Vlad Mikulski will turn 26 in a month and a half. Despite his relatively young age, Vlad has several years of career abroad, experience playing for the national team, titles and trophies of the Belarusian championship, and from this season also the title of captain of MINSK. However, Vlad's life is not only about sports. The player shared with the club's press service the story of his formation, life outside the parquet and moral values. Read more in the interview.
— As a child, you went to karate, then swimming. When did you realize that basketball is yours?
— Probably, this realization has not come yet (laughs). It all starts with the teacher, the first coach. For me, this is Fedor Rodenko (the head coach of Impulse-BGUIR). He came into the classroom, picked up three of the tallest guys, including me, and offered to study. And they just bought me a console and I didn't really want to go to training. But Fedor somehow managed to intrigue and interest. I was an emotional child, I always wanted to be the first in everything, selfishness slipped through somewhere. The coach took a competent approach to education both from the point of view of pedagogy and psychology, worked with us a lot outside the playground, taught us by everyday examples. When he recruited the group, he said that first of all he wanted to make good people out of us, not basketball players. I think that's how it all started and basketball became a part of life.
Vlad with Fedor Rodenko and Lidia Matsal
— Do you remember the moment when you realized: here it is – professional basketball?
— The first difficult period was moving to Spain, at that time I was 16 years old. No one there knows Russian, and at the airport they almost sent me back because of the documents, I was the one who decided everything. Faced with a frenzied rhythm, there is much more intense training. Of course, this is a lot of stress. I can honestly say that I was very homesick and wanted to come back. But at some point in time I realized: my classmates are now sitting in class and writing a chemistry test, and I'm driving around the Canary Islands in a big jeep. I took a ticket in my life and I need to use it. When I came to Latvia, I was already more conscious. I chose this path, and if you do something, you need to do it well, make an effort. It was not so difficult to adapt in Latvia, there was not such a large flow of people as in the Spanish academy, more personal attention. Housing, food, documents – all problems were solved in a human way. Ventspils is a small but very beautiful city near the sea, there are wonderful people there. Plus, I didn't go there alone, there was also my friend from Vitebsk Denis Vikentiev, we looked after each other, a very cool period in my life.
— Did you notice any fundamental differences in basketball?
— We came as legionnaires to the Latvian Youth League, we were stronger than the local guys of our age. When we moved to the second level of the League, we faced more serious players, we can say that we got a small transition from children's basketball to a more adult one. Then, after the youth team, I began to be involved in the main games – this is a completely different world: the FIBA Champions League. Looking back, I realize that I wasn't ready then. Even when I joined MINSK last year, I was also not fully ready for the VTB United League, and Rostislav Nikolaevich Vergun spent a lot of energy and nerves, invested a lot in me and trusted me. That's probably why progress has begun, and positive aspects have begun to appear. But then, at the age of 18, when I began to be involved in the games of the main team in Latvia, I did not have full awareness of what was happening.
Playing for the Latvian “Ventspils”
— Who would you call your basketball mentor, not only from the coaches, but also from the players?
— I would like to mention Fedor Rodenko among the coaches again, as well as Lidia Matsal, Ruslan Boydakov, Andrei Krivonos, Rostislav Vergun. They all played a big role in my development as an athlete. When I came to Borysthenes, I was very young, even wild, I would say. Slava Korzh is a very experienced captain and player, at that time he was playing in the national team. He helped me not only with basketball development, but also with human, male development. Max Shustov, when I played with him at the age of 16 for the university, instilled in me a combative character: there were no indulgences, I understood what I needed to strain myself and do. Lesha Trastsinetski was the captain of our team last season. In the second half of the previous season, I lived with him on the road – a great person, open, honest, will always try to find an approach and explain individually. Thanks to everyone who helped me, I remember everyone. Every birthday of people dear to me, I consider it my duty to call and congratulate them.
— Vlad Mikulski – what is he like? Do you have a feeling that your image is public and you are real in some way different?
— I would not say that these are two different people. But at home I am more calm, reasonable, I try to keep a cool mind in everything outside the parquet. The basketball court is different. We work hard, and somewhere emotions take over. I am an emotional person in my own right, but as I get older, it remains only on the floor. A lot of people after meeting me say, “We thought you were arrogant, rude, arrogant.” Perhaps I was like that as a child, but over time they will say about me that I will not let you down, I will try to help.
Vlad with his mother as a child
— Do you remember your first matches in the VTB United League, emotions?
— We played the first match against PARMA. I remember I got off to a bad start, and the coach said: “That's how you start your career in the VTB League" (smiles). At that moment, he was right and told the truth. Of course, there was excitement. No matter what anyone says, what comes out with desire, confident and charged, in addition there is fear, which you try to fight. And it turns out only with experience, the number of game hours. Many guys like to play against top teams that used to play in the Euroleague: CSKA, Zenit, UNICS.
— Most likely, there are games that you still remember and celebrate.
— I remember the moment when we played at the Minsk Arena against CSKA in the 2022/23 season, I gave a plus or minus a good game. At the beginning of my first season, I sat on the bench a lot, but when I came out against CSKA, I scored something, I played well in defense. And when the game was over, we were going to the locker room and the coach of the other team winked at me, saying, well done. Of course, it's nice. Yes, we didn't win, but when you try, put in psychological and physical strength, and when someone of status marks your game, it's a different level of perception. I was good at playing with Samara last year, maybe they underestimated me (laughs). The victory over Avtodor at the end of last season – we showed a good level. We had a pretty good end to the championship, but it's a pity that it was only in March.
I also remember the home game with UNICS – they were already the leaders of the championship at that time, they scored decisive points through me. Before that, it turned out that I made a throw that jumped out of the ring, everything could work out. And their high-level player scored through good defense. I can say that my defense was 9 out of 10, maybe even 9.5. The support of the audience and fans played a huge role and this match was very memorable.
MINSK vs UNICS match
— You have experience playing for the national team, you are the captain of the men's team. Were you ready for such responsibility, and what do you mean by the concept of responsibility?
— I can't help but note that the national team occupies a special part in my heart, it should be so for every athlete. No matter how much fear and excitement I had in the first games, training sessions. But the genuine desire with which everyone worked and those emotions during the victories are indescribable. I had a very successful game at the qualifying stage, and in the evening the temperature rose, I was so worried.
Performance as a member of the national team of Belarus. In the photo Vladislav Mikulsky and Vladislav Bliznyuk
As for responsibility, I was chosen captain this year. Of course, the first thing you ask yourself is: how to behave, what to do. But everything comes with experience and situations: somewhere you are doing the wrong thing, somewhere you are doing the right thing. I can't say that I'm the best captain and I'm doing everything right, but I try to analyze, listen to the guys who are older, more experienced and can tell me. It's not for me to judge, but I hope that everything is fine in this regard.
— Considering that the season is not developing as many expected. What is it like to motivate a team in difficult times?
— The question is quite reasonable. Yes, now there is such a result, but the last thing is to lie down and say: that's it, nothing happened. Compared to last year, the VTB League level has grown a lot, and compared to last season, we have also become better. Maybe someone will say that the result does not show this. But those who understand basketball see progress. Of course, not the way everyone expected, but it is there: in the awareness of the situation, in the understanding between the guys. How to find strength? I think everyone should feed themselves. This is our vocation, our profession. If you don't try to do well and go all the way, then you shouldn't have started. The second thing to say about the team is that we stick together, try to sort out mistakes, progress and move on to please our fans.
— Who do you keep in friendly contact with from the basketball world?
— We have a young team and I try to keep in touch with everyone. Maybe I don't personally communicate with someone often, but I pay attention to training. Of the Belarusian guys, I communicate with Lesha Trostinetsky, Kirill Sitnik, Andrei Ageenko, and with many in good relations. I was at Spartak with Sergey Toropov from Zenit, and I've known Sasha Zakharov from Uralmash for several years. All the players communicate well enough, there are no conflicts. There was a moment when I twisted my leg in the game against Zenit and Boyan Dublevich came up and asked if I was okay. At that moment, I thought that despite the sporting competition, the human factor is always present.
— Tell us about your life values.
— For a 25-year-old guy, the phrase “by your age” probably sounds a little high, but lived situations shape values and how you look at this world. My family comes first. A person can have any profession, but when they are waiting for you at home and are ready to share both bad and good moments with you, it is incomparable to anything. Especially those who have experienced situations with the loss of a loved one, health difficulties, they know that family comes first. The second is career and self–realization. If a man cannot fulfill himself and provide for his family, this is fraught with internal problems, among other things. In the third place of values are friends, the way you put yourself in society.
— You can often be seen with a book in your hands. Where does this love of reading come from?
— I came to reading not so long ago. When I was a teenager, like most boys, I preferred computer games to reading. And I'm not going to lie now, we can play with friends (laughs). In books, when you put yourself in the hero's place, you experience his personal drama, you look at everything more broadly, you live his emotions inside yourself. In this regard, I can feel very strongly. Reading is useful both for general development and helps to develop emotional intelligence. I also recommend this hobby to my younger sister. I am currently reading “The Burden of Human Passions” by William S. Maugham. This is a story about a lame boy who is looking for his vocation in life, about problems with peers, with a foster family. In comparison, you realize how hard it can be for people, and how everything is possible in your life, that you are lucky. Unfortunately, many people do not realize this.
The Blitz
1. How is your day going when there is no basketball in it?
— I like to wake up early. My dream is to have my own house, go out on the porch early in the morning while everyone is asleep, drink coffee in silence and catch such morning zen, and then spend time with my family.
2. What kind of homemade food do you prefer to eat first thing after returning from a business trip?
— I remember from my childhood, I asked my mother to make such a Belarusian version of carbonara – pasta, chopped sausages, cheese and egg mixed together. Now my girlfriend Nastya cooks in a very diverse way and always tries to surprise. The last time Nastya pleased me with pancakes. I arrive at two o'clock in the morning from the check-out, and there are pancakes on the table at home, very tasty!
Photo from Vlad's personal archive
3. One of the last books you read that impressed you?
— Erich Maria Remarque “Three Comrades".
4. An idol among the players.
— I will name two American and two European ones. LeBron James – how he looks after himself and his body, built a model of an ideal family man, businessman, player without scandals and dark spots. The second player is Kobe Bryant. A man entered the sport at the age of 18, was not the tallest, not the strongest, and made himself the person that everyone knows. There are legends about his mentality now. Serbian player Milos Teodosic gave me a jersey for my birthday in my youth. Then CSKA was playing with MINSK, my first coach organized a meeting with him, and I was still far from the Minsk club (laughs). The way he played, his passes, the vision of the court, his out-of-the-box thinking, you can watch this for a very long time.
Vlad at a meeting with Milos Teodosic
The second player is Vasilis Spanoulis from Greece, who is now successfully implemented as a coach. A man with armor-piercing character and confidence. If you manage to train this once, you will score every shot.
5. What kind of pet would you have?
— There used to be a dog and two cats at home. Now there is only a cat, she was homeless and in Moscow climbed into my stepfather Sasha's shoe, and appeared at our house. Her name is Murka, she is very affectionate and playful, better than any thoroughbred, which can be petted only when she is in the mood (laughs). But personally, I'm more of a dog person. I haven't decided specifically on the breed yet, if there was a house, I would have brought a large dog there. And so both Nastya and I like pomeranians.
6. Favorite sneakers?
— Oh, there were red Jordan Spice Zack sneakers. I bought them when I was still in Latvia and carried them for 5(!) years. They only broke when I was playing in Mogilev. I took care of them as best I could, they withstood both fire and water.
7. The phrase that you say most often?
— I can't remember a specific phrase, but sarcasm is often heard from me (laughs).
8. Qualities that you would like to improve in yourself first of all?
— I want to be a better person, including in family life. Next, I would call prudence and analysis, and also professional qualities.
In the photo, Vlad with his girlfriend Anastasia and her daughter Amelia