Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin was a renowned Soviet basketball coach from 1929 to 1995. He coached the Soviet national basketball team from 1970 to 1976, leading them to great successes including a close loss in the 1972 Olympics final against the USA where a last second shot allowed the Soviets to force a replay and win gold. The document also shares the story of the author, who was inspired to take up basketball after watching that iconic 1972 game as a child, and now plays in honor of fulfilling his father's dream who had greatly supported the Soviet team.

1. Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin –
the greatest
basketball
tactician.

2. Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin was born
“Sometimes the circumstances which take us
to the development of events in our life
on the 14th of January 1929
can be absolutely unexpected.” (my father)
in Saint-Petersburg.
During the seige he was only
twelve, but he had to work at a
plant to support his family and
to make his contribution to the
victory.
After the Great Patriotic War
Since 1952 he had been Vladimir began playing in the
a basketball coach
basketball team “Spartak”.
of the children's and youth’s teams of the sport society
“Spartak”. Working with children he gained experience.
Vladimir Petrovich was a permanent coach of
Leningrad’s“Spartak” from 1967 to 1995.

3. He also coached the team of the
Soviet Union from 1970 to 1976.
The brightest victories of the national team in
the world’s competitions are still associated
with the name of V.P.Kondrashin.
In 1972 in the Olimpic final game
they met the invincible team
from the USA.

4. At the end of this game the score was 50:49
to the USA national team.
There were only three seconds for the final whistle, but
they had gone.
At that very moment the referee remembered he must
give the time-out for Kondrashin that he asked for earlier.
After that the Soviet basketball players had
an unsuccessful attack.
And the American team
began to celebrate its victory.
However, the head of the International
Association of basketball William Jones
ordered to replay those three seconds again
as the timekeeper switched on a stopwatch at the
moment the serving player threw the ball.

5. They had to replay those three seconds for the third time.
Ivan Edeshko swung his arms. The player and the coach
exchanged glances. Ivan took a hint. They’d learned to
understand each other without words. Vladimir Petrovich
nodded and cried “Go!” and the ball came into the hands
of Aleksander Belov coast-to-coast. Belov’s reaction was
immediate.
Aleksander caught the ball and threw it exactly
into the basket.
It was a perfect throw.
The score turned to 50:51.
We were the champions!!!

6. But how does this touch me?
What's happened referred exactly to me.
In 1972 my father watched that match on TV.
He was only 7.
He wasn’t able to understand all the details
of the basketball rules,
but he worried about our team greatly.
He played basketball selflessly but
he hadn’t become a professional basketball player,
so he wanted his sons to succeed in it.
This way when I was four I came to the sports school
named after Kondrashin-Belov.
I am keen on playing basketball, taking part in different
competitions.
I’ll do my best to make my father’s dream true and I
hope my greatest victories are still waiting for me.