Inna Kochubei Appointed as Head Coach
The Executive Committee of the Basketball Federation of Ukraine (FBU) has voted overwhelmingly to appoint Inna Kochubei as the new head coach of the women's national basketball team. She succeeds Yevgeny Murzin in the role, with Hanna Shlykova and Olena Ohorodnikova joining her as assistant coaches. This leadership change comes as the team prepares for upcoming international competitions.
Kochubei brings extensive experience from her playing days with the national team, having appeared in 53 games—a tally that places her among the top five in program history. She also scored 269 points, ranking her as one of the most productive players ever for the squad, and previously served as team captain. Her coaching journey began in the 2012/2013 season when she led the Kyiv club 'TIM-SKUF' to a bronze medal in the Ukrainian Women's Super League. Since 2015, she has worked within the national team system, and in 2019, she became an assistant coach for the senior women's side.
Coaching Career and Achievements
During her coaching tenure, Kochubei has worked at the final tournaments of the 2017 and 2019 European Championships. In 2017, she led the U20 women's team to a seventh-place finish at the European Championship. Under her guidance in 2023, the U18 team placed ninth at the European Championship, and in the summer of 2024, the U20 youth squad finished sixth. Additionally, she served as an assistant coach for 'Kyiv-Basket' from 2017 to 2021 and was the head coach of 'Budivelnyk-NUFVSU' during the 2021 season. Since 2022, she has been working in Poland, leading the U17 teams of the club UKS Basket Aleksandrów Łódzki, where she secured first and second place finishes in the Łódź Voivodeship championship in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
The women's national team will play its next matches from November 11 to 17 as part of the second stage of qualification for the 2027 European Championship. Ukraine will compete in Group M against the teams of France, Great Britain, and Luxembourg.
Meanwhile, the men's national team continues its campaign in the qualification rounds for the 2027 World Cup. In the fourth round, the Ukrainian men lost to Spain with a score of 78:64. In the third round, Spain had defeated Ukraine 86:66. However, the men's team secured an 88:71 victory over Denmark and won their first match against Georgia 92:79. The top scorer in the game against Georgia was Oleksandr Kovliar, who netted 31 points, while Oleksandr Lypovyi added 13 points. Viacheslav Bobrov recorded a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Inna Kochubei's appointment as head coach of the women's national team marks a significant step for the development of women's basketball in the country. Her prior experience with national squads and her success at the club level could positively influence the team's performance in upcoming games.
As Inna Kochubei takes charge of the women's national basketball team, the momentum in Ukrainian basketball continues to build, particularly with the recent success of the U18 3x3 team qualifying for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. This achievement highlights the growing talent within the sport and sets a promising stage for the future of Ukrainian basketball.