Umana Reyer Venezia has added explosiveness to both wing spots by inking forward Alex O'Connell, the club announced on Friday. O'Connell (1.98 meters, 24 years old) arrives from G League side the Stockton Kings, where he averaged 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 49 games last season. He is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut with Reyer in the upcoming 2023-24 season.

Reyer Venezia signs explosive swingman Alex O'Connell

Umana Reyer Venice has added explosiveness to both wing spots by inking forward Alex O'Connell, the club announced on Friday. O'Connell (1.98 meters, 24 years old) arrives from G League side the Stockton Kings, where he averaged 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 49 games last season. He is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut with Reyer in the upcoming 2023-24 season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">✍️ Alex O&#39;Connell è orogranata!<br>Cresciuto a Duke e Creighton, 198cm di atletismo ed esplosività 🔥<br>Welcome to Venice 🎯<br>Il comunicato 👉 <a href="https://t.co/mUB0jhzAst">https://t.co/mUB0jhzAst</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/signing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#signing</a> <a href="https://t.co/i3oKRWaISr">pic.twitter.com/i3oKRWaISr</a></p>&mdash; Reyer Venezia (@REYER1872) <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872/status/1682359440186458114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

O'Connell split his college career between Duke University and Creighton University, where he averaged 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 35 NCAA games in the 2021-22 season. Before that, he helped Duke win the Atlantic Coast Conference title in 2019.

Reyer News

New Umana Reyer Venice signing Alex O'Connell in action at Creighton University.

Reyer signs explosive swingman Alex O'Connell

Slask Wroclaw has confirmed the signing of Szymon Nowicki on a three-year deal. Nowicki (2.03 meters, 18 years old) joins from Real Madrid, where he has been playing for the team's under-18 side. Over the last couple of seasons, the Polish teenager has played in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. First he played for U18 GAK Basketball Academy Gdynia, then last season he suited up for Los Blancos' youth team, averaging 3.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in eight games. Nowicki has also represented Poland at U16 and U17 level.

Slask seals move for promising forward Szymon Nowicki

Slask Wroclaw has confirmed the signing of [Szymon Nowicki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/szymon-nowicki/010291/) on a three-year deal. Nowicki (2.03 meters, 18 years old) joins from Real Madrid, where he has been playing for the team's under-18 side. Over the last couple of seasons, the Polish teenager has played in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. First he played for U18 GAK Basketball Academy Gdynia, then last season he suited up for Los Blancos' youth team, averaging 3.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in eight games. Nowicki has also represented Poland at U16 and U17 level.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="pl" dir="ltr">🆕 Szymon Nowicki zawodnikiem WKS-u! ✅<br><br>Utalentowany 18-latek związał się ze Śląskiem 3-letnim kontraktem ✍️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/plkpl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#plkpl</a></p>&mdash; WKS Śląsk Wrocław - koszykówka (@WKS_SlaskBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/WKS_SlaskBasket/status/1682356911721545729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Slask Wroclaw News

New Slask Wroclaw signing Szymon Nowicki in action for Real Madrid's under-18s at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament.

Wolves Vilnius is continuing to prepare for its BKT EuroCup debut next season, with forward Christian Mekowulu inking a one-year deal at the club. Mekowulu (2.05 meters, 28 years old) arrives from Casademont Zaragoza, where he averaged 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 28 Spanish League games last season. The new Wolves signing is set to appear in the EuroCup for the first time in his career in the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.

Wolves sign athletic forward Christian Mekowulu

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">28-year-old Christian Mekowulu joins BC Wolves, signing a one-year deal. Welcome to the team, Christian! 💪🏾 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreWolves?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreWolves</a> <a href="https://t.co/12tVLuWkY4">pic.twitter.com/12tVLuWkY4</a></p>&mdash; BC WOLVES (@wolves_bc) <a href="https://twitter.com/wolves_bc/status/1682342993020198913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mekowulu played college basketball with Tennessee State University and Texas A&M University, and he started to play professionally with Pallacanestro Orzinouvi in Italy. He led the 2019-20 Italian second division in rebounds (12.4 rpg.), ranked second in blocks (1.8 bpg.) and averaged 16.3 points in 24 games with Orzinuovi. Mekowulu also played for De Longhi Treviso Basket and Banco di Sardegna Sassari of Italy before joining Zaragoza in April 2022. He has been a member of the Nigerian basketball team, too.

Wolves Vilnius News

New Wolves Vilnius signing Christian Mekowulu shoots over Valencia Basket's Bojan Dubljevic during a Spanish League game for Casademont Zaragoza last season.

Veolia Towers Hamburg has strengthened its backcourt by inking center Nico Brauner to a one-year deal, the club announced on Friday. Brauner (1.87 meters, 28 years old) arrives from JobStairs Giessen 46ers, where he averaged 11.5 points on 40.6% three-point shooting and 2.5 assists in 37 German League games last season. He is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut with Hamburg in the upcoming campaign.

Hamburg Towers add guard Nico Brauner

Veolia Towers Hamburg has strengthened its backcourt by inking guard Nico Brauner to a one-year deal, the club announced on Friday. Brauner (1.87 meters, 28 years old) arrives from the JobStairs Giessen 46ers, where he averaged 11.5 points on 40.6% three-point shooting and 2.5 assists in 37 German League games last season. He is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut with Hamburg in the upcoming campaign.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Neuzugang mit Herz &amp; Kampfgeist: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NicoBrauner?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NicoBrauner</a> wechselt aus Gießen in die Hansestadt. In Hamburg wird der gebürtige Wiesbadener seine Premiere in der <a href="https://twitter.com/easyCreditBBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@easyCreditBBL</a> &amp; im <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@eurocup</a> feiern.<br>➡️<a href="https://t.co/9G0zbKfz9x">https://t.co/9G0zbKfz9x</a><br>Willkommen in Hamburg, Nico! 👋🏀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VeoliaTowersHamburg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VeoliaTowersHamburg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TowersFamily?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TowersFamily</a> <a href="https://t.co/loc5PK3ft3">pic.twitter.com/loc5PK3ft3</a></p>&mdash; Veolia Towers Hamburg (@hamburgtowers) <a href="https://twitter.com/hamburgtowers/status/1682329572027805698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Brauner started his career in his native Germany, playing for ASC Theresianum Mainz and Take-Off Wuerzburg Blue Basket before traveling to Canada, splitting his college career between Cape Breton University and Saint Mary's University. Brauner also played for VFL Kirchheim Knights and Science City Jena before joining Giesse. 

"I approach this new challenge without great expectations. I just want to be an enrichment for the team and provide support on and off the court," Brauner said after signing his contract. “The first conversation with Benka \[Barloschky, the head coach\] was very good. He explained his philosophy to me and gave me a picture of the work culture in Hamburg. That convinced me. He encouraged me not to be afraid of the next step and to start the new task with the self-confidence that has distinguished me."

Hamburg Towers News

New Veolia Hamburg Towers addition Nico Brauner in action for the JobStairs Giessen 46ers.

Hamburg adds guard Nico Brauner

Noa Essengue, one of the top prospects in world basketball, is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut next season after ratiopharm Ulm signed the versatile forward to a multi-year deal. Essengue (2.05 meters, 16 years old) arrives from Pole France Paris, where he averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 33 French third division game last season.

ratiopharm Ulm invests in young prospect Noa Essengue

[Noa Essengue](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/noa-essengue/011391/), one of the top prospects in world basketball, is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut next season after ratiopharm Ulm signed the versatile forward to a multi-year deal. Essengue (2.05 meters, 16 years old) arrives from Pole France Paris, where he averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 33 French third division game last season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">OP-TALENT AUS FRANKREICH WIRD UUULMER 🧡💪<br><br>Der von vielen europäischen Clubs umworbene Noa Essengue stößt als Doppellizenz-Spieler zu unserem Team. <a href="https://t.co/tUTEc6aR52">pic.twitter.com/tUTEc6aR52</a></p>&mdash; ratiopharm ulm (@ratiopharmulm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ratiopharmulm/status/1682314569471909889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### An ANGT standout

Essengue also played for U18 PFBB INSEP Paris at the Belgrade edition of the 2023 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Despite being younger than most of his opponents, Essengue averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.0 steals and a PIR of 16.0, taking INSEP to the championship game, in which he had 15 points and 7 rebounds in a losing effort against U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade. He has also been a member of the French U16 national team, helping it get a bronze medal at the 2022 European Championship.

### A long-term signing

He has signed a deal as a dual player, meaning that Essengue can play for Ulm and its junior team. "What we can see in France, especially in the youth work, is this great athleticism with great body length. You can't practice that," Ulm youth team coordination and former player Chris Ensminger said. "Noa is a big player but still extremely flexible and agile. That makes him variable and qualifies him to play in different positions. Beyond the borders of Europe, the way of playing basketball is developing in such a direction, which is why French talents are very interesting due to this situation.”

Ulm News

Noa Essengue, ratiopharm Ulm's latest signing, playing for Pole France Paris in the 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.

Ulm invests in young prospect Noa Essengue

The London Lions have wrapped up a deal to sign high-scoring point guard Matt Morgan. Morgan (25 years old, 1.88 meters) was named to the 2022-23 All-French League Team after a standout season with Le Mans, in which he averaged 20.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 35 French League games. 

London Lions bring in scorer Matt Morgan

The London Lions have wrapped up a deal to sign high-scoring point guard Matt Morgan, the club announced on Wednesday. Morgan (25 years old, 1.88 meters) was named to the 2022-23 All-French League Team after a standout season with Le Mans, in which he averaged 20.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 35 French League games. The American will appear in the 7DAYS EuroCup for the first time in his career next season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome to London, Matt! ✍️🦁 <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealMM10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealMM10</a> <br><br>We’re thrilled to announce the signing of a 25-year-old American guard, Matt Morgan! 🇺🇸<br><br>Read the full article on our website ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/J84Sr4Q5ij">https://t.co/J84Sr4Q5ij</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MattMorgan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MattMorgan</a> <a href="https://t.co/77nssZaaZa">pic.twitter.com/77nssZaaZa</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1682087524804468743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Matt Morgan's career so far

After spending four years at Cornell University between 2015 and 2019, Morgan spent the first two years of his professional career with the G League team of NBA franchise the Toronto Raptors, the Raptors 905. In the summer of 2021, he tasted European basketball for the first time by joining Turkish side Konyaspor, where he averaged 21.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 40 appearances in the Turkish Second Division. 

Last year, he made the move to France to join Le Mans and ended up having a season to remember in the French top flight, earning personal accolades and also leading the team to the playoffs after a one-season absence. Now, he will join a number of ex-Toronto personnel in London, as the Lions look to do their all to reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

London Lions News

Matt Morgan, the London Lions' new signing, in action for French side Le Mans last season.

Prometey Slobozhanske added a new player to its roster, none other than swingman Davon Reed, who signed a one-year deal with his new club on Thursday. Reed (1.98 meters, 28 years old) arrives from the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged 1.0 points in 8 games last season. He started the 2022-23 campaign with another NBA team, Denver, averaging 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 35 games before he got traded to the Lakers. 


Prometey signs swingman Reed

Prometey Slobozhanske added a new player to its roster, none other than swingman Davon Reed, who signed a one-year deal with his new club on Thursday. Reed (1.98 meters, 28 years old) arrives from the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged 1.0 points in 8 games last season. He started the 2022-23 campaign with another NBA team, Denver, averaging 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 35 games before he got traded to the Lakers. 

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Reed started his professional basketball career with Phoenix of the NBA, and has also played for Fort Wayne, Sioux Falls, Grand Rapids and Nothern Arizona of the G League, as well as for Taoyuan Pilots of Taiwan, where he had an outstanding 2020-21 campaign, averaging 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks. Reed is now ready to take his all-around game to Prometey, where he is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut next season. 

Prometey Slobozhanske signed Davon Reed, who is set to make his BKT EuroCup debut with one of the last season's semifinalists. 

Besiktas Istanbul is back in the EuroCup for the first time since 2015 and has made sure to put together a competitive roster to challenge for a playoff spot from Group A. Some of the best teams in Europe are set to visit Akatlar Sports Complex and Besiktas fans should be ready to push their team to new heights. Besiktas's best-ever EuroCup campaign saw it reach the quarterfinals in 2008. Here are some key dates for the Black Eagles as they try to make history:

Besiktas Istanbul: 2023-24 games to watch 

[Besiktas Istanbu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/2023-24-bkt-eurocup-group-a-at-a-glance/)l is back in the EuroCup for the first time since 2015 and has made sure to put together a competitive roster to challenge for a playoff spot from Group A. Some of the best teams in Europe are set to visit Akatlar Sports Complex and Besiktas fans should be ready to push their team to new heights. Besiktas's best-ever EuroCup campaign saw it reach the quarterfinals in 2008. Here are some key dates for the Black Eagles as they try to make history:

[Check out Besiktas full schedule](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/besiktas-istanbul/games/bes/?season=2023-24)

**Round 2 vs. Prometey Slobozhanske**

Besiktas faces a tough start in Group A as it travels to Spain to face Joventut Badalona in Round 1 and then hosts Prometey in Round 2. That means, for starters, Besiktas faces two of last season's semifinalists. The game against Prometey will be the club's first EuroCup home game since December 2015 and Besiktas fans will surely create a special atmosphere at Akatlar Sports Complex. Besiktas needs to be ready to deliver right away with such a challenging start to the EuroCup season.

[Round 10 vs. Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/besiktas-istanbul-joventut-badalona/U2023/95/#comparison)

Head coach Dusan Alimpijevic and shooting guard Andrew Andrews helped Frutti Extra Bursaspor write one of the epic chapters in competition history, by leading their team to the 2022 EuroCup Finals against all odds. Coach Alimpijevic now leads Besiktas, and Andrews is Joventut's star guard. It will be interesting to see how Andrews plays against his former Bursaspor teammate and current Besiktas floor general Derek Needham. That will be a matchup to follow closely.

**Round 16 at London Lions**

 

History will be made in Round 16 when Besiktas visits England for the first time. There is a large Turkish community in London and it will not be a surprise to see Besiktas get a lot of support in the stands. This game arrives late in the regular season and could be a pivotal showdown in Besiktas's quest to reach the playoffs. One way or another, it will be a brand new experience for the Black Eagles, one that a lot of London-based fans should enjoy!

Talented youngster Liutauras Lelevicius has taken the next step in his development by joining 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys for the approaching BKT EuroCup season.

Lietkabelis lures Lelevicius

Talented youngster [Liutauras Lelevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/liutauras-lelevicius/010190/) has taken the next step in his development by joining 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys for the approaching BKT EuroCup season.

Guard Lelevicius (2.02 meters, 20 years old) joins from fellow Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas, where he made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut last season with a brief Round 12 appearance against Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Lelevicius first made his name in Zalgiris's junior ranks, averaging 10.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament between 2019 and 2021.

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