After the BKT EuroCup Draw took place in Barcelona, some of the attending club representatives shared their first impressions on the outlook for the new season.

BKT EuroCup Draw reactions

## GROUP A

### Nedim Yucel, Besiktas

“First of all we are very excited to be in the EuroCup again after some while, so our organization and our fans are ready to add some value to the EuroCup. Now we will finish our roster. We will do our best. I wish everyone luck.”

### Davor Uzbinec, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana general manager

“I hope we will be better than last year. Last year we were not good, but before that we were in the quarterfinal and I hope we will fight again for that. Our group is not easy, we have very tough opponents, but we will see.“

### Idan Plada, Hapoel Tel Aviv general manager

"I think we have a tough group, but we are ready to do it. Our first goal is to get to the playoffs, the first six teams, and after it depends. I like the \[new format\]. I think it’s better for the EuroCup.”

### Juan Antonio Morales, Joventut Badalona president

“Last season was a succesful one for us, we made it to the semifinals. Officially, the goals will be to improve on that, but still we have a lot of things to know about the rest of the 19 teams. We will see. On this date, you have a mental view of how it’s going to be and then there is always a team that you never expected and it’s a great team and then you have a team that you were afraid of it’s not so good. So we will see. If we play good, we will be successful. If we don’t play good, it's not that important who you play against.”

### Amara Sy, Paris Basketball

“We are pretty excited. The draw was good for us in terms of competition because we are able to offer our fans a good level of competition, good matches, so we are really excited to start the competition. The EuroCup is a very good competition, in my opinion second to the EuroLeague. So we wanted to be a part of it and now we’re in, so the group is tough but I think the fans will enjoy the games.”

### Aurimas Mileisis, Prometey Slobozhanske COO

“Last year is over. The book is closed and we are opening a new book. We will see. We want to be strong like we were last season, but we will see. You cannot predict, you cannot dream a lot. We just have to practice a lot, get ready and show our best.”

### Francesco Terrin, Umana Reyer Venice general manager

“For us, it's always a pleasure to be part of this exciting tournament, our group is a tough group… Even though they changed the format, the post season is still tough because you have a win-or-go-home game, so we will try to enjoy as always. We do our best every year.”

### Rimantas Kaukenas, Wolves Vilnius CEO

"I think we have a very tough group. But, you know, for us as a young team it's great to be playing against teams like those. It'll be very difficult and tough. However, I think that throughout the season, it's very important for us as a team to cement our identity, who we are and how we play. Sure, we will step on the court really appreciating these opponents, but also trying to fight to the end, with 100 percent, leaving everything on the court. If you have teams like Hapoel, Joventut, Venice, Prometey, it's a lot of lessons to learn. \[The experience of Jeffery Taylor will be\] very important, very valuable. We hope we will add some players to the roster who will help us. And then we'll hit the gym!"

### Benka Barloschky, Veolia Towers Hamburg head coach

"The EuroCup is and will remain something special for us as a club. From a sporting point of view, all the teams in Group A would have been absolute highlights. With Hapoel Tel Aviv, London Lions and especially Paris Basketball, well-known faces are there. We are looking forward to all encounters in the international competition. The reunion with Justus Hollatz and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana will of course be a highlight that our fans are certainly looking forward to. On behalf of the city of Hamburg, we warmly welcome the new group opponents."

## GROUP B

### Eleftherios Arvanitis, Aris president

“We are happy because we are returning to the EuroCup and we have seen the best of the other teams."

### Andrea Nardelli, Dolomiti Energia Trento general director

“Every game is going to be tough, as usual. We know that. This is our eighth season in the EuroCup, so we have to fight every single game. The new competition \[format\] is going to change the importance of every single game. We have many new clubs for us that we have never faced. It’s going to be interesting with some long journeys.”

### Frederic Sarre, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse sports development director

“As always, the EuroCup is a very exciting competition. This is the fourth time that we participate in this competition and we are happy to be here again. We know that each season is tougher and tougher and we like that, because that way we can improve. This Group B is a strong group. We hope with these new rules we can finish among the first six teams to continue our journey, this is our goal. I think it will be a very exciting season.”

### Branko Cuic, U-BT Cluj-Napoca sports director

“I see us growing, for sure, with much better results. Last year we were at the top in terms of fans and this season with better results we will even grow the number of fans in the gym.”

### Anton Gavel, ratiopharm Ulm head coach

"An interesting group. With Bourg, Lietkabelis, Cluj, Buducnost and Turk Telekom we have opponents that we saw last season. Having the \[last season\] champion and finalist in the group right at the start is obviously an exciting challenge for us. Of course, seeing Jaka \[Lakovic\] again is something very special for all of us when the German champion meets the EuroCup champion. Personally, I'm particularly looking forward to Aris Thessaloniki, where I was able to spend a year of my playing career. There is an enormous fan culture there, so I am also happy for the club that they are back in the EuroCup."

### Petar Mijovic, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach

"Considering the timing of this draw, it is hard to say if we got a favorable draw or not. However, it is clear that last season's finalists are in our group – teams that have the same ambitions this season. Turk Telekom is one of the rare teams that is close to finalizing its roster, and it has brought in a few EuroLeague players so far. There is Ulm, which eliminated us last season and won German League title after defeating Bayern, ALBA and Bonn, which speaks of their quality. At first glance, besides the two favorites, our group seems even and we will certainly be aiming for a high finish \[in the standings\]. But, first, we have to focus on us; to put together a good, competitive team."

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv and guard Xavier Munford have to pen to paper on a contract for the coming season.

Hapoel, Munford to stay together

##### Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv and guard [Xavier Munford](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/xavier-munford/007759/) have to pen to paper on a contract for the next two seasons.

Munford (1.93 meters, 31 years old) played a big role in Hapoel’s run to the EuroCup Quarterfinals last season. He averaged 15.1 points on 42.5% three-point shooting, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists over 19 EuroCup games. He ranked ninth in the competition in scoring.

It was Munford’s second EuroCup campaign after suiting up for Bursaspor during the 2020-21 season. He also played in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for FC Barcelona in 2016-17. Munford has also played for the Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA; Bakersfield, Greensboro, Wisconsin and Delaware in the G-League, Fujian in China and South East Melbourne in Australia. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup in 2017, too.

Xavier Munford 2022-23 highlights

Hapoel, Xavier Munford to stay together

Besiktas Istanbul has announced the signing of Angel Delgado for the 2023-24 season. Delgado (2.08 meters, 28 years old) last played for fellow Turkish team Pinar Karsiyaka, where he averaged 11.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists as his team reached the Turkish League Finals. Next season, Delgado will make his debut in the EuroCup.

Besiktas signs big man Angel Delgado

Besiktas Istanbul has announced the signing of Angel Delgado for the 2023-24 season. Delgado (2.08 meters, 28 years old) last played for fellow Turkish team Pinar Karsiyaka, where he averaged 11.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists as his team reached the Turkish League Finals. Having begun his career with NBA franchise the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2018-19 season, Delgado went on to play in the G League for the Ontario Clippers and the Sioux Falls Skyforce, before heading to Europe to join Hapoel Holon in Israel in the 2019-20 campaign. In the summer of 2020, he moved to Spain and signed for Estudiantes, which was followed by a switch to Bilbao Basket in the 2021-22 season. Then, last year, he shined in an even bigger role with Karsiyaka. Next season, Delgado will make his debut in the 7DAYS EuroCup.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Angel Delgado Beşiktaş’ta 🦅<br><br>Erkek Basketbol Takımımız, 2023-24 transfer çalışmaları kapsamında Dominikli pivot Angel Delgado’yu kadrosuna kattı.<br><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/G0tWPlfCLM">https://t.co/G0tWPlfCLM</a> <a href="https://t.co/bnGzdpAAru">pic.twitter.com/bnGzdpAAru</a></p>&mdash; Beşiktaş Basketbol (@BJK_Basketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJK_Basketbol/status/1677037599100137475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New Besiktas Istanbul arrival Angel Delgado during a game for his national team, the Dominican Republic.

Turk Telekom Ankara has added depth to its backcourt by signing point guard Ismail Cem Ulusoy for the coming season.

Turk Telekom tabs point guard Ismail Cem Ulusoy 

##### Turk Telekom Ankara has added depth to its backcourt by signing point guard [Ismail Cem Ulusoy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ismail-cem-ulusoy/004801/) for the coming season.

Ulusoy (1.82 meters, 26 years old) arrives from fellow Turkish club Aliaga Petkim Spor, where he averaged 8.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 21 Turkish League games last season. He returns to the EuroCup after spending two season in the competition with Banvit Bandirma from 2014 through 2016. Ulusoy  Ulusoy  played a total of 15 games off the bench in that stretch. After starting his career with Banvit and playing there until 2019, Ulusoy spent three seasons with Gazientep and joined Petkim last season.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">İsmail Cem Ulusoy yeni sezonda <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnkaraBasketbolu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnkaraBasketbolu</a> için mücadele verecek ✍️👏<br><br>Geçtiğimiz sezon Petkim Spor forması giyen İsmail Cem Ulusoy’u renklerimize bağladık. Ailemize hoş geldin İsmail Cem Ulusoy! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/ztWBQWesWS">pic.twitter.com/ztWBQWesWS</a></p>&mdash; Türk Telekom Basketbol (@TT_Basketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/TT_Basketbol/status/1677240109127565313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Euroleague Basketball and BKT Tires have agreed to a new three-year Premium Partnership that makes   one of the world's leading manufacturers of Off-Highway tires the EuroCup's new title sponsor. 

BKT TIRES becomes EuroCup title sponsor and renews as Euroleague Partner

**Three-year agreement between BKT, the Off-Highway multinational company, and Euroleague Basketball**

You can download BKT EuroCup logos from [HERE](http://ftpserver.euroleague.net/media/BKT_EuroCup_logo.zip)

Euroleague Basketball and BKT Tires have agreed to a new three-year Premium Partnership that makes one of the world's leading manufacturers of Off-Highway tires the EuroCup's new title sponsor.

The agreement consolidates this multi-year partnership and coincides with [some key changes to the competition format](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/new-eurocup-format-certain-to-bring-increased-drama/) that will make the new BKT EuroCup even more compelling than ever before. Moreover, BKT will continue to support the EuroLeague as a Premium Partner, promoting its brand on all games of both competitions through in-arena, broadcast and social media platforms.

"Euroleague Basketball's fast-growing relationship with BKT has resulted in this exciting agreement to have one of our newer partners join its name to a top-level competition such as the EuroCup," Paulius Motiejunas, Euroleague Basketball CEO, said. "BKT's goal of making an impact beyond brand visibility has clearly been met through our strong collaboration in communities and connecting with young people. We will continue to help each other strengthen those impacts going forward."

Becoming a title sponsor just three years after originally partnering with Euroleague Basketball marks a major step forward in a relationship that has very much lived by BKT's motto: Growing Together. That process has been marked by a deep collaboration on the values of social inclusion and sustainability initiatives that go beyond traditional sponsorship.

“We are proud to continue on this path with EuroLeague strengthening even more our connection with this wonderful sport and its fans," Lucia Salmaso, CEO of BKT Europe, said. "As new title sponsor of EuroCup, we hope to transmit and cultivate the values we firmly believe in, such as passion, inclusion, respect and team spirit. These values allow us to grow together and to support the solidarity initiatives of the One Team-BKT Legacy Project that aims at improving the life of young people in need or at the risk of exclusion by using basketball as a tool for improvement”.

The One Team-BKT Legacy Project, under the aegis of EuroLeague Basketball's long-running corporate social responsibility program, has engineered the refurbishment of basketball courts in Istanbul and Athens with the goal of improving the lives of at-risk young people by providing them with better public facilities where sporting values like teamwork, healthy habits and social inclusion can be strengthened.

To promote a shared goal of sustainability, BKT has made a significant impact at three editions of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four – in Cologne, Belgrade and Kaunas – by donating bicycles to social entities in those cities. The initiative served not only to support local One Team programs, but also to promote healthy habits and sustainable mobility. Similar donations were made across the continent, with BKT providing bikes to each of dozens of separate One Team programs from both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.

BKT's decision to not only renew but also elevate its first basketball investment is the latest evidence of how Euroleague Basketball competitions and platforms bring visibility, engagement and the chance to make a mark in communities to its family of partners.

Paris Basketball strengthened its frontcourt by signing center Michael Kessens, the club announced Thursday. Kessens (2.06 meters, 32 years old) arrives from Telekom Baskets Bonn, where he played for his current coach, Tuomas Iisalo. He averaged 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in German League games last season, in which he helped his team win the Basketball Champions League title.

Paris signs center Michael Kessens

Paris Basketball strengthened its frontcourt by signing center Michael Kessens, the club announced Thursday. Kessens (2.06 meters, 32 years old) arrives from Telekom Baskets Bonn, where he played for his current coach, Tuomas Iisalo. He averaged 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in German League games last season, in which he helped his team win the Basketball Champions League title.

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Kessens grew up with French side Cholet Basket. He moved to the United States to play for Longwood College, the University of Alabama and Florida International University. Kessens also played for Eisbaeren Bremenhaven, Rasta Vechta and Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, and has also been a member of the German national team. 

"Mike is a skilled, intelligent center who has helped all the teams where he has played to progress," Coach Iisalo said. "His offensive versatility combined with his speed and basketball IQ are why he was a priority as a locally-trained player for us. I also see him in a big role in helping young players develop by sharing his experience."

Besiktas Istanbul kept adding firepower to its roster with the addition on Thursday night of Matt Mitchell for the upcoming season, in which the Turkish team will return to the EuroCup. Mitchell (1.98 meters, 24 years old) arrives from France, where last year it played with Strasbourg. Mitchell had 16 appearances with the French team and averaged 14.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in over 27 minutes on court. 

Besiktas recruits shooting guard Matt Mitchell

**Besiktas Istanbul kept adding firepower to its roster with the addition on Thursday night of Matt Mitchell for the upcoming season, in which the Turkish team will return to the EuroCup. Mitchell (1.98 meters, 24 years old) arrives from France, where last year it played with Strasbourg. Mitchell had 16 appearances with the French team and averaged 14.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in over 27 minutes on court.** 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Matt Mitchell Beşiktaş’ta 🦅<br><br>2023-24 sezonu öncesinde transfer çalışmalarını sürdüren Erkek Basketbol Takımımız, Birleşik Amerikalı forvet Matt Mitchell’ı kadrosuna kattı.<br><br>🔗 <a href="https://t.co/K1uvrfYEIb">https://t.co/K1uvrfYEIb</a> <a href="https://t.co/2c11Dc4IXj">pic.twitter.com/2c11Dc4IXj</a></p>&mdash; Beşiktaş Basketbol (@BJK_Basketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJK_Basketbol/status/1677003691306491904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Michell played college ball at San Diego State University from 2017 to 2021. After that he took part in the NBA Summer League with San Antonio but that summer he moved to France to join Strasbourg. In his first season there, Micthell averaged 10.4 points in 37 French League games and he also reached the French Cup final. He tried again for the NBA playing with Denver in the 2022 Summer League, but he was back to Strasbourg. He will now make his EuroCup debut with Besiktas.

Veolia Hamburg Towers has confirmed the arrival of Mark Hughes until the end of the 2023-24 season. Hughes (1.93 meters, 26 years old) joins the club from Spanish side Estudiantes, where he averaged 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 36 games in the Spanish second division. The American guard will make his EuroCup debut next season.

Hamburg Towers make Mark Hughes its third signing of the summer

Veolia Hamburg Towers has confirmed the arrival of Mark Hughes until the end of the 2023-24 season. Hughes (1.93 meters, 26 years old) joins the club from Spanish side Estudiantes, where he averaged 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 36 games in the Spanish second division. The American guard, who will make his 7DAYS EuroCup debut next season, has had an interesting path to get to this point, having started his professional career with the Worcester Wolves in the 2019-20 season before playing for La Roda in the Spanish third tier in 2020-21, Lleida in the Spanish second division in 2021-22 and then Estudiantes last season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Mark Hughes kommt aus Spanien: Der US-Amerikaner ist der dritte Neuzugang in diesem Sommer. <br><br>➡️<a href="https://t.co/yVYUAoZgSm">https://t.co/yVYUAoZgSm</a><br><br>Das 1,93 Meter große Kraftpaket spielte zuletzt für <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EstudiantesMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EstudiantesMadrid</a> &amp; unterschreibt zunächst einen Vertrag bis 2024. 💪🏀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VeoliaTowersHamburg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VeoliaTowersHamburg</a> <a href="https://t.co/8FydrpQKDX">pic.twitter.com/8FydrpQKDX</a></p>&mdash; Veolia Towers Hamburg (@hamburgtowers) <a href="https://twitter.com/hamburgtowers/status/1676894020763545600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New Veolia Hamburg Towers signing Mark Hughes during a game for Estudiantes in the 2022-23 Spanish Second Division.

Hamburg makes Mark Hughes its third signing of the summer

The London Lions and point guard Jordan Taylor will remain together for another season, the club announced on Wednesday.

London re-signs playmaker Jordan Taylor 

##### The London Lions and point guard [Jordan Taylor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jordan-taylor/profile/005247/) will remain together for another season, the club announced on Wednesday.

Taylor (1.88 meters, 33 years old) joined London during the season as an injury replacement and averaged 10.9 points and 5.3 assists over 11 EuroCup games. He helped London reach the EuroCup Eighthfinals and win the British League championship. Taylor started the season with another EuroCup club, U-BT Cluj-Napoca, and made four EuroCup appearances for the club.

Jordan Taylor London Lions highlghts

Last season was Taylor's fifth in the EuroCup. He has played a total of 55 EuroCup games for Virtus Rome, ALBA Berlin, Galatasaray Istanbul, Limoges CSP, Cluj and London. He also played in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in 2019-20.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JORDAN TAYLOR STAYS IN LDN 🦁✍️ <a href="https://twitter.com/JMTaylor11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JMTaylor11</a> <br><br>Let’s run it back! 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JordanTaylor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JordanTaylor</a> <a href="https://t.co/PGkiAbMNcM">pic.twitter.com/PGkiAbMNcM</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1676642695916158976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
