Change face there Givova Scafati who replaces Henry with a more internal player, following the indications of coach Caja. Reached the agreement until the end of the 2022/2023 season with the Latvian Artyom Butyankov, arrived yesterday evening in Scafati. He is a pivotal winger, experienced, with a Baltic mentality.
Born in Rezekne (Latvia) on August 26, 1991, he grew up basketball in his city’s team and at home (as well as in the Baltic League) he also had his first professional experiences, with the shirts of Keizarmezs Riga (2009/2010 season ), of Barons Riga (2010/2011), of Valmiera (from 2011 to 2013), of Ventspils (from 2013 to 2016) – with whom he played two championship finals and won a Latvian championship (in 2013/2014) – and of Liepajas (2016/2017), with whom he stood out by virtue of the average 14.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The first experience away from Latvia dates back to 2017/2018, the year in which he played in the Russian top flight with Spartak Primorie Vladivostok (13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds on average). Again in Russia, from 2019 to 2020 he also did well with the Burevestnik Yaroslav jersey (16.7 points and 9.5 rebounds on average in the first year; 19.1 points and 8.5 rebounds on average in the second year). Finally, the Russian experiences continued between 2020 and 2022 with Samara (12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds on average in the first year; 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds on average in the second year). In April 2022 he was registered by Pallacanestro Reggiana, coached by coach Attilio Caja, to make up for the defections of the Emilian team due to injury, but in his stay in Italy he never set foot on the field in an official match. In the current season, he started in the Netherlands with Donar Groningen, playing in both the BNXT League and the Fiba Europe Cup, recently facing, among others, Happy Casa Brindisi, against which he showed off with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Finally, his call-ups with the Latvian national team under 16 (in 2007), under 18 (in 2009), under 20 (in 2010 and 2011) and with the senior national team (in 2021) remain to be reported.
Like this Attilio Caja: «I had the pleasure of coaching Butjankovs last year in Reggio Emilia: despite never having played in an official match, I was still able to appreciate his great qualities. He has a good attitude to work and the right attitude and approach with the daily workouts. He uses his physique very well In the area, both in attack and defense. He is a team player, he doesn’t play for his own personal prize, but puts himself at the service of his teammates, with an attitude that is anything but flashy, but precious and useful to the system. His toughness and consistency and his way of playing will be an added value to achieve the goals we set for ourselves ».
