Brescia's starters led the way past Joventut

Germani Brescia grabbed its second consecutive win by downing Joventut Badalona 85-75 in Round 10. Good ball circulation led to better shooting percentages for the winners.<br>
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Both teams shared the ball well in this game. Brescia finished the game with 23 assists and 13 turnovers. Joventut had a similar assist-to-turnover ratio, getting 22 assists and 12 turnovers. Brescia's starting five – Aleksej Nikolic, Amedeo Della Valle, David Cournooh, Kenny Gabriel and Mike Cobbins – combined for 20 assists and just 3 turnovers. They also combined for 71 of their team's 85 points.

Joventut starters combined for 11 assists and 3 turnovers. Shooting the ball better, especially from beyond the arc, helped Brescia win this game. The hosts fired in 11 of 26 three-point shots (42.3% 3FG) while Joventut hit just 6 of 22 shots from downtown (27.3% 3FG). Brescia's perimeter defense made Kyle Guy and Pau Ribas, Joventut's starting backcourt, go 1 of 9 (11.1% 3FG) from beyond the arc.

Game Videos

Game News

Starters passed Brescia past Joventut

Germani Brescia v Joventut Badalona (2023-01-10T19:30:00.000Z)

Germani Brescia topped Joventut Badalona 85-75 at home on Tuesday to go up to 5-5 in Group A with its third consecutive victory. Amedeo Della Valle paced the winners with 26 points. David Cournooh added 16 while Aleksej Nikolic had 13 for Brescia. Ante Tomic had 22 points for Joventut, that dropped to 6-4. Joel Parra added 19 for the guests, whose last lead in this game was 2-3. Brescia took off early in the fourth quarter and never looked back.

Cournooh and Della Valle stepped up early before Gabriel hit a triple that gave a 12-5 lead. Gabriel got help from Nicola Akele and Nikolic to keep the hosts in charge, 25-17, after 10 minutes. Joventut found a go-to guy in Tomic, then Kyle Guy and Parra each struck from downtown to bring the guests within 36-33. Cournooh and David Moss rescued Brescia, then Mike Cobbins's layup fixed the halftime score at 44-37. Gabriel and Cournooh each hit a triple to make it a double-digit game, 50-39. Guillem Vives, Parra and Tomic combined for all the points in a 0-10 run to get Joventut within a 50-49. Nikolic singlehandedly kept Brescia ahead, 60-55, after 30 minutes. Joventut got within 64-62 soon after that but Akele and Della Valle boosted the hosts' lead to 70-62 with over 4 minutes left. Nothing changed after that, as Brescia kept a safe margin until the final buzzer.

Della Valle leads Brescia to fifth win, 85-75!

### [Paris Basketball 96-77 Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/paris-basketball-turk-telekom-ankara/U2022/96/)

Paris took down Turk Telekom for the second time this season, winning 96-77 at home in a major tussle at the top of Group B. Paris laid the foundation by scoring 36 points in the second quarter and grabbed just its second home victory for a 7-3 record. Kyle Allman paced seven Paris scorers in double figures with 17 points while Tyrone Wallace had 16. Turk Telekom fell to 7-3 despite Tyrique Jones scoring 17 points. It was the Turkish team’s first road loss of the season.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jeremy Evans finishes with power and style👀<a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParisBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoments?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoments</a> <a href="https://t.co/TkcVnSW878">pic.twitter.com/TkcVnSW878</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1612908546609532929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Germani Brescia 85-75 Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/germani-brescia-joventut-badalona/U2022/92/)

Brescia topped Joventut 85-75 at home on Tuesday to go up to 5-5 in Group A with its third consecutive victory. Amedeo Della Valle paced the winners with 26 points and David Cournooh added 16. Ante Tomic had 22 points for Joventut, which dropped to 6-4. Joel Parra added 19 for the guests, whose last lead in this game was 2-3. Brescia took off early in the fourth quarter and never looked back.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Non dobbiamo aggiungere nulla 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DreamBig?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DreamBig</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Brescia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Brescia</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSEurocup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSEurocup</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/2EndUXy2OG">pic.twitter.com/2EndUXy2OG</a></p>&mdash; Pallacanestro Brescia (@LeonessaBrescia) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeonessaBrescia/status/1612930318964604928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game Center: Round 10 opens with wins for Paris, Brescia

Euroleague Basketball's annual mid-season survey polls 7DAYS EuroCup general managers on a series of fan-centric questions about the competition. Going into the second half of the regular season, the GMs were asked about their favorites to reach the finals, the most fun-to-watch team, the most spectacular player and the best head coach, among other questions. Check out their answers!

EuroCup GMs mid-season survey

You can expect something unexpected to happen on Wednesday when [Frutti Extra Bursaspor hosts Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/frutti-extra-bursaspor-cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana/U2022/91/) because it often has. Whether it be breakout performances from players or a growling halftime interview, these two teams have delivered fantastic entertainment in each of their matchups over the past two years. Here’s a quick look back at those games.

The last time they met in Bursa was Round 3 of the 2021-22 regular season when the home team won 93-84. Kevarrius Hayes set a career-high with 9 free throws and recorded the first of his four double-doubles that season in the win.

Their next clash saw Cedevita enter ice cold, having lost seven of eight. However, Yogi Ferrell led five Cedevita scorers in double figures with 19 points as Coach Jurica Golemac’s team heated up. In fact, Cedevita did lose again in the regular season. It was victorious in its final eight games of that stage to reach the playoffs on a roll and then disposed of Turk Telekom in the eighthfinals.

The quarterfinals would drum up another clash between Cedevita and Bursaspor in the Slovenian capital. This time, Bursaspor held on for an 83-85 victory in a game also remembered for John Holland’s impassioned halftime interview. Holland growled at the interviewer while telling the world that his team was a bunch of "pit bulls".

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href=https://twitter.com/Jholland_23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@Jholland_23</a> makes it clear!🐶<a href=https://twitter.com/BsBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@BsBasketbol</a> <a href=https://t.co/mw95Vo4zQR>pic.twitter.com/mw95Vo4zQR</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href=https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1519392961351540739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>April 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset="utf-8"></script>

That upset ended Cedevita’s season as Holland’s pit bulls eventually made it to the finals and finished the campaign as the EuroCup runners-up. The very next EuroCup game for Cedevita would be another meeting with Bursaspor, this time on opening night of the 2022-23 season. Bursaspor triumphed 73-81 in Ljubljana as Yigitan Saybir produced a spectacular debut with 19 points off the bench and just 1 missed shot. 

And that brings us to this week’s contest. It’s been a rough start to the season for Cedevita, which started the season with six consecutive losses and has not won back-to-back games all season. Cedevita’s fate could quickly change with a win over Bursaspor, just like last season. 

And there are reasons to believe that this team’s best basketball is ahead of it. When Cedevita struggled early, it was without veteran guard Zoran Dragic and up-and-coming big man Karlo Matkovic. Their return – though Dragic has been sidelined again recently with an elbow problem – has helped take some of the heat off of the guard duo of Ferrell and Josh Adams, who together have been worth 33.0 points and 9.0 assists per game. 

Of course, if looking for a team known for getting better as the season goes on, look no further than Bursaspor under Coach Dusan Alimpijevic. Last season the team drastically improved in the second half of the season and won three elimination-round games – all as the visitor- to reach the EuroCup championship game. 

The second half of the season is nigh and the duel between these two EuroCup challengers is certainly one to follow closely in Round 10.

Watch the Game Highlights from Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Frutti Extra Bursaspor, 04/27/2022

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs Frutti Extra Bursaspor| Highlights | Quarterfinals

Bursaspor vs. Cedevita: A matchup that always entertains

Frutti Extra Bursaspor v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2023-01-11T17:00:00.000Z)

Jakub Niziol, Slask: 'I'm pretty confident in my skills'

Slask Wroclaw was the last team to record a win in the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup. In Round 9, the Polish champs thrashed Dolomiti Energia Trento 80-57 to improve to 1-8. Three of those eight losses were by 4 points or less and Slask's players now have some experience in the competition, which should help in the remaining games. One of the competition's most notable newcomers is forward [Jakub Niziol](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jakub-niziol/005531/), who has been helping Slask in many ways throughout the season. Niziol has averaged 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a PIR of 12.2, thrilling fans with his energy plays and high-flying dunks. Off the court, Niziol is an easy-going person who likes to interact with fans through his Twitter account [@jniziol4](https://twitter.com/jniziol4), as he told [EuroCupBasketball.com](http://EuroCupBasketball.com) in this interview. "People come to see us and interacting with us, for them, it's like almost a reward for coming to the game," Niziol said. "So I really feel like interacting with fans, especially the young ones, young kids who want to be like us on the court, who want to play basketball. We have to help in any that we can." 

**Hello, 'Kuba', Happy New Year! How exciting is it to face a new year full of opportunities for you and Slask?** 

"Thank you. Happy New Year, too! Yeah, it's definitely exciting. We've got the second round of the EuroCup \[regular season\] ahead of us. Unfortunately for the team, we only won one game in the first round. We had a couple of close calls, but we definitely will look to turn it around in the second round."

**Slask grabbed its first EuroCup win of the season by a 23-point margin. What changed in that game not just to win, but to do it by such a wide margin?** 

"It was a tough game as well. No game in EuroCup is easy for us because we know we have to give 120% in every game. And fortunately for us, we came out with great energy. The fans were there and we just kept the lead the whole game and that's what really separated us in the second half as well. We just kept being aggressive, driving to the rim, and that's what really helped us." 

"We have to do everything as a team and are still learning... I think the second round will be way better for us than the first round." 

**This is your first EuroCup season but you are playing like a veteran. What's allowed you to play so well right away?** 

"I think the biggest thing was the confidence. When I signed for Slask, I knew it was a big club in Poland. I knew that people expect a lot out of you and I was ready for a challenge. I didn't step down. I took the role that Coach gave me, I think overachieved, at least in his eyes, and that's what really separated me from the rest of the guys. We started the year off with four guards and that gave me a big chance to show my skills. And I think I definitely took advantage of that." 

**Was playing the EuroCup a goal of yours? What do you think about the competition's playing level and competitiveness?** 

"Oh, of course, it was. I think every professional basketball player plays basketball to be at the highest level possible. And for me, coming back from the United States, it was first Legia Warszawa, then Astoria Bydgoszcz and now Slask, that competes in the EuroCup. And for me, as of right now in my career, it's definitely the biggest challenge. But as I said, I'm pretty confident about my skills. I'm pretty confident about my game, and I think I bring good things to the table. As you can tell, in the Polish League, we have 14 wins and zero losses, but the EuroCup's definitely been tougher. The competition is a little better. The guys are more skilled, the guys are more athletic, and that's where the biggest difference is. I think we're still adapting. We still have a lot of young players and that's the biggest challenge for us. We are not as experienced as the other teams are. We don't have superstars. We have to do everything as a team and are still learning. Like I said, I think the second round will be way better for us than the first round." 

**How does it feel to work for an experienced coach like Andrej Urlep, a Polish basketball legend?**

"I think the best quality of Coach Urlep is that he gives you a lot of confidence if he sees you can do different things. For me, the biggest challenge with him was adapting to his intensity on defense, but I think we are doing pretty well on that end. Unfortunately, we weren't able to score a couple of games, but Coach Urlep is definitely one of the coaches who helped me elevate my game to the next level."

Jakub Niziol of Slask Wroclaw is in his first 7DAYS EuroCup season.

2022-23 EuroCup highlights: Jakub Niziol, Slask

**It is a great time for Polish basketball. Do you feel that Slask is representing Poland in the competition?**

"I definitely feel so. We have three guys on the national team - myself, Dziewa and Kolenda, who were part of the fourth-place finish in the last EuroBasket, so I definitely feel like we have a really good Polish roster finished with really solid international players. And I definitely think that Slask really represents Polish players really well. We have another newcomer to the EuroCup this year, Golebiowski. We have a lot of young guys like Adamczak, who had a couple of good games in the EuroCup as well, and I think Slask does a really good job of including Polish players in the mix."

**Your next two EuroCup games are against Gran Canaria and Buducnost, which beat you by 40 points in Wroclaw. How much are you looking forward to these games against two of the best teams in the competition?** 

"I think the very first game of EuroCup, when we went to Gran Canaria, we played very good as a team. As everybody knows, Gran Canaria is one of the best teams in the EuroCup right now and they ended up beating us but I think we showed how we can play, what we can do on the court. It was a really good game, unfortunately, Buducnost came to our place and beat us by 40. We'll try to forget about that game and I think we did a really good job of bouncing back. Even though we didn't get the wins, we still played better as a team. We have been together for four or five months now and those next two games against Gran Canaria and Buducnost will show us where we at, where we need to improve and which are our strengths."

**You seem to like Twitter a lot, managing your own account. What do you like about it so much, and how important is it to interact with fans?**

"Yeah, for me, it's very, very important. I went to the United States for college and I kind of saw the American way of the game where players are really involved. They chat with fans, they are really involved with social media. And I kind of like that way because people come to see us and interacting with us, for them, it's like almost a reward for coming to the game. So I really feel like interacting with fans, especially the young ones, young kids who want to be like us on the court, who want to play basketball. We have to help in any that we can, especially in Poland."

"I think with our hard work and dedication to the game and everything that we do, [reaching the playoffs] is definitely possible for us."

**We heard you are really into music, too. What are your favorite bands and what do you listen to before games?** 

"I'm really into American rap, actually. A couple of my favorite artists are definitely NBA YoungBoy. I will say Lil Baby, and I have to include guys like R.I.P. Young Dolph. But before games I mainly listen to what we call murder music, which is really loud, just high hyping up music, and that does a good job for me because I feel like every time I put my headphones in on the warm-up, I'm ready to go. Do you want to hear one song that I want to put on for the fans? One song I want the fans to listen to would be definitely Swerving by NBA Youngboy. That's my pre-game go-to song!"

**Slask made it to the EuroCup Playoffs last season. Is that the goal again? What will it take to achieve it?** 

"Of course it is the goal for us. It's very important to, like I said, promote basketball in Poland, and achieving the playoffs in the EuroCup will not be easy for us, but it can definitely help the club develop the players, for us to gain some experience on that level. And it will be hard. Trento has two wins and they are in ninth place right now, the eighth-team place \[Hamburg\], I think they have three wins. So in order to achieve playoffs, we'll probably need 5-6 wins at the end, which will be really tough for us. But again, I think with our hard work and dedication to the game and everything that we do, it's definitely possible for us, and we'll try our best to achieve the goal."

Action resumes in the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Fantasy Challenge after a two-week hiatus with Round 10. At this point, all the teams in each group have faced each other, which adds an element of intrigue to the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime. Will their performances from the first half of the regular season prove predictive or will teams' familiarity with one another change things much? Here are five Fantasy Challenge recommendations for this week:

[D.J. Kennedy, Prometey Slobozhanske](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/dj-kennedy/005301/) (13.8 credits) – Kennedy was on fire before the holiday break and remains a go-to guy for EuroCup Fantasy Challenge managers. Over his last three games, Kennedy averaged 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 3.7 steals, 7.0 fouls drawn and a PIR of 29.3. He is helping Prometey in many different ways.

[Karel Guzman, U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/karel-guzman/011797/) (10.4 credits) – Guzman first jumps out thanks to his explosiveness and the way he plays above the rim. However, Guzman has become one of the most effective players around. Over his last five games, he's averaged 12.6 points on off-the-charts shooting (76.5% 2FG, 95.0% FT) and a PIR of 16.8.

D.J. Kennedy, Karel Guzman, Tai Odiase, Kosta Koufos and Pierre Pelos are featured in this week's article.

EuroCup Fantasy tips: Round 10

[Tai Odiase, Germani Brescia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tai-odiase/011823/) (9.4 credits) – When Troy Caupain was injured, Brescia had to adjust its offense. Odiase has taken a big step forwards in his team's last two Italian League games, averaging 13.0 points on 12-of-13 two-point shooting, 6.5 rebounds and a PIR of 21.5. It is only logical that he posts similar numbers in Round 10.

[Kosta Koufos, London Lions](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/kosta-koufos/009766/) (12.6 credits) – At age 34, Koufos is playing some of the best basketball of his career, turning London into a playoff contender. Over the last five games, Koufos has averaged 12.0 points on 27-of-44 shooting (61.4% 2FG), 7.4 rebounds and a PIR of 19.4. His lowest PIR in that stretch was 15. Koufos always delivers!

[Pierre Pelos, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/pierre-pelos/010452/) (11.9 credits) – Pelos remains one of the most effective scorers in EuroCup history, with incredible shooting percentages from all ranges and angles (70.0% 2FG, 54.2% 3FG, 90.0% FT). He's averaging 11.6 points and a PIR of 14.4 and has been even better over his last five games: 14.4 points and a PIR of 18.4.

EuroCup Fantasy tips: Choose from these rock-solid players!

Promitheas Patras has signed [Dustin Hogue](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/dustin-hogue/008067/) on a deal until the end of the season, the club confirmed on Monday. Hogue (1.98 meters, 30 years old) spent the first part of this season with Prometey Slobozhanske, averaging 3.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in nine 7DAYS EuroCup games. He came off the bench in seven of his nine appearances, remaining on the court for an average of 16.0 minutes.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">«Πατρινός» ο Dustin Hogue<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/promitheaspatras?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#promitheaspatras</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/promitheasbc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#promitheasbc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/proudtobeorange?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#proudtobeorange</a><a href="https://t.co/mQkktHTSYC">https://t.co/mQkktHTSYC</a></p>&mdash; Promitheas Patras BC (@promitheasbc) <a href="https://twitter.com/promitheasbc/status/1612479061007400963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hogue is currently in his third season in the EuroCup, having previously played for Dolomiti Energia Trento in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns. After averaging 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.3 steals in his debut season in the competition, he followed that up the following year by posting averages of 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals. To date, Hogue has averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and a PIR of 12.2 in his 26-game EuroCup career. Prior to his experience with Prometey, which began in the summer of 2022, Hogue had represented Nea Kifissia of Greece, Trento, Goyang Orion Orions of South Korea, BC Enisey of Russia and U-BT Cluj-Napoca of Romania.

Promitheas brings in center Dustin Hogue

*One of the most interesting newcomers in the 7DAYS EuroCup this season is* [Henry Ellenson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/henry-ellenson/011841/)*, who is in his seventh season as a professional player. A member of a distinguished basketball family, Ellenson starred at Marquette University where he averaged 17.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 33 NCAA games as a freshman in 2015-16. That led to him being selected by Detroit 18th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. After five seasons between the NBA and the G League, Ellenson joined Spanish side Monbus Obradoiro in 2021 and signed with Joventut last summer.* 

Hello, EuroCup fans! I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself. I am Henry Ellenson of Joventut Badalona and I come from a basketball-loving family, a very athletic family. My dad played at Marquette and Wisconsin and my mom played college basketball and then they went on to actually coach it. My mom was a college coach for a few years and my dad was actually our assistant. So now my parents love the game of basketball and I think that just passed down to us kids growing up. My older brothers, Wally and Ellwood, also played and obviously, being the little brother, you just want to follow those guys around all day. So that's where I really learned to love the game of basketball. And then I think my younger sister followed along with us and played. And so yeah, coming from a basketball-loving family, we all play it, so it's kind of fun to be able to talk with them about my journey.

I also played other sports growing up. I did track in high school. My oldest brother, Wally, high jumped at Marquette and Minnesota and has the high jump records there. He high jumped 7 feet, 5 inches (226 cm). He is a freak athlete! I didn't jump anything like that. I wasn't that good, but I did do high jump and discus in high school and stuff, and so I had a lot of fun being able to play two sports.

"I think the mindset for us is not only to get the number one seed, but to also just keep building as a team, getting better and be ready for those tough situations."

But basketball was my first sport and I became a pro player. This is my seventh year as a pro and it is kind of crazy to think about. I turn 26 here very soon, my birthday is on January 13, and so it's crazy to think this is Year Seven for me, and now this is also my first year in the EuroCup. And so far, being able to come to a club like Joventut, I think it's been really good for me, being around these guys. Obviously, they had a really good year last year and I'm happy that we can continue the success and be able to finish at the top of our group after the first round of games. I think that's something we set a goal of and to be able to be on track for that goal halfway through is something to be really happy about. 

About Joventut, I love the connection between the first team and all the young squads of all ages. It is something else. I think it's really cool. We'll walk in on the weekends and you'll see all the kids in the youth programs. And then, we obviously get the younger team guys and they'll be able to practice with us sometimes or I'll see them in the weight room. And so there's such a connection between the younger team and this senior club. And it's funny, you know? I'll ask guys how long they've been here for, and they're like, you know, 14 years and they're not that old. And I'm like, 'Why?' They're like, 'Well, I've been here since I'm like 6 or something,' and I laugh. So it's kind of crazy to think just because I have bounced around and these guys have been here for so long. So I think that obviously has helped with this team's success and stuff, just this group of guys being together for so long.

At the same time, it is great to have guys like Pau Ribas and Ante Tomic because their track records speak for themselves of what they have done as a player, and they are still trying to go out there and prove it each night. It just shows the level of how professional they are and talented, just how they compete and how they play and how they come to practice every day. And so it's really great to have those two. I would say probably Ante is really good about leading by example and what he does and stuff. And Pau loves to get on us a little bit here and there, but it's all been just holding us accountable and stuff. And so I think it's really good to have those two guys and it's been great for us.

I saw that December Top 10 with my game-winning shot against Reyer at number one! It was crazy because they hit a big shot just a couple of seconds before mine. We shouldn't have been in that situation, obviously, we were up the whole game. And to lose the lead with like 6 seconds left and then for our team to respond quickly, to be able to get the ball out the net quickly. I think as soon as Pep Busquets got to halfcourt, I knew I was going to get the shot just because I saw my guy running over. And for me, I think I was playing the '5' at that time. It's always hard for '5' guys in transition to find a big who's running to the perimeter because they are so used to running to the paint. So I kind of had a clue that the ball was coming towards me and to be able to hit that shot kind of felt surreal as soon as it went in. That was a fun moment for me because I don't know the last time I hit a shot at the buzzer like that. I have to think back to my youth days and I don't know if I hit one then, so that was really fun to hit when I heard the buzzer. 

 

So we've played against everyone in our group and now I have more information about our next opponents, starting with Brescia next week. The first time around, you get the scouting report, but you haven't played against these guys. And even though I played last year in the Spanish League, it is always a little different style of basketball, so you get a good feel for it the first time around. Obviously, we had them at home and that was our first game of the year and we were able to get a win, but it's a little different going on the road. But I think especially going around the second time, you get a better feel for teams and they get a better feel for you, so you have to be ready for that as well. 

Henry Ellenson Top Plays of the 2022-23 Regular Season

2022-23 EuroCup highlights: Henry Ellenson, Joventut

I hope everyone had a good holiday break. I have my fiance with me and so we celebrated together, and it was a lot of fun being able to FaceTime family and friends from back home. Some families will send some presents through the mail or send us some stuff early, like in August. And we packed our suitcase and just opened it up then, the ones who planned ahead, so that was good. 

For New Year's, Kyle Guy had me over and a couple of other teammates to celebrate together bringing the new year. So that was fun. We've got a tight-knit group and it's great to have another American like Kyle Guy, especially being another Midwest guy, easy to get along with. So it was a good Christmas and a good new Year, and it's kind of crazy to think it's already January. That's my mindset. It's crazy it's already here but the season keeps rolling. 

That means that the playoffs are getting closer. When I was with Marquette, we didn't make it to the NCAA Tournament so I didn't get the experience. Unlike Kyle, I didn't get to win at all, but for me, I have played in games in which you got a win or you were done and that's different than a series. I think in a series, usually the better team gets a little more of a chance to try to take it home, and when it's one game, anything can happen. I think this team, especially when I first got here, when we were talking about goals for the season, they had a really bad taste in their mouth about what just happened last season because obviously, they had a really good season there in the EuroCup being the number one seed and then losing at home in that first game. And I remember being at Obradoiro and hearing about that loss, and I was kind of shocked, too. Obviously getting here this year was tough for them. I think the mindset for us is not only to get the number one seed, but to also just keep building as a team, getting better and be ready for those tough situations. We have had a few games now this year where we have been in a fight, and I think we learned a lot from those close games. That time of year, that's what it comes down to.