Checking in from Italy is Dolomiti Energia Trento playmaker Toto Forray, who has returned for his [EuroCupBasketball.com](http://EuroCupBasketball.com) column once again. Forray joined Trento in 2011 and has played for the team ever since, becoming its team captain in 2016. He helped Trento reach the EuroCup Semifinals in 2016 and is currently in his seventh season in the competition. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Forray returns with a very special blog entry, in which he discusses more than just his team's run in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Argentina plays the World Cup final on Sunday, but Trento faces EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Italian League action an hour later. But don't worry, Toto will find a way to know the score, with a lot of people informing him from the stands.

 

Hello again, EuroCup fans! Winning a couple of games is just what we needed after so many losses. The game against Hamburg was key for us, because we are going to fight for a playoff spot against them. If they had beaten us, they would have a three-game advantage over us, and it would be difficult to rally back from that. So, this is why this game was so important for us. Now we know we have an actual chance to advance to the playoffs, especially if we beat Slask Wroclaw next week. We play against Milan in the Italian League at home on Sunday, and then we will give everything we have in Poland.

Now we know we have an actual chance to advance to the playoffs!"

We needed an adjustment period, but above all, the last break we had in the EuroCup helped us be in a better physical condition, and that allowed us to play better. We lost some close games and that was one of our weaknesses as a team, but we improved that during the break. When we beat Gran Canaria, it had been over one year since we won a EuroCup game, and we finally did it. Moreover, we beat a really good team like Gran Canaria while being short-handed, because we missed a couple of players in that game.

 

We made a lot of good signings this season, and I wanted to talk to you about Matteo Spagnolo. He has a lot of athleticism, good court vision and has all the skills to become a great scorer. He can attack the rim and finish strong, but he needs to work on his court vision to become an unbelievable player. He is a very humble kid who listens to us, asks a lot of questions and tries to understand the game. He is really determined to keep growing. I have seen a lot of good young players in Trento over the years, but Matteo can be a star. Now it is up to him. He has all it takes to be a star, and he practices really well. He has the right mindset and a great chance to get there.

Toto Forray keeps going strong in his seventh EuroCup season, all with Dolomiti Energia Trento.

2022-23 EuroCup Regular Season highlights: Toto Forray, Trento

So, you know I am Argentinean, right? Well, we need to talk about the World Cup and the final against France on Sunday. I have only been able to watch two games until now, because of this and that. When we lost against Saudi Arabia, we were coming back from Turkey. I missed the second group-stage game because we were playing, and I also missed the third game because we were traveling again. I was able to watch the knockout games against Australia and the Netherlands, that's it.

 

… And I will miss the World Cup final, because we play against Milan at 17:00 CET and the game is at 16:00 CET!

 

It is hard not to watch such an important game, but I am following our national team's run and all the celebrations after the games. Like every Argentinean, I am paying a lot of attention and I am looking forward to each of our games. You may be wondering what someone does in a situation like this. Well, the game is one hour earlier than ours, so I will know the halftime score before we play against Milan. And then we play at home, so a lot of people will be telling me the score, for sure.

A lot of people will be telling me the [World Cup final] score, for sure."

When we played against Poland, everywhere I looked there was someone telling me the score of that game! This is Trento, I have been here for many years; they know who I am, so everybody was informing me about it. I had to tell people "Hey, that one over there already told me", and stuff like that. Every time the ball was stopped, someone looked at me and told me how Argentina was doing. It was a lot of fun, and I expect the same – or even more – on Sunday! I am sure all Argentinean basketball players are going through the same stuff. I saw that Luca Vildoza was in the same situation in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game in Belgrade, right at the end of the game.

 

The game against Slask will be our last EuroCup game in 2022. It was not our best year, but we are finishing strong, especially if we beat Slask. We have to carry that momentum into 2023. The team has a lot of confidence now and in the last few weeks, and we are aware that this game in Poland is very important for us. Slask kept a core of players from last season and we lost convincingly against them last season, but that should give us extra motivation to do better this time. Trento tifosi, we will give everything on the floor and try to win as many games as we need to make it to the playoffs, which would be great for the club. And you saw the playoffs last season – it was insane! We have to get there, and after that, anything can happen.

Toto Forray, Trento: 'I will miss the World Cup final!'

### Feliz emerged as a star for Joventut

After Joventut Badalona edged Umana Reyer Venice on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Henry Ellenson, it would be easy to forget everything that went into the first 39 minutes of the game. In that time, Andres Feliz put on a show in which he improved on his career-best PIR of 26 set last week by amassing a 28. Feliz was tied for the second-most points on his team with 15, tied his career-high with 6 assists and set a personal best and a Round 8 high with 5 steals.

Andres Feliz (15 points) Highlights vs. Umana Reyer Venice, 12/14/2022

Andres Feliz's highlights against Umana Reyer

### Spissu delivered massive performance for Reyer

On the losing end in Badalona was guard Marco Spissu, who had a major role in his team’s late comeback to it with 6.2 seconds reaming. After Reyer fell behind by 8 with 1:45 to go, Spissu scored his team’s next 8 points and then assisted on Andrea De Nicolao’s game-tying triple. He finished with the highest PIR (35) and the most points (27) in Round 8. Both numbers represent his personal bests.

### Lukashov: Maximum effect in minimum time

If one wants to talk about a player who made a major impact on his team in limited time, look no further than Denys Lukashov of Prometey Slobozhanske. The veteran guard played a mere 16:21 in his team’s 105-82 victory over U-BT Cluj-Napoca, but it was his time on the floor that made all the difference. Indeed. Promotey outscored Cluj by 35 points with Lukashov on the floor. And in the nearly 24 minutes he was on the bench? Cluj outscored Prometey by 12!

"We changed \[our\] attitude \[in the second half\]. We got really aggressive on defense, it started with local players Lukashov and Lypovyy, and continued with the foreigners," Coach Ronen Ginzburg credited after the game. Lukashov finished with 10 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, which all set or tied his best this season.

Denys Lukashov (10 points) Highlights vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca, 12/14/2022

Lukashov provided a major spark for Promotey

### Udom came through for Trento

Matteo Udom was one of the unsung heroes for Dolomiti Trento Energia in its 85-80 home win over Veolia Hamburg Trento. The 29-year-old small forward, who is playing his first EuroCup campaign since 2013-14 with Montepeschi Siena, set career-highs with 18 points and 4 steals while recording a personal best PIR of 21. Udom, who had accumulated 27 points in the first seven games of the season, only missed 2 shots all night. He had 7 points and 2 steals in the fourth quarter alone, including the go-ahead basket and free throws to ice the win with 32 seconds remaining.

Udom came up big for Trento against Hamburg

### Cowan was like a one-man show for Promitheas

With the EuroCup’s leading scorer sidelined, Anthony Cowan stepped into his shoes for Promitheas and led the team to a 71-74 road win in Paris. How dominant was Cowan? He was not only the team’s leading scorer with a season-high 21 points, but his PIR of 24 was the team’s only above 9! Cowan did much of his damage from the foul line, where he was 9-for-11. He added 5 assists and 2 steals.

### Ariel displayed a hot hand for Hapoel

A late signing to the Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv roster in the preseason, Adam Ariel is a known commodity in Israel for his experience and shooting. And with the team shorthanded in the backcourt on Tuesday, especially after J’Covan Brown left the game with a head injury, Ariel stepped up and delivered. Ariel had totaled 7 points in five appearances entering Round 8 before torching Slask Wroclaw for 17 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting. He set career bests in both three-pointers made and PIR (14).

Ariel drills 5 threes against Slask

Round 8 roll call

Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 8 by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 8

•	Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv, has been sanctioned with a fine of 10,000 Euros due to the lighting of flares by its fans, on occasion of its away game against Veolia Towers Hamburg under Article 29.2.e) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

Euroleague Basketball has announced the following disciplinary sanction pertaining to incidents that occurred in Round 7 of the 7DAYS EuroCup regular season.

Round 7 disciplinary sanction

Promitheas Patras arrived to Paris without Trevis Simpson. The 7DAYS EuroCup's leading scorer, Joe Young, travelled but couldn't play in the end. Luckily for Promitheas, Anthony Cowan was fit. He made the difference for a good-as-gold 71-74 Group B road win over Paris Basket. 

Cowan saved short-handed Promitheas in Paris

Promitheas Patras arrived to Paris without Trevis Simpson. The 7DAYS EuroCup's leading scorer, Joe Young, travelled but couldn't play in the end. Luckily for Promitheas, Anthony Cowan was fit. He made the difference for a good-as-gold 71-74 Group B road win over Paris Basket. 

Cowan, a 1.85-meter point guard, stepped up after halftime to score 17 of his 21 points in the final 15 minutes. He buried a couple of three-pointers late in the third quarter to keep Promitheas in charge, 47-51, and kept going to give the visitors a 61-66 lead mid-way through the fourth. 

Paris managed to get a 68-67 lead with 34 seconds left but Cowan proved perfect from the foul line, hitting 4 of 4 attempts to make sure Promitheas returned to Greece with a prestigious road victory. The winners are now tied with Paris and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica for third place with 5-3 records.

Anthony Cowan had 21 points to lead Promitheas Patras to a 71-74 road win against Paris Basketball. He had 17 points in the final 15 minutes.

Cowan leads Promitheas to road win in Paris

In the end, Cowan buried 4 of 10 three-pointers and 9 of 11 free throws on his way to a career-high 21 points. Cowan also had personal-best marks in fouls drawn, 9, and PIR, 24. His previous PIR record was 11 against Gran Canaria in Round 2. 

"It is definitely a big one for us, especially having two big-time players out," Cowan said after the game. "But definitely a big win coming in and staying locked in. I am happy that we were able to bring it out."

Game News

Game Videos

Paris Basketball v Promitheas Patras (2022-12-14T19:30:00.000Z)

Spissu led all scorers in Round 8 with 27 points. Joe Young of Promitheas Patras remains the EuroCup leader with 24.5 points per game. Ismael Kamagate of Paris Basketball had 13 rebounds, more than any other player in this round. Alpha Kaba of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica is the rebounding leader this season with 11.5 boards per game. Three players had 9 assists in Round 8: Ulm's Dos Santos, J'Cowan Brown of Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv and Jerian Grant of Turk Telekom. Brown leads the EuroCup with 7.3 assists per game. Andres Feliz of Joventut had 5 steals, the most in Round 8. Prometey's Kennedy and Jeremiah Martin of Slask Wroclaw share the lead in steals this season with 2.6 per contest. This round's top shot-blocker was Tyrique Jones of Turk Telekom with 4 blocked shots. Kamagate leads the EuroCup in blocks with 2.1 per game.

Individual highs: Andres Feliz, Joventut, 5 steals

With the best performance of his 7DAYS EuroCup career, Prometey Slobozhanske veteran center Ondrej Balvin not only led his team to a resounding 105-82 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca, but also earned his first MVP of the Round honor in six seasons in the competition. Balvin scored 10 of his career-high 23 points in a key third quarter that paved the way for Prometey's win. For the night, Balvin was perfect 6-for-6 on two-pointers and 2-for-2 on threes while making 5 of his 6 free throws. Along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Balvin accumulated a career-best performance index rating of 34, the highest among players whose teams won in Round 8.

With the best performance of his 7DAYS EuroCup career, Prometey Slobozhanske veteran center Ondrej Balvin not only led his team to a resounding 105-82 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca, but also earned his first MVP of the Round honor. Balvin scored 10 of his career-high 23 points in a key third quarter that paved the path for Prometey's win.

Ondrey Balvin | Round 8 MVP | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

The highest PIR in Round 8 belonged to Marco Spissu of Umana Reyer Venice in a dramatic 90-87 loss against Joventut Badalona. Spissu had 27 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds for a PIR of 35. The next-best PIR, 33, belonged to Prometey's DJ Kennedy, who collected 23 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Yago Dos Santos had a PIR of 29 in ratiopharm Ulm's 110-98 win over Mincidelice Bourg en Bresse, finishing with 18 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds and 5 drawn fouls. Rounding out the list of Round 8's top performers were Jerian Grant of Turk Telekom Ankara and Andres Feliz of Joventut, each with an index rating of 28.

Round 8 MVP: Ondrej Balvin, Prometey Slobozhanske

Prometey Slobozhanske v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2022-12-14T17:00:00.000Z)

Congratulations to Kirill Hurmazov, who is the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge winner for Round 8! His team Slava Ukraine posted a score of 253.

The team featured the following lineup: team captain Ondrej Balvin of Prometey Slobozhanske, Zoran Dragic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Sam Dekker of London Lions, Isiaha Mike of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and D.J. Kennedy also of Prometey as starters; Patrick Richard of U-BT Cluj-Napoja as the sixth man; Ilimane Diop of Gran Canaria, Erkan Yilmaz of Turk Telekom Ankara, Luca Conti of Dolomiti Energia Trento and Kareem Queeley also of London as bench players; and Ronen Ginzburg of Prometey as head coach. The prize for finishing first in Round 8 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

Marisol R is the new leader atop the overall standings. Her team Zipper is ahead of everyone else with 1,410.4 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 9. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

The first game in Round 9, Promitheas Patras vs. Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv, is scheduled to tip off on Tuesday, December 20 at 19:30 CET, and thus marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 8 winner!

Nathan Sestina might be a new name for some 7DAYS EuroCup fans, but the first-year Turk Telekom Ankara forward is quickly making a name for himself in the competition. In his second start of the season on Tuesday evening, the 25-year-old scored a team-high 20 points as Turk Telekom blew out the London Lions 102-74 to go top of the Group B standings.

Not only were his shooting percentages impressive – he went 4-of-6 on two-pointers (66.7%), 3-of-8 from deep (37.5%) and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line (100.0%) – but he also stood out with his overall energy and hustle. Sestina finished the game with just 2 rebounds, his lowest tally of the season, but he recorded 3 steals and made life incredibly difficult for London with his constant movement on offense.

Nathan Sestina vs London Lions

It was a memorable night for Sestina, who set personal bests for PIR (20), points scored (20) and steals (3), yet the thing that will delight him most is the fact that his team now sits atop the rest in Group B. Speaking after the win against London, he recognized that the faith placed in him by his teammates and Turk Telekom's coaching staff is paying dividends:

"Individually \[I succeeded tonight by\] just trusting what I do each day and having the belief from the coaching staff and my teammates as well. They all believe in me and pump me up before the game. As a team, \[we succeeded by\] executing what Coach wants from start to finish. We had a bad first half last week, so we had to make sure that didn’t let that happen this week and just execute what Coach needs."

Sestina is averaging 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and a PIR of 10.8 in the opening eight games of the season, and if he continues to perform like he did on Tuesday night at Ankara Spor Salonu, he could play a decisive role in what should be a deep run for Turk Telekom in this year's EuroCup.

Sestina shined to help Turk Telekom go top of Group B

Turk Telekom Ankara v London Lions (2022-12-14T17:00:00.000Z)