early 1977, "Spartacus" went to play in Italy. During the passage of the customs inspection, a bag was found with the prohibited goods, which was attributed to Belov. In the world of the press, a huge scandal broke out about this. Alexander was deprived of all titles and removed from basketball.

Soon Alexander Belov - basketball player, for whom the word "honor" was not an empty set of sounds - refused to offer to play for CSKA. But in the power of A. Ya. Gomelsky was to return all the titles of the famous athlete. But he did not agree, because he felt his duty to the team that made him a star.

At the end of 1977, the man was again allowed to play for Spartak, and in August of the following year and for the national team. But the basketball player could not go to the world championship, because his physical condition had sharply deteriorated by that time. Before the gatherings, he felt very unwell and went to the hospital.

Treatment

The great athlete was treated in several hospitals in Leningrad, but the doctors did not come to an exact diagnosis. Kondrashin drove him foreign medicines, but they also did not help. As a result, on October 3, 1978, the greatest Soviet basketball player, Alexander Belov, died. The cause of death, as it turned out later, was covered in heart disease. Many thought that because of active sports, the condition of a man worsened, but doctors unequivocally stated that, thanks to basketball, Alexander Belov, without understanding himself, extended his life. And when he took a break, the heart sarcoma managed to overcome him.

This concludes the biography of Alexander Belov, who died only 26 years old, but his memory remained for a long time.

Moscow journalist A. Pinchuk, whom Vladimir Kondrashin considered the best basketball observer, once noticed that human life is measured not only by years, but also by achievements. It turns out that Alexander lived not so short a life, because he managed to 26 as many as many and 80 do not have time.

Achievements of A. Belov

• Honored Master of Sports.
• Gold at the 1972 Olympics
• Bronze at the 1976 Olympics
• Gold at the 1974 World Cup
• Bronze at the World Cup in 1970
• Gold at the World Championships in 1969, as well as in 1971.
• Silver European Championship 1975
• Two-time winner of the "Cup Winners Cup" in 1973 and 1975.
• Gold championship USSR in 1970 and 1971 gg.
• Silver of the USSR Championship 1972-1974,1976,1978.
• Bronze championship of the USSR in 1969.
• Silver Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in 1975
• Gold World Universiade 1970
• The Nations Cup 1974
• Intercontinental Cup in 1975
• Gold of the European Championship among juniors 1968 and 1970.
• Included in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007.
• Order of the Badge of Honor.

Alexander Belov - basketball player from God. He was the favorite of the fans and made them truly delighted. But for every athlete it is the love of the viewer that is dearest. Medals, participation in international tournaments, compliments of experts - it's very nice, but still secondary. And in the first place is always the recognition of those for whom you play. And his game Alexander Aleksandrovich Belov played with a bang!