Join us on our journey to crown the greatest All-EuroCup First Team of all time!
Vote for the best All-EuroCup First Team in history: 2011 vs. 2009
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Each season, five standout players earn their place among the competition’s elite as members of the All-EuroCup First Team. Over the years, these selections have featured rising stars, future EuroLeague legends, and unforgettable EuroCup heroes who left their mark on the competition.
Now, it's time to see which lineup stands above the rest.
Our expert panel has seeded the All-EuroCup First Teams into a bracket, and each matchup will be decided by you, the fans! Several times a week, we’ll reveal a new battle on the official EuroCup Instagram account, where you can vote for the team that you believe deserves to advance.
Here on EuroCupBasketball.com, we’ll break down each matchup, compare the rosters, and offer our take on who has the edge.
The next faceoff: 2011 vs. 2009. Two incredible squads. One spot in the next round.
Let the debate begin – and may the best team win!
2011
- Dontaye Draper, Cedevita
- Terrell Lyday, UNICS Kazan
- Devin Smith, Benetton Treviso
- Tariq Kirksay, Sevilla
- Maciej Lampe, UNICS Kazan
2009
- Chuck Eidson, Rytas Vilnius
- Kelly McCarty, Khimki
- Bostjan Nachbar, Dynamo Moscow
- Marko Banic, Bilbao
- Todor Gecevski, Zadar
Despite being only two years apart from each other, these teams are extremely different. The 2009 squad has no pure point guard: that season, Eidson led Rytas to the EuroCup title as the point guard once Branko Milosavljevic left the team. In that sense, Dontaye Draper is more of a classic playmaker and had a career-best season with Cedevita Zagreb.
The 2011 team has a major advantage in the paint. Lampe was right at the prime of his career and had Kirksay and Smith, two versatile, well-rounded forwards ready to help out. Kirksay had an outstanding stint in Seville and Smith was already the star that helped Maccabi win the EuroLeague in 2014. Gecevski was a good rebounder and Banic an effective scorer, but overall the 2011 side had more talent and versatility under the baskets.
The 2009 squad had its main strengths at the wings, with two superstars in Nachbar and McCarty, who could score as needed and play in multiple positions if needed be. Lyday was a terrific scorer but a bit undersized compared to either Nachbar and McCarty. The matchup between a gifted offensive talent like Nachbar against a steals specialist and active defender like Kirksay would be one to follow closely.
I would pick the 2011 team for several reasons: more power inside, more overall versatility and a well-defined point guard in Draper ready to make the difference. Of course, all opinions are welcomed!