Andy West looks ahead to the first round of the new campaign
At a glance: The EuroCup returns!
Game Preview
18 Mins read
The new BKT EuroCup season arrives with 20 teams all across the continent taking their first ambitious steps along the road to glory! Here’s your overview of Round 1’s action.
Tuesday, September 30
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. ratiopharm Ulm (18:00 CEST)
The new season’s opening tipoff sees Turk Telekom welcomes Ulm for a meeting of two teams loaded with potential. The hosts reached last season’s quarterfinals, while Ulm was unlucky to suffer regular-season elimination despite a creditable 9-9 record. Big man Marko Simonovic, forward Jordan Usher and versatile backcourt star Jaleen Smith are among the many new faces hoping to make an instant impression for Turk Telekom. Ulm has also significantly restocked during the summer, and will hope that Bryce Brown – a former EuroCup finalist during his time with Bourg – can immediately show his scoring skills in this season opener.
Slask Wroclaw vs. Neptunas Klaipeda (19:00 CEST)
Two new entrants to this season’s competition meet in Poland as Slask welcomes Neptunas. Slask could only muster a 2-16 record during its last EuroCup participation two years ago, and will aim to establish a strong early presence through a trio of big men signed in the summer: Jared Coleman-Jones, Jakub Urbaniak and Stefan Djordjevic, who led the Polish league in rebounding last season. Neptunas most recently appeared in the competition ten years ago, and head coach Gediminas Petrauskas will hope to avoid stage fright by leaning on the scoring skills of Harrison Cleary, who has prior experience at this level following his time with Hamburg.
Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (19:30 CEST)
Two teams who know each other well meet in Germany with Hapoel travelling to Hamburg. They were also grouped together last season, with both winning one game apiece. Hapoel will continue to rely on the explosive backcourt talents of Jared Harper, the reigning EuroCup scoring leader and season MVP, while summer arrival Anthony Lamb should quickly become a significant addition to the frontcourt. Hamburg has grabbed nine new players, notably including the permanent signing of powerful forward Zsombor Maronka, whose loan stint from Joventut last season was restricted by injury to just three appearances.
Umana Reyer Venice vs. Aris Thessaloniki Betsson (20:00 CEST)
Another rematch from last season will see Reyer seek a strong start at home against Aris. The Greek team could only win three games last time around and has to deal with the loss of key scorer Vassilis Toliopoulos, with former NBA champion Bryn Forbes expected to quickly replace him as a key offensive weapon. Another new arrival for Aris is rebounding ace Steven Enoch, whose battle with Reyer’s experienced Amedeo Tessitori should provide some highlight reel moments. The Italian team, which reached last season’s eighthfinals, will also look for leadership from guard Ky Bowman, who averaged 16 points last season in the Italian league with former club Treviso.
Wednesday, October 1
Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Besiktas GAIN Istanbul (18:00 CEST)
Wednesday’s action tips off in Lithuania with Besiktas travelling to face Lietkabelis. This will be the first meeting between the teams, who were placed in different groups last season as Lietkabelis stumbled to a 5-13 record while the Turkish team advanced as far as the eighthfinals. Forward Augustine Rubit and guard Kristian Kullamae – who returns for his second stint – headline half a dozen new signings for a Lietkabelis team aiming to compete more strongly for the playoffs. But it won’t be an easy start against Dusan Alimpijevic’s Besiktas, which has restocked with the backcourt addition of Brynton Lemar and has a new power in the paint with Ante Zizic.
U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (18:00 CEST)
Two of last season’s title contenders go head to head for an intriguing opening week battle as Cluj welcomes Bahcesehir. The Romanian team is coming off a strong campaign which finished in the quarterfinals, while Bahcesehir went one better with a semifinals berth after winning its regular season group with a 14-4 record. They were placed in different groups last season, so this will be their first ever meeting. Cluj will look to dominate the paint through new signing Dusan Miletic, but he will face a bone-crunching challenge from Bahcesehir summer arrival Trevion Williams, who led the EuroCup in rebounding during his time with Ulm two seasons ago.
Panionios Athens vs. NINERS Chemnitz (18:30 CEST)
A pair of fresh faces will look for a strong start in their new EuroCup environment as Panionis welcomes Chemnitz. The Greek team is making its first appearance in the competition since 2014, while Chemnitz is an even bigger unknown quantity ahead of its EuroCup debut campaign – especially as coach Rodrigo Pastore is overseeing an almost entirely new roster. Nike Sibande looks likely to become the backcourt leader for the German team, and this week he will match up against new Panionis guard Michail Lountzis – one of the few players on either team with previous EuroCup experience.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. BAXI Manresa (18:30 CEST)
Two ambitious teams go head to head in search of an opening victory as Olimpija welcomes competition newcomer Manresa. The host demonstrated its potential by reaching last season’s quarterfinals, and coach Zvezdan Mitrovic has reconfigured his roster with several additions including backcourt star Joseph Girard, who led the Lithuanian league in scoring last season. Manresa is heading into its debut EuroCup campaign with plenty of confidence in its relatively young roster, including the signing of talented guard Hugo Benitez and experienced wingman Louis Olinde. Three-point scoring ace Alfonso Plummer – formerly of Ulm – will also look to make a strong impact as he returns to the competition.
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (20:00 CEST)
Two teams who narrowly missed out on last season’s playoffs will battle for a winning start as Trento hosts Bourg. A string of summer signings for Trento are headlined by the emerging backcourt talents of DeVante’ Jones – formerly with Cedevita – and DJ Steward, who averaged more than 19 points in last season’s G-League and will now aim to become a breakout star during his first season in Europe. Bourg coach Frederic Fauthoux has the task of establishing chemistry within a roster containing no less than 11 new players, and will lean on the proven EuroCup experience of swingman Adam Mokoka, who averaged 11.9 points for Cluj last season.
Thursday, October 2
London Lions vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (20:30 CEST)
In Thursday’s only game, London returns to the EuroCup after a one-year absence with a visit from dangerous Buducnost. The Montenegrin team reached last season’s eighthfinals and has retained the majority of its roster, supported by the introduction of experienced center Jerry Boutsiele and similarly-named forward Axel Bouteille, who helped Bahcesehir reach last season’s semifinal. The English team will look to start strong by leaning on the leadership of guards Tarik Phillip and Mo Soluade, who have both returned for their second stints with London, and Shavar Reynolds will also aim for an instant impact in the backcourt after his summer arrival.