On December 21, 1891, in the hall of the training center of the Christian Youth Association in Massachusetts, USA, the first basketball match in history took place — a game that was invented for his students by physical education teacher James Naismith. This date is considered the unofficial birthday of basketball. Today, this sport is popular all over the world, including at the Southern Federal University.

Sergey Revenko, Head of the Sports Development Department of the Academy of Physical Culture and Sports of the Southern Federal University, said that any student who wants to play basketball can improve their skills at the sports ground located at 21 Sorge Street.

The regional division of the Student Basketball Association was launched by the joint efforts of employees of the Sports Development Department and the Basketball Federation of the Rostov Region. SFedU is represented by two women's teams and one men's national team.

The most professional teams that represent the Rostov Region and Southern Federal University at All-Russian and regional tournaments are brought to the basketball field by the Peresvet SFedU club, known for its logo and mascot as the Panthers. In the competitions of the Student Basketball Association, students from the Panthers managed to break into the eight strongest teams in the All-Russian 3x3 basketball tournament.

The girls from coach Olga Orlova's youth team won the Russian Championship in the Second Division of the Super League in the spring. Maria Polyakova was recognized as the best player of the championship by the Russian Basketball Federation. And already in the fall, the "youth team" started in the combined Championship of the Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts. Coach Olga Orlova's team has never upset the fans, winning all seven matches of the championship. So the prospects of our youth team promise the university good results of these competitions.

The main team of Peresvet-SFedU had a difficult year — the basketball players play at a fundamentally new level for the team — in the Premier League, but the new coaching staff copes with all the difficulties. Serbian specialist Momir Tasic, who has extensive experience in Russia and knows how to work with young players, is doing everything possible to make the Panthers look decent in the Premier League. 

In several bright matches with the recognized favorites of the League, our team managed to impose a struggle on the opponents, to hold a series of three victories. Players Veronika Pavlyuchenko and Arina Mosko were called to the training camps of the national teams of Russia and Belarus, and this, according to the representatives of the club, gives hope that the development of the team is on the right course, and in the new year, 2023, the panthers will give us many new beautiful games and bright victories.

One of the most important projects for the development of basketball in 2022 was the children's Academy of Olympic Champion Elena Shvaybovich, created in April. The academy creates all conditions for novice basketball players, its first "students" were elementary school students of Rostov schools. And their mentors are coaches and players of the main and youth teams of the Peresvet—SFedU club and the SFedU student team.

The creation and operation of the academy is a strategic decision, because this is how the system of further growth of young basketball talents is laid, who will eventually be able to continue their studies at the Academy of Physical Culture and Sports of the SFedU, become players of the junior, youth, student and even the main team of Peresvet—SFedU.

Now the juniors continue to gain competitive experience in the Championship of the Junior League of Russia.