...Gran Canaria made it its second EuroCup Final? Gran Canaria first reach the final in 2015, losing against Khimki Moscow Region.

...Gran Canaria is 12-0 at home this season. It has already set a new club record for most home victories in a European competition.

...Gran Canaria has a chance to be the fifth Spanish team to win the EuroCup. Valencia Basket lifted the trophy four times in 2003, 2010, 2019 and 2021. Real Madrid (2007), Joventut Badalona (2008) and Unicaja Malaga (2017) also lifted the trophy.

...head coach Jaka Lakovic won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as a player? Lakovic helped FC Barcelona lift the EuroLeague trophy in 2010.

...Damien Inglis has a chance to win his second EuroCup title? Inglis lifted the trophy with AS Monaco in 2021. As many as 20 other players have won the competition twice, and only one of them lifted the trophy three times: Rafa Martinez (Valencia 2010, 2019, 2021).

...Olek Balcerowski is one of two players to win the EuroCup Rising Star trophy twice? He earned this honor in 2021 and now 2023. His teammate Khalifa Diop was chosen as the 2021-22 Rising Star.

...Nico Brussino is the first Argentinean to win the EuroCup in 20 years! Ale Montecchia, Fabricio Oberto and Fede Kammerichs led Valencia to the original EuroCup title in 2003.

...A.J. Slaughter is the third top scorer in EuroCup history? He amassed 1,402 points and only trails Dubljevic (1,613) and Errick McCollum (1,489).

...Andrew Albicy ranks second all-time in assists? Albicy dished 515 assists, only trailing runaway leader Stefan Markovic (698). Albicy is also fifth in steals at 141).

...Oliver Stevic is fifth all-time in rebounds? Stevic pulled down 503 boards in 112 EuroCup games. Alen Omic is first overall with 888 rebounds.

...Vitor Benite can be the first Brazilian player to win the EuroCup? J.P Batista, who played the 2008 final with Rytas Vilnius, was the closest Brazilian to get the trophy.

Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that Aleksander Balcerowski of Gran Canaria has been chosen as the 7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star for the 2022-23 season. Voted on by the EuroCup's head coaches, the EuroCup Rising Star Trophy recognizes the most outstanding player in the competition who was younger than 22 years of age on July 1 of the summer before the season started.

2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star: Aleksander Balcerowski, Gran Canaria

Did you know...? Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-05-03T19:00:00.000Z)

...Turk Telekom has made it to its first-ever final? Its previous best result in 6 EuroCup seasons was reaching the eighthfinals in 2022, losing agisnt Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.

...Turk Telekom could become the third Turkish team to win the competition? Galatasaray Istanbul was the first to lift the trophy in 2016. Darussafaka Istanbul won the 2017-18 EuroCup.

...Micheal Eric has the chance to win a second EuroCup title? He previously lifted the trophy with Darussafaka in 2018.

...Emircan Kosut was also with Darussafaka in 2018 and despite being inscribed, he has not played in any EuroCup until now.

...Erdem Can can become the second Turkish coach to win the competition? Ergin Ataman claimed the EuroCup crown with Galatasaray in 2016.

...Jerian Grant leads the 2022-23 EuroCup in total assists: 130 and counting? The record for most assists in a EuroCup season belongs to Mike Green of Paris Levallois, who dished 147 in the 2014-15 campaign.

...Axel Bouteille is the competition's top scorer? He leads the standings with 374 points. Andrew Goudelock holds the record for most points in a EuroCup season, with UNICS Kazan in the 2013-14 campaign.

...Grant and Bouteille have stepped on court more than any other player this season? Grant has played almost 699 minutes (698:53) and Bouteille is right behind (634:33).

...Grant comes from a huge basketball family. Two of his brother, Jerami and Jerai, play professional basketball. His father is Harvey Grant, who played in the NBA for 11 years. Harvey's twin brother is Horace Grant, a four-time NBA champion with Chicago and Los Angeles Lakers.

...Grant and Bouteille are first and second in total PIR this season? Grant amassed a PIR of 392 and Bouteille is second at 379. Gran Canaria'a highest-ranked player is John Shurna, who is 40th overall (237). Vladimir Golubovic holds the record for the highest PIR in a season, 533, with Aykon TED Ankara Kolejliler in the 2013-14 campaign.

The MVP for the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup season is Jerian Grant of Turk Telekom Ankara. Euroleague Basketball congratulates Grant on the award, which was voted on by a combination of the competition's head coaches, team captains, fans and media.

2022-23 All-EuroCup First Team: Jerian Grant, Turk Telekom Ankara

Did you know...? Turk Telekom Ankara

EuroCup Final Gran Canaria Turk Telekom Erdem Can Erkan Yilmaz Semih Erden

 Erdem Can, Turk Telekom: 'I just wish we can make our people smile a little' 

### Erdem Can, Turk Telekom head coach

"I feel really honored \[being chosen EuroCup Coach of the Year\]. But as I said before, this is nothing to do with me. This is all about my team, my players, my organization. Every single member of my organization provides that energy, that support. And at end of the day, this is the team's success, not mine. This is just to appreciate my team's effort in a different way.

"It is not easy to play against Gran Canaria on the road. So we played twice against them and lost twice. Hopefully, we will learn. We will take our lessons from those defeats. And I think we are well prepared and focused enough to play the final. In life, if you want to succeed at something, especially if that has much more meaning than normally people guess then you are much more motivated. And personally, my biggest motivation is to give this cup to honor the people that we lost in this big earthquake, because lots of lives are lost and also lots of people lost their cities. And it affected millions of people in my country in some way. So I just want to, I just wish we can win this cup and make our people smile a little bit. We know how good of a team Gran Canaria is individually. They have great, great potential players, NBA potential players, NBA experienced players, plus they have players who have played together in the last few years. And I know that Gran Canaria until now played two finals. They haven't won any. This is the third final they play at home. They will be very, very careful about this game, so we need to be focused for 40 minutes and ready to match their toughness."

### Semih Erden, Turk Telekom center

"For me, this is a big opportunity to win this championship and I am very excited. I hope we will have a good game tomorrow. It will be very tough, we know that because we played against Gran Canaria twice and know what they did win both games. So, we will prepare this game and I hope we are going to win this time. They play well, like a team, and run a lot. They have a good balance between big guys and perimeter guys. Like I said, they play like a team. We need to stay together and play good defense to stop them. This is the big advantage for us, so we will see tomorrow." 

### Erkan Yilmaz, Turk Telekom forward

"It's been one and a half months since we were here last time. We lost twice against them. We know each other very well. It is going to be a tough game. It's a hard game for us also, on the road, because of the trip, but this is the end, the last 40 minutes. This is the end of the tournament. That's why we need to give all our hearts, all our hustle, all our everything on the court for the last 40 minutes. We will see who's going to be OK in the end. They have been in this tournament for the last 20 years, a lot of years. They have experienced players and a deep rotation. Everywhere, EuroCup and ACB, they play good basketball. One of my former teammates, A.J. Slaughter, is playing with them. They have a deep rotation and experienced players like Benite, like A.J. That's why it will be a good game. We have a defensive plan and an offensive plan. I hope we will put everything on the court and we will handle it the way we need to get on the open court. We have to stop their one-on-ones and open threes. If they get their shooting rhythm, they fire it up and are at their home court, it is hard to stop them."

Erdem Can, Turk Telekom: 'I just wish we can make our people smile a little'

Axel Bouteille, Turk Telekom: 'It's going to be exciting'

Turk Telekom Ankara has reached the 7DAYS EuroCup finals for the first time and scoring ace [Axel Bouteille](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/axel-bouteille/003840/) has been a big reason why. Bouteille leads the 2022-23 EuroCup in total points scored with 374 and counting. He has been very effective from all angles, making 58.7% of his two-point shots, 44.8% from downtown and 88.9% from the line, as well as 4.8 rebounds for a PIR average of 18.0. He was the Semifinals MVP, too, after amassing 16 points and 8 rebounds for a PIR of 22 in his team's road victory over Prometey Slobozhanske. Bouteille knows a win against Gran Canaria would be a dream come true. "For me, it was a big goal of mine this season so, of course, if we win, I'll be very, very happy," Bouteille told [EuroCupBasketball.com](http://EuroCupBasketball.com). "It will be a great achievement. And for the team too, I think it will be their first time and like they told me, it would be history, but we don't want to stop here."

**Hello, Axel. Congratulations on making it to the EuroCup Finals. You reached this far with a lot of newcomers. How has your EuroCup season been until now?** 

"All the team was new, basically, I think except one player. We were all new: players, coaching staff, etc, and we've been working from the preseason all together, and I think we always stuck together. We go in the same direction and we had a pretty good regular season, and now we keep doing this in the playoffs, so it's nice."

**Your toughest game was against Prometey in the semifinals. What allowed you to win it?** 

"I think they had a way better start than us. We didn't start so good, but after that, we came back in the game. We were up at halftime and I think \[in the\] second half, we fought the whole game and in the end, we won by two. They had the last shots, it was tough, but we managed to win the game, so we are really happy to get this win on the road to secure our spot in the final."

**You lost twice against Gran Canaria this season. Is that something we must consider, or a final is a completely different animal?** 

"I think in both games, they were better than us, especially in the first half. We came back in the second half every time, I think, but it was not enough. So they were better than us in those two games. But like you say, it's a final, it's one game and I think anything can happen and I'm confident in my team."

Axel Bouteille is this season's EuroCup top scorer: 374 points with one more game left!

2022-23 EuroCup highlights: Axel Bouteille, Turk Telekom

**Granca has a deeper roster and uses more players. How much of an impact can that have in the final?** 

"I think this is their style. We both have our style of playing and we both had success like this during the season. They had success, we had success. So I think if both teams are here right now, that means it's been working and I don't think it's bad for us, no. I think it's good and we'll keep on doing this if it's necessary."

**Both teams have many newcomers to the EuroCup final. Is controlling your emotions and excitement a big part of winning?**

"Yeah, for sure. It's going to be exciting. And for sure, it's one game but like I said, with the format of the competition, in the last three games we won, if we had lost, we were at home. It's not a series. It's just one game. Like the eighthfinal, quarterfinal, semifinal was the same, so it's one more game like this. For sure, it's the most important. It's the title game. So I think we get prepared for this with all the three games we just played and it's a final, so we know the winners win the 'chip. And I think I'm pretty confident with my team about the nervous stuff and I think we're in a good position."

**How difficult was it for the team to focus after the big earthquake in Turkiye and to keep winning games like you did?** 

"I remember we played in Italy this day, but I think we use this, too, as motivation: the Turkish guys and the foreign players because I think we saw what happened. We see the faces of the people in our club and we use this as motivation to play for them. Like our coach said in the last game, I think the wins we have been having is for us to remember them because what happened was a really, really difficult situation for the country. So we just play for them, too."

"We know the winners win the 'chip. And I think I'm pretty confident with my team."

**You are going against another great small forward in Nico Brussino. How do you like this matchup?** 

"I played three years in Spain, so I played a lot against him. This year, too, so yes, for sure, I know him. Obviously, everybody knows him. He's a really good player. I think he's really versatile. He can do a lot of stuff on the court and yeah, it's going to be a good matchup. But I think it's going to be a lot more good players in this game, so it's not me against him. It's more about the teams, too, even if it's going to be a good matchup."

**In general, what will be the main keys to beating Gran Canaria?** 

"I think it's going to be the consistency we show during the game. I think in both games we played against them, they had a better first half than us, we had a better second half than them, so it's going to be the team who plays the best for the whole game. That's what I think."

**What would it mean for you, the club and the people in Ankara to win the EuroCup?** 

"For me, it was a big goal of mine this season so, of course, if we win, I'll be very, very happy. It will be a great achievement. And for the team too, I think it will be their first time and like they told me, it would be history, but we don't want to stop here. We really want to win this EuroCup and it will be a big achievement for the club, for Turkiye and for me, for sure. And I'm really looking forward to playing this game."

There are some huge storylines in the upcoming 7DAYS EuroCup Final.

From the return of Micheal Eric of Turk Telekom, who had suffered a season-ending ACL injury on January 2022 and returned to action one year later just in time to make a push for the final with his new team, to the presence of Turkish talent David Mutaf in the roster of Gran Canaria.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurocup/1496969/welcome-to-gran-canarias-slaughterhouse/)

Welcome to Gran Canaria’s slaughterhouse

The MVP for the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup season is Jerian Grant of Turk Telekom Ankara. Euroleague Basketball congratulates Grant on the award, which was voted on by a combination of the competition's head coaches, team captains, fans and media. 

7DAYS EuroCup MVP: Jerian Grant, Turk Telekom Ankara

The MVP for the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup season is [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jerian-grant/011204/) of Turk Telekom Ankara. Euroleague Basketball congratulates Grant on the award, which was voted on by a combination of the competition's head coaches, team captains, fans and media. 

Regardless of the metrics used, Grant compiled an outstanding season for Turk Telekom, which will face Gran Canaria on Wednesday in the EuroCup Final with the winner earning the right to play in next season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The point guard's case for MVP included big moments, consistency and volume. He shined in the playoffs and was the EuroCup Quarterfinals MVP, played the most minutes of any player in the EuroCup (33:16 per game), and ranked second in assists (6.2) and fourth in average PIR (18.7). 

2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup MVP: Jerian Grant, Turk Telekom Ankara

Grant hit the ground running in his first EuroCup campaign. He posted PIRs in double digits in each of his first 17 games in helping Turk Telekom wrap up second place in regular season Group B with a 13-5 record. He notched his first double-double in Round 3 with 12 points and 10 assists in a victory over Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv. Grant scored at least 23 points three times over a five-game stretch between Rounds 12 and 16 and dished at least 5 assists in all but four games this season. 

Come the playoffs, Grant took his game to another level. He dominated in the come-from-behind quarterfinal win over ratiopharm Ulm with 20 points and 7 assists. Grant kept the team alive when it was struggling early by drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. Grant drew 13 fouls, which set the record for a game that late in the season, and finished the game with a career-best performance index rating of 13. 

A week later, Grant tallied 19 points, 6 assists and 2 steals in a road victory at Prometey Slobozhanske, which secured Turk Telekom a spot in the championship game. He enters the final with averages of 14.8 points per game on 53.7% two-point shooting. He has also averaged 3.0 rebounds and is second in the EuroCup with 5.7 fouls drawn per game. 

A member of a famed basketball family, his father Harvey played 11 seasons in the NBA and Harvey's twin brother Horace spent 17 seasons in the NBA and won four championships, including three as a part of the first leg of the Chicago Bulls dynasty. Jerian has two brothers who play professional basketball, too. 

Jerian played five seasons in the NBA before debuting in Europe with Promitheas Patras in Greece during the 2020-21 season. He came to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last season with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and joined Turk Telekom over the summer. 

Grant is the first Turk Telekom player and the third from a Turkish club to earn the EuroCup MVP. He joins Erick McCollum (2016, Galatasaray Istanbul) and Scottie Wilbekin (2018, Darussafaka Istanbul) in that distinction. 

### Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria head coach

"It has been a long road and we are very proud of reaching the final. We are really looking forward to playing this game, but are aware that it will be a tough game in which we will have to put our maximum effort. Turk Telekom is a very good team, tactically very rich, and very physical. They play with a short rotation, something similar to Bursaspor. They didn't make it to the final by accident, but on their own merit. We have a very tough game and will do everything to win it. It is a special game, because it is a game against a maximum-level team, and that is the way we have to face it. We did that in the last four weeks against teams like Joventut and Bursaspor. It will be a similar game on Wednesday, and that is what I will ask my players to do - play with maximum intensity and a lot of concentration to know the things we have to do well, and see where that takes us. We have to docus on the things we must do in each moment of the game, in each possession.

"It is easy to say that we have to enjoy, but nobody is going to escape from the nervousness before the game, it's normal. When you work all season and the time comes, and you are not nervous, something is not right. Once the ball goes up in the air, there will be no room for nervousness. As a former coach of mine, Dusko Ivanovic, said, 'you have to enjoy suffering.' It is a strange sentence but it is right many times. As a coach, I face my first final and it is a new situation for me, too. I have lived many of them as a player, but it is different. As a player, you are nervous and worry about the things you have to do, but as a coach, even more. In the last days, I have been completely focused on the game's analysis along with my coaching staff. Everything is going well until now."

### Gran Canaria guard Ferran Bassas:

"We are ready and looking forward to it, as well as everyone in the club, our fans and the island. It is a very tough game, but we are ready. There are no favorites in a final. Whoever made it this far deserved it. It is a single-game final with a lot at stake, so anything can happen. We earned the right to play the final at home and that gives us a lot of credit. They will try to change things but have a well-defined style, with a lot of players able to generate from one-on-one opportunities. I don't think they will change a lot regarding that. What took us here is having a way to play and understand basketball. We must do that, being loyal to what brought us here. Jerian Grant is one of the best players in the competition, with a lot of talent, physicality and able to score from different spots. We have to put pressure on them and not allow them to feel comfortable. We have to take them out of their comfort zone. They don't depend on him only, and we must miniminze their options."

### Gran Canaria guard Vitor Benite:

"I think we are very excited and a little nervous, all in a positive way. There are players who naver had the chance to play a final and we have to take all these feeling in a positive way. It is an unique opportunity to make history, and we are looking forward to the game on Wednesday. Luckily, the team has a lot of good players and the chance to do rotations. I was hit in the game against Joventut and we decided that I should rest. I feel well and am practicing with the team. I will be 100% on Wednesday. Every final gives you a different feeling. There are some little things that we all have to do. The first thing is to shake off all the euphoris, because the game has to be won on the court, and we will play against a very talented team really willing to play against us. We have to take care of small details and each other's tasks. We have to take into account that there will be pressure and mistakes will be made, but it's OK, because the team that wins is the one that reacts to those mistakes. We have to focus on the details to shake that pressure off. We will study Turk Telekom to know what we have to do in the game."

Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria: 'It is a new situation for me, too'

John Shurna, Gran Canaria: 'It's going to be a battle'

Before anything else, I would like to thank our fans for helping the team make it to the finals. Our fans really gave us a home-court advantage in all the games. The game against Joventut was really tough and there was an incredible, incredible atmosphere. I would say it was the best crowd we have had so far. The fan support really has been huge throughout the whole season and to get a win in front of them against a great Joventut team was huge. There was a lot going on around the game to encourage fans to come to Gran Canaria Arena and cheer for us. Throughout the season, we have had terrific support and I think playing a semifinal game, it was exciting and special for not only the players but the fans as well. I think it was a fantastic environment. 

"Our fans really gave us a home-court advantage in all the games."

It was a tough game, too. If you watched it, you will remember that Joventut never gave up, they kept fighting. They were hitting shot after shot. From a broad perspective, looking at each semifinal game, you have, I would say, four really deep teams where lots of different guys step up and make plays. In the third quarter, we were able to get a couple of stops and gain some momentum there, but throughout the game, it was back and forth. Joventut is a great team with a lot of talent and it's well-coached, so it was a hard-fought match as expected and we were fortunate to come away with the victory. We knew Joventut would fight until the end, and that's exactly what they did. Thankfully, Nico Brussino knocked down enough free throws at the end of the game for us. 

Finally, I am in the EuroCup final! Like I said in my latest blog entry, I lost two semifinals before, in 2019 and 2022. Especially in this format, we are excited and happy for the win, but now there is one more game and we are focused on Turk Telekom, which is obviously a great team. It is going to be another hard-fought match. Drew \[Andrew Albicy\] and I shared a moment right after the game that was special. It was a quick moment where we realized we finally made it to the final! All that being said, now the focus is on the final. 

John Shurna of Gran Canaria has buried 30 of 63 three-pointers (47.6%) so far this season.

Shurna: elite three-point shooter!

We have played Turk Telekom twice and both came down to the final minutes. Once again it’s going to take great effort from our entire team. I think that has been a huge strength of our team. If you go down the roster, we have a lot of talented and unselfish guys that play for the team and I think that's showing here throughout the season and here in the playoffs as well, and that has been great for us. We will have to give it our best effort for the final. 

Turk Telekom proved throughout the season what a great team they are, whether it be in the Turkish league, in which they are in first place, and in our EuroCup group, they were the number two seed. I think they have shown they really know how to win and have a lot of talented guys and a great coaching staff. I saw some of the highlights from their game against Prometey and everybody on the floor stepped up for them and made plays on both the offensive and defensive ends. So I think it's a really talented team that stays poised throughout the game. It's going to be a really tough game, but hey, what can you expect for a EuroCup final? 

"Turk Telekom proved throughout the season what a great team they are."

We have players who won European finals. Damien Inglis won the EuroCup with Monaco. Vitor Benite and Miquel Salvo have also won European competitions in the past. Anyone who has these experiences of playing in a final, a single-elimination game with a title on the line, has an advantage. There are players who have stepped up in situations like this and have been there before, and that experience will be helpful for us, I am sure.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the final and we have to be focused on Turk Telekom. They are a fantastic team and it's going to be a battle. Both teams will leave everything they have on the floor. We will play at home again and I hope to see an even better atmosphere at Gran Canaria Arena! Vamos Granca!

Big man Olek Balcerowski, the 2022-23 EuroCup Rising Star, has played a key role in Gran Canaria advancing to the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final with the best record in the competition, 18-3. He is only the second player to win the trophy twice, joining Bojan Dubljevic with that distinction. Balcerowski averaged 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game for an average PIR of 10.8 in 21 appearances this season. 

 Olek Balcerowski, Gran Canaria: 'This is only the beginning' 

Big man [Olek Balcerowski](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/aleksander-balcerowski/007553/), the 2022-23 EuroCup Rising Star, has played a key role in Gran Canaria advancing to the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final with the best record in the competition, 18-3. He is only the second player to win the trophy twice, joining Bojan Dubljevic with that distinction. Balcerowski averaged 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game for an average PIR of 10.8 in 21 appearances this season. He first joined Gran Canaria's youth system along with teammate Khalifa Diop in 2015 and has taken giant steps to become one of the best centers in European basketball. Balcerowski is grateful to Gran Canaria for the opportunity and hopes to give back to the club by capturing the EuroCup crown. 

**Congratulations on winning the Rising Star award. How great is that for you and the team?** 

"I'm really happy that the club gave me this opportunity this year so I could play more minutes and be a bigger part of the team than in the last years. Nothing else, I'm just really happy. I want to thank the team, the coaches because without them I couldn't win it... I think this is only the beginning and I need to start to work harder to play even better. I would be happier if we win the EuroCup final!"  

"I think we learned from our mistakes and are better this year."

**Your good friend Khalifa Diop also won the award last season. Can you tell us a little about that friendship?** 

"I mean, we grew up together. We came here to Gran Canaria's CAR \[special program for young players\] when we were kids and we stuck together until now. It is actually amazing that we could play at this level together and be that important part of a team that is going to the EuroCup Final and is also a challenging team in the \[Spanish\] League. We are really good friends. We are hanging out together outside of the court and I'm really happy for him. I am sure he's really happy for me, for sure, that I could win it this year."  

**That was going to be my next question. Is there a friendly competition between the two of you?**

"For sure. In practice, we try to compete against each other and make each other better. We compete and sometimes there are even, like, little fights. But off the court, we get out of practice and forget about this because what happens on the court stays on the court. It's all good!"

Olek Balcerowski, a two-time EuroCup Rising Star!

2022-23 EuroCup highlights: Olek Balcerowski, Gran Canaria

**Gran Canaria is 18-3 this season. How do you explain the team's consistency?** 

"I think everyone at the core of the team is working for each other. We have great staff, great coaches and that helps us every day to prepare the games, to prepare ourselves for the challenges. I think the team understands each other and trusts each other. We were at this same spot some years in a row and we couldn't get it, so I think we have this hunger to show everybody that we can we can win it. For example, last year we lost to Andorra in this competition and it hurt us a lot. I think we learned from our mistakes and are better this year."

**You are the top-seeded team, not traveling in the playoffs. How important has this been for you to make it to the final?** 

"Going anywhere is far away from us and for everyone, getting here is far, so it's a big advantage for us. Other teams need to travel a lot and we play in front of our fans, and that helps us a lot. We are also staying the whole week at home because we play in Gran Canaria in the Spanish League and also in the final. Our fans are going to sell out the arena. Let's see what happens."

"Our advantage is for sure that we have two great players in each position."

**We have to talk about Turk Telekom. You played against them twice. What do you like about this team?**

"They have great individuals. They have really good players that play a lot of one-on-one, physical basketball like Axel Boutielle, and we need to be ready for them. I mean, they are a really, really physical team, so it is going to be a tough battle. more or less like the one we had against Bursaspor. I think they are similar teams, and we have to be ready for that. We beat them twice, so we know what's coming. Since we beat them twice, I think they are going to be more aggressive. They will want to go out with more energy and more spirit to win this game."

**You are the deeper team in this game. Can it be an advantage in such a high-pressure game?** 

"For sure, it is a big advantage. At this level, having 12 players that are able to compete in a final, I think it's crucial. I think they won't be able to compete at the same level for 40 minutes, even though they have great players. I don't think they are going to be at the same level for all 40 minutes. So our advantage is for sure, that we have two great players in each position, sometimes more. Players who can go and do exactly the same or even better than the one that was on the floor."  

**What would it mean for you, the club and the people of Gran Canaria to win the EuroCup?** 

"For me personally, it would be the biggest achievement, I think, in my career, only because I stayed so many years here in Gran Canaria, it feels like home for me. So going from the kid to winning such an important trophy, and being that big part of a team and helping the team like I'm doing this year... it would be, like I said, the biggest achievement in my career until now. And I think it's the same for the club, and the same for the fans. It is going to be one of the biggest achievements that the club has." 