Yuri Korneev


Yuri Korneev, was a Russian basketball player. At a height of tall, he played at the small forward position. He was among the 105 player nominees for the 50 Greatest [EuroLeague Contributors] list.

Club career

Korneev started his club career with Dynamo Moscow, but he eventually moved to CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow], where he became one of the club's cornerstones in the 1960s. While a member of the Red Army club, Korneev won a EuroLeague championship in FIBA [European Champions Cup 1962–63|1963]. He scored 15 crucial points in the tie-breaking final game against Real Madrid, after first two games of the finals were not enough to crown a champion. He made it to the EuroLeague Final once again, two years later, when Real took their revenge for what had been a bitter loss 2 years earlier. In addition to that, Korneev helped CSKA to win five Soviet Union League championships.
Korneev left CSKA in the prime of his career, due to a Soviet rule at the time, that did not allow players above 25 years old to play for the Army-supported team.

National team career

Korneev was a regular member of the senior Soviet Union national [basketball team|Soviet national basketball team]. Korneev won two EuroBasket gold medals, in 1959 and 1961, two Basketball at the [Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics] silver medals, in 1960 Summer Olympics|1960] and 1964 Summer Olympics|1964], and a bronze medal at the 1963 [FIBA World Championship].