(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
He’s a six-foot-five trilingual Russian native whose steadfast drive has propelled him to where he is today: a freshman wearing number 15 for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Egor Koulechov’s journey to Wells Fargo Arena was not an easy one. From the start, Koulechov began to learn the one word that would summarize his endeavors: sacrifice.
Koulechov grew up in Volgograd, Russia, spending coveted time with his family and playing soccer with friends. When Koulechov turned seven, his family made the decision to immigrate to Israel.
It wasn’t until the sixth grade that Koulechov was introduced to the sport that would fuel one of his biggest dreams in life: a chance to play college basketball.
Koulechov reveled in the competitive nature of the sport, noting that, “Just playing the game outside and in the streets, is what made me fall in love with it. Just the competition.”
Sacrificing It All
Going into junior year of high school, Koulechov made one of the hardest decisions of his life. He would be moving away from everything he knew in his parents, his family, his home, all in pursuit of a high school education in the United States.
Again, only one reason compelled him to make this sacrifice: the game of basketball. His parents’ opinion? They gave him nothing but support every step of the way.
“My parents never really stood in my way when it comes to chasing my dreams,” Koulechov said. ” They didn’t stand in my way when I wanted to go to high school in Florida and they just really want me to be successful and do what I love and they know that basketball is what I love.”
Koulechov now only gets to see his parents for two weeks during the summer. He takes two trips; one to Israel where his parents are, and the second to Russia where his extended family and friends reside and where he, “always feels at home and hopes to go back to one day.”
He is also the first person in his family to ever travel to the U.S. He hopes that his parents will be next.
“Maybe next year they will come to a game. It all depends, but I really hope so.”
High School Experience
Koulechov enrolled in Sagemont High School’s prestigious basketball program in Florida. He moved in with a host family who helped him assimilate to the U.S. culture.
Adam Ross, head coach of the Sagemont Lions men’s varsity basketball team, took notice of Koulechov’s unmatched determination as soon as he arrived on his new “home” court, despite the 7,000 miles between him and Russia.
“Egor was very focused and very driven when he came here to Sagemont,” Ross said. “He was all business right from the beginning. He embraced our coaches and the rest of the guys on our team. He wanted to make the most of his experience.”
It also didn’t take Ross any time to realize the basketball potential of his new international student.
“We recognized the fact that he was different right when he got here. It was pretty obvious that he was a good player and had a lot of ability, but it was probably a couple months after that we knew that he really was going to have a big basketball career ahead of him. Combined with the natural talent, he displayed an incredible work ethic and the combination of those two usually leads to success.”
Koulechov quickly became a captain of his team, leading the Lions to a couple of district championship victories and piloting his team, “deep into the playoffs both years that he was here with a disappointing loss in regional semi-finals last year (his senior year)” according to Ross.
Ross’s team thrived under the leadership of a player who constantly led his team by example.
His “work-ethic and willingness to improve,” were two attributes that continuously stood out to Ross. His “biggest attribute,” however, allowed Koulechov’s admired high school coach to predict that, “his general toughness on the floor is what will be most recognized his freshmen year by the Arizona State fans.”
Recruitment
Former ASU recruiting coordinator, Scott Pera, also took note of Koulechov in his high school years. Pera, now assistant coach for Penn’s men’s basketball team, coached Derek Glasser and James Harden at Artesia High School. They followed him to ASU where he became operations coordinator turned assistant coach turned recruiting coordinator for the Sun Devils.
Harden became the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft and Glasser went on to join the top professional league in Israel.
In other words, Pera bred some unbelievable talent on the basketball court, enabling him to recognize that same talent elsewhere. Like at Sagemont High School, for instance.
Pera actively pursued Koulechov during his junior year.
“Well, like any player you look for certain attributes; Athletic ability, ability to shoot, ability to handle the ball, how hard they compete,” Pera said. “He checked off on all those things when I saw him play. And then the more I saw him play, the more confident I was that those things he could do well and at the next level.”
Besides his innate ability with the basketball, Pera was always aware of Koulechov’s character on and off the court.
“That’s one of the things that we try to do in this job of recruiting is not just watch kids play but ask their coaches and the people that know them best about their character,” Pera continued. “Egor really checked off as a hard-worker and a great kid and just somebody you would want to have in your program.”
Despite tempting offers from Providence, Rutgers, Alabama-Birmingham, and Richmond, Koulechov said he “ just loved what they were building here (at ASU), it’s a great program so it was easy for me to choose.” He committed to ASU in the summer going into his senior year.
No AAU, No problem
By the time Koulechov had honed his skills on the high school court and was eligible to play, he traveled back to Israel during the summers and joined the Israeli 18-U National Team.
This also meant Koulechov was coming into ASU without ever playing a single second of AAU basketball.
While others were surprised by this fact, Koulechov never let it deter him.
“Yeah, a lot of people were surprised but I didn’t really pay much attention to it, I just stick to what I do. I still played basketball every summer,” Koulechov said. “It’s a typical summer for me to just go overseas and play. I really enjoy it honestly because there’s a lot of my friends on those teams and it’s the same age group. So no, it never really bothered me. I don’t regret it either.”
Around the World in 60 Days
Instead of the ability and knowledge that usually derives from AAU experience, Koulechov gained international experience, visiting a total of six countries in the summer prior to coming to ASU.
“Well first it was Russia after my graduation. Then I went to Israel, then it was Ukraine, United States, Estonia, and China.”
Out of those six diverse countries, Koulechov especially enjoyed Ukraine, as it resembled his Russian homeland. He also got to do something he has never done before.
“I got to do a couple of interviews in Russian. That was really exciting.”
Living the Dream
Koulechov now has a multitude of experience that he brings with him to ASU. He is fluent in three languages,has played the game he loves on courts across the world; and has even begun to prove himself to his teammates and coaches.
Coach Sendek gave Koulechov ample minutes in the first game of the season against UMBC, allowing him to collect a total of ten minutes by the time the second-half buzzer sounded. By the fifth game of the season against Bradley, Sendek decided to give the Russian recruit a chance in the starting line-up.
“I was a little nervous at first because it’s obviously a new place and it’s not high school anymore. It’s gunna be a lot different and they don’t really care where you come from or what you did in high school. You gotta prove yourself again,” Koulechov said. “You gotta build yourself here. But once I got here the coaching staff was really nice to me. My teammates are real nice guys so that makes it a lot easier. They’ll get on you when they need to, but they’re friends and they’re family so I really appreciate them.”
The way he proves himself again however, is by constantly “working hard just to be myself.”
Koulechov admires NBA star Kevin Durant noting that “I just love watching him play; he’s an inspiration,” however, the ASU wing “never tries to make his game look like Durant’s.” Or anyone else’s for that matter.
Number 15 definitely holds true to the character that high school coach Ross described. He is always the first man back on defense, his solid stature rocking back and forth as he dedicates his entire body toward muscling past the players that stand in his way.
He doesn’t let the shot clock dictate what he produces. He is scrappy, diving on the ground for every loose ball. He throws up a convincing fake. He has confidence in his team. He has confidence in himself. But most importantly, he is a true testament to what hard work and sacrifice can yield.
“From the coaches, I just do whatever they need. If it’s to get a breather for someone, step in and just rebound, I’ll do anything. I just always try to play tough, try to rebound, try to help my team, try to get open shots, I’ll do anything, whatever it takes.”
