The captain of the basketball team, Vojtěch Hruban, is leaving champion Nymburk after ten years. The 32-year-old winger has moved to English team London Lions, where he will play in the EuroCup in addition to Britain’s top competition. The Central Bohemian Club reported this on its website.
“Of course, we would still like to have Vojta Hruban in our jersey, but in ten years at Nymburk, he has grown into a player of European caliber and it is a logical conclusion that he will go for a foreign challenge. We want him to fully demonstrate the experience gained in Nymburk, in addition to the national team, abroad,” said Nymburk CEO Ondřej Šimeček.
Hruban has worked with Nymburk since 2012. He won nine championship titles with him and was the most valuable player of the final series three times. He played 591 games for Nymburk and is the second best scorer in the club’s history with 6405 points. Only 40-year-old pivot Petr Benda scored more points in the Central Bohemian team.
The native of Prague also started in the Champions League, where he was recorded as the best scorer in the history of the competition. In the 2019/20 season, he made the perfect lineup for the whole year. “He has made an indelible mark in the history of Nymburk basketball, and we will see if the last season was his last chapter, or if he will add another chapter in the future,” said Šimeček.
At the age of 32, the former USK Praha player is starting his first career abroad. “I am grateful to the club management for giving me the opportunity in 2012 and allowing me to play elite European basketball. To the coaches who made me a better player and person. To the fans who always support us even when we are not good. And above all, I want to thank all my colleagues, with whom we have experienced a lot. It will be strange to go to the dressing room where Petr Benda and Martin Kříž will no longer sit,” said Hruban, who is also reportedly interested in Málaga or the Turkish team Tofas Bursa.
Nymburk will have to deal with another big loss in a few days. Slovenian coach Aleksander Sekulić left the Central Bohemian club on Wednesday, agreeing to terminate the contract and head to Krasnodar. Quarterback Colbey Ross, who left for Varese, will no longer work with the team.
“At the same time, it is an opportunity for us to start building a new team and to give space to other players so that they grow into strong personalities, like Vojta Hruban. We are working hard to enter the new season with a squad that will defend the title and be competitive in Europe,” added Šimeček.
