Zirkova To Leave Brno After Season

19 March 2010

Zuzana Zirkova has revealed this season will be her last with Czech giants Frisco Sika Brno.

The 29-year-old, who this week was named Slovakia's Women's Player of the Year for the fifth time, said in an in interview published on her country's basketball association website: "In Brno it ends. This is definitely my last season (there). It is time to change clubs."

Zirkova has been on the books of Brno since 2003 and played on their EuroLeague Women-title winning side of 2006.

A calf injury has sidelined her for most of this season with Brno, limiting her to just two appearances in the EuroLeague Women.

Good Angels Kosice have been linked with Zirkova but no one at the club on Friday was willing to comment about her possible arrival.

Injuries have kept her sidelined for most of this season, but at least she has the Player of the Year Award.

In a survey conducted by the Slovakian Basketball Association, Zirkova received 369 votes while fellow national team star Lucia Kupcikova of Good Angels Kosice was second with 234 votes.

Both Zirkova and Kupcikova enjoyed a terrific summer with Slovakia's national team in 2009, helping fire them into the Quarter-Finals of the EuroBasket Women in Latvia.

Zirkova averaged 15.2 points and nearly led the Slovakians into the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women.

She had 23 points and six rebounds in a Quarter-Final showdown with Belarus but Slovakia lost in overtime, 70-68.

They followed that with a 64-59 defeat to Greece in their first Classification Round game to fall out of contention for a spot in the World Championship.

Slovakia will this summer take on Germany, Ukraine and Great Britain in qualifying games for next year's EuroBasket Women, which is to be staged in Poland.

National team boss Pokey Chatman will be hoping that Zirkova is fit and able to play, with the firstĀ  game against Great Britain on August 14.

"This is still a long way away," she said.

"We'll see how it develops. I've already started a little training, but not basketball."

A calf injury has sidelined her for most of this season with Brno, limiting her to just two appearances in the EuroLeague Women.

Galatasaray's Radislav Rancic has been recognized as the 2009 Slovakian Men's Player of the Year.

He beat out Anton Gavel of Brose Baskets Bamberg for the honor.


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