Spartak locks up star teenager Pavel Antipov

Spartak St. Petersburg made a move with an eye to the future by locking up teenage forward Pavel Antipov on a three-year contract. Antipov (202, 18) was one of the Russian squad's top players at the recent Under-18 European Championships, where he averaged 21.7 points and 10 rebounds despite a virus that cut his participation in the tournament short. He arrives from CSK VVS-Samara, where Antipov saw limited action in his first season at the senior level last year. Antipov grew up in the Unics Kazan junior system before joining Samara two years ago. At Spartak, he is expected to see time with both the junior and senior teams as he continues his development.