CSKA Moscow welcomed back a familiar face to the club ahead of the new season by signing combo-guard Anton Ponkrashov to a multi-year deal. Ponkrashov (2.00 meters, 25 years old) previously played two Euroleague seasons with CSKA and reached the Euroleague title game in 2007 and the Final Four in 2010. He signed a two-year contract with an option for the 2013-14 season. Ponkrashov arrives from Spartak Saint Petersburg, for whom he averaged 11.6 points and 4.4 assists per game in the Russian League and 9.9 points and 5.1 assists per game in the FIBA EuroChallenge. He started his career in his native St. Petersburg before playing for CSKA in 2006-07, when he helped the club win both the Russian League and Russian Cup. After that Ponkrashov spent two seasons with BC Khimki Moscow Region. He helped Khimki win the 2008 Russian Cup and reach the 2009 Eurocup title game. Ponkrashov returned to CSKA for the 2009-10 season before spending last year with St. Petersburg. Ponkrashov is also a regular with the Russian national team. He won a gold medal at EuroBasket 2007 and was sixth at the FIBA World Championships last summer with 5.1 assists per game.
"We needed a player that can cover both the '1' and '2' spots," CSKA head coach Jonas Kazlauskas said. "Two-meter guards, especially point guards, are a rarity and Anton will make our offense more versatile and he will simplify for us the process of building our defensive system. He had a good season in Spartak and has been important to the national team. We hope to get significant help from him in CSKA.