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| Springside’s newest Lions, Nadya
Grisheava (left) and Ulya Savelieva. (Photo by Tom Utescher) |
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From Russia, with “Game”
by
TOM UTESCHER
At an institution where squash has traditionally been considered the
primary winter sport, an invigorating breeze from the Baltic Sea has breathed
new life into the basketball program.
Last week Springside School welcomed a pair of Russian exchange students,
and they came packing some impressive hardcourt qualifications. Natives
of St. Petersburg, they are Ulya Savelieva, a guard who can also play
small forward, and center Nadya Grisheava.
Converting from those pesky metrics that the rest of the world employs,
Ulya’s height figures out to 5’10”, while Nadya stands
almost 6'4''. They’ve played together for 10 years now, mostly for
Baltic Star, a club organization similar to the Amateur Athletics Union
(AAU) programs in this country.
Their squad was number one in Russia in the 16-year-old age group, and
third when playing up at the 17’s level. Here, they plan to finish
their secondary education at Springside, then continue their studies and
their basketball careers at an American university. They’ll also
be playing club ball for the Philadelphia Belles, a highly-regarded AAU
association.
Watching Nadya and Ulya perform in their debut for the Lions last week,
it was hard for Springside fans not to be wildly enthusiastic. Getting
their bearings during the first two quarters, they came on strong in the
second half to give the Lions a combined total of 45 points, 10 rebounds,
and 15 steals. You had to bear in mind that it was just one game, played
against an unsuspecting opponent that is likely to finish without a win
in the Girls Inter-Ac League this year.
But by watching the way they moved around the court and handled the basketball,
observers could get a sense of their athleticism and basketball savvy.
And they should only get better. Once they’re fully familiar with
the American game, the way it is played and officiated, they’ll
be able to perform more instinctively.
Both were capable students back home and they speak English well, if
not quite flawlessly. This too, will improve with time. Living with a
Springside family in Chestnut Hill, they already seem to have charmed
the school community with their outgoing and engaging personalities. In
pursuing their own version of the American dream, it looks as though Nadya
and Ulya will do a great deal to help Lions fans realize some dreams of
their own.
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