Dolomiti Energia Trento rekindled its hopes of reaching the EuroCup knockout rounds after coming out on top 85-80 at home over Veolia Towers Hamburg in a gripping rollercoaster. Forward Mattia Udom paced the hosts with 18 points and Diego Flaccadori poured in 15, while Luca Conti added 14 and Drew Crawford chipped in with 11.

James Woodard netted a game-high 23 points but his valiant solo effort was not enough to give Hamburg a second successive win. Marvin Clark scored 14 points for the visitors, Ziga Samar contributed 12, Lukas Meisner 11 and Seth Hinrichs 10. The outcome lifted Trento to a 2-6 record in Group B while Hamburg dropped to 3-5.

Game News

Trento raced into a 7-0 lead in the opening 90 seconds but Hamburg replied with a 14-2 run that forced the home team’s coach Emanuele Molin to call a timeout. Hamburg kept its momentum going and engineered a 20-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter on the back of 11 points from Woodard.

The guard capped it with a three-pointer on the buzzer and Hamburg was still in the driving seat in the latter stages of the second quarter as Hinrichs sank a three-pointer to give them a 33-28 lead. Trento’s revival started with a pair of successive long-range efforts by Conti and the home team appeared set to take a slender halftime lead into the locker room before Woodard buried a long three-pointer on the buzzer, with Hamburg nosing ahead 42-41.

Game Videos

However, Woodard’s offense dried up after the break and Trento got a grip on the game as Flaccadori and Conti found their range while Udom tormented Hamburg from all angles, mixing shots from downtown with a powerful slam dunk.

Trento never looked back after a 19-8 run late in the third and early in the fourth quarter turned a 53-57 deficit into a 72-65 advantage, with a three-pointer from Udom sealing the home side’s win as it romped to an 82-73 lead. Hamburg launched one last onslaught in the dying minutes of the game but Trento held on thanks to cool free-throw shooting.

Trento revives hopes with 85-80 win over Hamburg

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2022-12-13T19:00:00.000Z)

### [Frutti Extra Bursaspor 75-69 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/frutti-extra-bursaspor-7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys/U2022/72/)

Bursaspor overcame an early dip to lock down its defense the rest of the way and take a 75-69 victory over visiting Lietkabelis, breaking their tie in the Group A standings. Down 16-22 after the visitors' 0-11 first-quarter run, Bursaspor outscored Lietkabelis 36-21 in the middle quarters to take over the game and raise its record to 5-3, good for at least a piece of third place in the group standings. Onuralp Bitim led the winners with 18 points while Anthony Clemmons and Zach Auguste supplied 14 each, and Dave Dudzinski scored 12 . Kristian Kullamae posted 15 points and Gyorgy Goloman 12 for Lietkavelis, whose record fell to 4-4.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Evimizde taraftarımızın müthiş desteğiyle önemli bir galibiyet alıyoruz! ✅<br><br>🏀 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSEuroCup</a> | 8. Hafta | Maç Sonucu<br><br>Frutti Extra Bursaspor 75-69 BC Lietkabelis <a href="https://t.co/zNqn5JpBPR">pic.twitter.com/zNqn5JpBPR</a></p>&mdash; Frutti Extra Bursaspor (@BsBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BsBasketbol/status/1602740249876103168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv 103-73 Slask Wroclaw](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/hapoel-vegan-friendly-tel-aviv-slask-wroclaw/U2022/78/)

Hapoel led from start to finish as it got back to winning ways by downing the winless Slask Wroclaw 103-73 at Shlomo Group Arena. Hapoel took control of the game from the get-go en route to a victory that snapped its three-game losing streak and improved its record to 4-4 in Group B. Slask dropped to 0-8 on the season. Hapoel had a balanced offense paced by Jordan McRae who had 15 points and 7 assists amd Adam Ariel, who netted 17 points on 5-for-8 three-point shooting. Ivan Ramljak had 14 points for Slask. In the penultimate minute of the second quarter, Hapoel playmaker J'Covan Brown suffered a concussion after colliding with a Slask player and was taken off the floor on a stretcher. 

 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">זה בשבילך, ג&#39;ייקובן!<br><br>הפועל חוזרת לנצח ביורוקאפ, תודה לקהל האדום, נסיעה בטוחה הביתה והחלמה מהירה לג&#39;ייקובן❤️ <a href="https://t.co/Mc5YNOz0N7">pic.twitter.com/Mc5YNOz0N7</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC/status/1602752432227901442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Dolomiti Energia Trento 85-80 Veolia Hamburg Towers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/dolomiti-energia-trento-veolia-towers-hamburg/U2022/79/)

Trento rekindled its hopes of reaching the EuroCup knockout rounds after coming out on top 85-80 at home over Hamburg in a gripping rollercoaster. Forward Mattia Udom paced the hosts with 18 points and Diego Flaccadori poured in 15. James Woodard netted a game-high 23 points but his valiant solo effort was not enough to give Hamburg a second successive win. The outcome lifted Trento to a 2-6 record in Group B while Hamburg dropped to 3-5.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BIG TEAM WIN! 🖤🦅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeDieHard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeDieHard</a> <a href="https://t.co/aYxaAFmJa8">pic.twitter.com/aYxaAFmJa8</a></p>&mdash; Dolomiti Energia Trento (@AquilaBasketTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AquilaBasketTN/status/1602770702817546243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Gran Canaria 79-71 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/gran-canaria-buducnost-voli-podgorica/U2022/80/)

Gran Canaria moved to the top of the Group B standings after edging past Buducnost 79-71 at Gran Canaria Arena, although it had to rely on an extra period to do so. This victory improved Gran Canaria to 6-2, while Buducnost dropped to 5-3. In a very tight game, the hosts relied on 16 points from John Shurna to come away with the win. Andrew Albicy also contributed 12 points for Gran Canaria. For Buducnost, Alpha Kaba had a team-high 14 points to go with 8 rebounds.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ro" dir="ltr">🏀 Final:<br><br>🐥 Gran Canaria 79<br>🔹 Buducnost VOLI 71<br><br>🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosGranca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosGranca</a> <a href="https://t.co/jYu6qDEeLI">pic.twitter.com/jYu6qDEeLI</a></p>&mdash; CB Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1602790065503092736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game Center: Clean sweep for home teams on Tuesday

Frutti Extra Bursaspor v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2022-12-13T17:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Slask Wroclaw (2022-12-13T17:30:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2022-12-13T20:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv led from start to finish as it got back to winning ways by downing the winless Slask Wroclaw 103-73 on Tuesday night. Hapoel took control of the game from the get-go en route to a victory that snapped its three-game losing streak and improved its record to 4-4 in Group B. Slask dropped to 0-8 on the season.

Hapoel had a balanced offense pace by Jordan McRae who had 15 points and 7 assists. Adam Ariel netted 17 on 5-for-8 three-point shooting, JP Tokoto and Xavier Munford scored 13 apiece and Tomer Ginat had 12 plus 8 rebounds in a winning effort. Ivan Ramljak had 14 points for Slask, Kodi Justice finished with 11 and Jeremiah Martin with 10 in the loss.

Hapoel opened the game with a 9-2 run to take control right away. Martin scored 8 points in the first 5 minutes for the visitors, but Hapoel needed just over 6 minutes to open a double-digit margin, 22-10, with J'Cowan Brown running its offense and Tokoto taking over inside and scoring 11 first-quarter points. The visitors got a spark early in the second quarter as Justice and Mikolaj Adamczak each hit a triple to cut the margin to 35-27, but the hosts answered with 10 unanswered points that featured a three-pointer apiece from Munford and Brown, and Hapoel took a 52-31 cushion into halftime. In the penultimate minute of the second quarter, Brown suffered a concussion after colliding with a Slask player and was taken off the floor on a stretcher. 

After the break, the teams traded blows as Hapoel kept its big lead safe. Artsiom Parkahouski and Martin cut it to 59-42, but Chinanu Onuaku and McRae fueled another run from Hapoel, as the margin increased to 24 points, 73-49. The hosts closed out the game in the fourth, cruising to their fourth win.

Hapoel blows past Slask, 103-73

### Dusan Alimpijevic, Bursaspor head coach

"For sure, every win is important. Tomorrow, this win will be already passed, so every win is important. But I must also say that if Lietkabelis had won that game, it would have been well deserved. They played a very good game. We made a lot of mistakes, and they did not punish all of them, so they could also have won this game. They played good, and I wish them and their coach luck in the future."

### Nenad Canak, Lietkabelis head coach

"We were not unlucky. Once again, congratulations to Bursa. We didn't adapt to their physical game, we made too many turnovers, and we paid for it. We must get ready for the next game."

### Onuralp Bitim, Bursaspor player

"I am happy because we won. That's the only result I care about, to be honest. It's good to score, assist and rebound, because that means I can help my team. But it's not only about stats. Today I missed some shots that I normally make, but it doesn't matter because we won, and I will go to sleep with my happiest face today."

Sed id volutpat purus, non fringilla turpis. Proin et dolor tortor. Maecenas ut aliquet arcu. Integer eu volutpat nisi, in luctus augue. Phasellus vel elit cursus, dignissim tortor in, pretium ante. Morbi varius at urna ultricies egestas. Suspendisse dui ligula, interdum non lectus eu, semper gravida nibh. Pellentesque bibendum lacus enim. Nulla aliquet, tortor at consectetur porttitor, est nisi hendrerit dolor, vitae ullamcorper diam arcu a arcu. Suspendisse eu vulputate sapien. Praesent ut elit nec nulla imperdiet placerat vel eu neque. Praesent porttitor felis non ante rutrum, sed tincidunt augue pulvinar. Morbi id urna in nunc dignissim luctus.

Onuralp Bitim, Bursaspor: 'I will go to sleep with my happiest face'

Frutti Extra Bursaspor overcame an early dip to lock down its defense the rest of the way and take a 75-69 victory over visiting 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, breaking their tie in the Group A standings.

Down 16-22 after the visitors' 0-11 first-quarter run, Bursaspor outscored Lietkabelis 36-21 in the middle quarters to take over the game and raise its record to 5-3, good for at least a piece of third place in the group standings. Onuralp Bitim led the winners with 18 points while Anthony Clemmons and Zach Auguste supplied 14 each, and Dave Dudzinski scored 12 . Kristian Kullamae posted 15 points and Gyorgy Goloman 12 for Lietkavelis, whose record fell to 4-4.


Triples by Derek Needham, Clemmons and Bitim sent Bursaspor ahead 10-4, but Goloman scored 6 points as the visitors surged on a 0-11 run to lead 10-15. Lietkabelis widened the gap to 12-20 before Yigitcan Saybir cut the difference for Bursaspor to 16-22 after 10 minutes. Dudzinski took over early in the second quarter with dunks and putbacks to keep it close enough for Auguste to tie and Needham to flip the lead on the three-point play, 29-26. Dudzinski soon struck from the corner at 34-29, but the visitors stuck like glue on the way to a 36-35 halftime score.

Clemmons and Auguste kept Bursaspor a step ahead until Needham opened a 46-41 advantage from deep midway through the third quarter. Bursaspor's defense gave Lietkabelis fits as free throws by Dudzinski and Ahmet Duverioglu supplied the game's high lead until then and Saybir extended it to double digits, 56-46, with a tip-in on the third-quarter buzzer. Gabrielus Maldunas and Kristian Kullamae quickly pulled Lietkabelis within 57-53 before Bitim and Clemmons replied from long range at 65-56 entering the final five minutes. Mantas Rustavicius hit free throws and Vytenis Lipkevicius a triple as Lietkabelis stayed within 65-61 but Auguste made sure with baskets and free throws down the stretch to keep the victory at home.

Bursaspor holds off Lietkabelis, 75-69

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse is in the middle of a season-to-season turnaround. After missing the 7DAYS EuroCup Playoffs last season, Bourg started this one with a bang, as both the last team to lose a game and owner of the best record at present, 6-1. Bourg did a great job scouting new players who are hungry to do well at this level. One of them is James Palmer Jr., who has been unstoppable lately. Palmer is averaging 16.0 points and a PIR of 16.7 this season, but boosted those numbers to 22.0 points, 6.0 fouls drawn and a PIR of 24.7 in his team's last three games. Palmer and his teammates focus on the next game always, and he credits that day-to-day mentality with helping the team. "We started off the season with some goals, and you try to come through each and every night you step on the floor," he told [EuroCupBasketball.com](http://EuroCupBasketball.com). "So we knew last year that they didn't do so good and we just tried to change that coming into this year."

**James, you've scored 20 or more points in three straight games. Did you need time to adjust to the EuroCup, or has it been a logical progresison within the season?** 

"I think it's a little bit of both, me adjusting and me getting comfortable with the our style of play, just getting better each game within the season. So I think I am getting comfortable with each game and obviously showing it on the court." 

**Your last road win was against Joventut Badalona, in tough place to win. How important was that for Bourg?**

"We came out hard, with a lot of intensity, and we were laser-focused. They have a lot of good players who can make plays, one to four, and a lot of shooters. They are a great team, but we just came out, tried to land the first punch and stayed with it. And we came out with a win." 

**Coach Fauthoux was a EuroLeague-level playmaker. How important is he and his pass-first mentality to the team's success?** 

"Very important. He always emphasizes sharing the ball and moving the ball to make sure everybody gets touches. So that's what we try to do in implementing our offense. And we do a good job of that for the most part. He's definitely a players' coach, and I love that." 

"[Coach Fauthoux] is definitely a players' coach, and I love that"

**Of course, to pass the ball you need good point guards. How do you enjoying playing with Axel Julien and Hugo Benitez?** 

"I love my point guards. Like you said, we have Hugo and Axel, but we also have Frantz Massenat, who can play the point. I can play the point and \[Jordan\] Floyd can play the point. So we have a lot of people who can play as playmaking scorers and make plays for others. So we have a lot of guys that are willing passers. Hugo is a good young dude. He's up and coming. He likes to work and works hard on his game. And it's showing each and every game he gets better." 

**All three Bourg newcomers – you, Isiaha Mike and Jordan Floyd  – are EuroCup newcomers and around the same age. It looks like you jelled right away, right?** 

"We all kind of clicked right away, you know, just hanging with each other off the court, on the court, and just getting to know each other every day."

**You've had games with 9 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists. You are also hitting 43% of your three-point shots. How would you define yourself as a player?**

"Yes, I would say I am a pretty all-around player. I can do a little bit of everything, score, playmaking, rebound. Whatever it takes for the team to win, I'm willing to do it. I work on my all-around game in the summer. Last year in the Champions League, I shot like 45% (three-pointers) and in the Polish League it was like 43%, so it's not nothing new that I can shoot."

Palmer averages 16.0 points, 3.7 fouls drawn and a PIR of 16.7 this season, but boosted his those numbers up to 22.0 points, 6.0 fouls drawn and a PIR of 24.7 in his team's last three games.

2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup highlights: James Palmer, Bourg

**This is your first EuroCup season. How do you like the competition and its playing level?** 

"Honestly, it's all basketball to me. At the end of the day, we've all got to lace up our shoes, go out there and play. There's great competition in the EuroCup, but I just have to think of it as another game."

**After being eliminated in last year's regular season, Bourg is 6-1, the best record in the competition. Did you expect that success right away?** 

"We start off the season with some goals, and you try to come through them each and every night you step on the floor. So we knew last year that they didn't do so good and we just tried to change that coming into this year. We just taking the game by game, staying humble, working hard. Each game, we just trying to come out with a win."

**What would be a successful EuroCup season for Bourg?** 

"A successful season would be trying to win the championship. That is our goal. We are just trying to win the championship, make the playoffs and see what can happen. It's a long road down there for now, man. I'm just taking it one day at a time. I won't try to think too far back or think too far ahead. Right now, I'm just focused on our next opponent."

James Palmer, Bourg: 'We all kind of clicked right away'

Round 8 gets underway tonight, which means that the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season has almost reached its halfway point. That means there are fewer and fewer sleepers to fin in EuroCup Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime. As always, three trades are allowed before each round and you can also trade your head coach, too. We took a look at stats and injuries to come up with these Fantasy Challenge recommendations for the week:

**James Palmer Jr, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (11.6 credits) –** Bourg has the best record in the competition at 6-1, which is already attractive enough due to the 10% bonus added to any player whose team wins. Palmer has been sensational, too, averaging 22.0 points, 6.0 fouls drawn and a PIR of 24.7 in his team's last three games.

**Xavier Munford, Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv (12.1 credits) –** Munford has been a little bit under the radar, as his backcourt teammate J'Covan Brown earned MVP of the Round honors. Munford, however, has stepped up in recent games, getting a PIR of 27 in consecutive games against Gran Canaria and Buducnost. A solid choice.

James Palmer Jr., Xavier Munford, Karlo Matkovic, Pau Ribas and Dj Kennedy are featured in this week's article.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge tips: Round 8

**Karlo Matkovic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (7.9 credits) –** Olimpija returned to winning ways partly because of Matkovic's stellar performance. He didn't play until Round 6 but since then, Matkovic is averaging 14.5 points in 70.0% shooting, 8.0 rebounds and a PIR of 19.5 in less than 22 minutes on the floor. 

**Pau Ribas, Joventut Badalona (10.7 credits) –** At age 35, Ribas is not showing signs of slowing down at all. In the last four games, Ribas is averaging 12.5 points on 75.0% two-point and 43.8% three-point shooting plus 3.8 assists for a PIR of 17.5. A two-time EuroCup champion, Ribas is aiming for his third crown. 

**D.J. Kennedy, Prometey Slobozhanske (12.3 credits) –** After an up and down start, Kennedy has stepped up big in the last three games, averaging 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.3 steals and a PIR of 21.0. In other words, Kennedy has been doing a little bit of everything, and that's good for Fantasy Challenge managers.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge tips: The hottest tickets! 

Germani Brescia has signed small forward Ryan Taylor for the remainder of the season. Taylor (1.98 meters, 27 years old) arrives from Greek club Apollon Patras, where he's averaged 15.7 points on 51.6% three-point shooting and 5.9 rebounds this season. He has previously played for Iraklis in Greece, Canterbury in New Zealand, and Santa Cruz in the G-League. Taylor will make his 7DAYS EuroCup debut with Brescia.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">𝖶𝖤𝖫𝖢𝖮𝖬𝖤 𝖳𝖮 𝖡𝖱𝖤𝖲𝖢𝖨𝖠, 𝖱𝖸𝖠𝖭 𝖳𝖠𝖸𝖫𝖮𝖱 ❗️✨<br><br>C&#39;è una nuova pedina nello scacchiere della Germani: lo statunitense, proveniente dall&#39;Apollon Patrasso, è alla sua prima esperienza nel campionato italiano<a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/DreamBig?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#DreamBig</a><a href=https://t.co/NUrLzbOiF5>https://t.co/NUrLzbOiF5</a></p>&mdash; Pallacanestro Brescia (@LeonessaBrescia) <a href=https://twitter.com/LeonessaBrescia/status/1602000047406985217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset="utf-8"></script>

Brescia inks sweet-shooting small forward Taylor

**Reigning 7DAYS EuroCup champion Amar Alibegovic checks in from Ljubljana, Slovenia, to tell us about his basketball journey this season. Alibegovic, now playing for Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, is a member of a very distinguished basketball family. His father Teo was a European basketball superstar who helped ALBA Berlin win the Korac Cup title in 1995. His brothers Mirza and Denis are basketball players as well, as is his cousin Luka Garza, with Iowa of the G League. After a four-year stint at St John's University, Alibegovic started his professional basketball career with Virtus Roma and also played for Virtus Segafredo Bologna, where he won the Italian League title in 2021 and the EuroCup in 2022. Alibegovic is ready to give his opinion about Cedevita and the EuroCup as the season goes along in his [EuroCupBasketball.com](http://EuroCupBasketball.com) blog! **

First things first, we really needed that first EuroCup last week win after six consecutive losses. I think this was a very, very important win for us, especially after this, let's say, frustrating start for us. Because it was frustrating. Nobody likes losing, of course, but I think the way we lost and the way this season started isn't really showcasing our team, our individuals and our organization the right way. So I think this was almost like a statement win for us, to show that we can be better and we can show it on the court. We took off this big load of pressure but at the same time, when you start that bad like we did, one win isn't going to cut it, you know? So we wanted this one but the focus goes onto the next game right away. Our next EuroCup game is against Brescia. We will be ready to go and keep playing with the same energy and give 110% of what we have because we have to make up for some lost time.

"We are starting now to get on the same page"

We play at home again and that is going to help us all so much. It is also December, so a lot of fans are going to come out and already this last game they showed they can give us this edge, this energy. And I think if we prove to them that we're going to give it all we've got, more people are going to come, the atmosphere is just going to be better, and we will play with even more energy thanks to them. After starting 0-6, winning the first one like this and then getting a chance to prove ourselves at home again to maybe win two in a row, which is the goal, would be great. 

Our fans sold out Stozice Arena in some EuroCup games last season, so we know this can happen again. I think the biggest thing is, for us as a team and as players, to show how much it means to us. And I think once the fans and the people start seeing that energy and look in our eyes, everyone is going to show up just like they did last year. I remember the atmosphere, it was really amazing; they had sellouts and this huge, huge Stozice. I can't wait for that time to come because I know it will. 

Amar Alibegovic Top Plays of the 2022-23 Regular Season

2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup season highlights: Amar Alibegovic, Cedevita

This is my first season as a EuroCup champion, but I know I have to keep working hard and that is the most important thing. Since I came back from college -- fun fact -- the first year I won the Italian second division, the second year was the COVID year, then the third year I won the Italian championship and then the fourth year I won the EuroCup and the Italian SuperCup. So it's a streak that I have going, and it is definitely shaping me as a player. I have been blessed enough to be part of winning teams, and that is definitely putting my mentality in the right way, where you give something up for the guy next to you and always willing to be a part of a winning team, looking maybe a little less individually and a little more towards the team. I think that's a really important thing for us, especially considering how much talent we have on this team. We are starting now to get on the same page. If everyone keeps working in the same direction, I think we are going to be very, very good. 

As you probably know, my father played for Olimpija in the past, too. I also played for Virtus and already kind of followed his footsteps because he played for Fortitudo. So when I played for Virtus, I got a lot of hate and a lot of love at the same time, you know? But what I like is that I'm making my own choices. I'm making my own path and starting from that choice of Bologna to now coming to Slovenia; I'm the one that makes this choice. Of course, I listen to all of the advice my Dad has for me, but at the same time, at the end of the day, I make my own choices and I have the freedom to do that, and I'm very happy for my choice. Even though we started maybe not the best way, I know this is the right place for me to be and the right place for me to grow as a player and individual. 

I had never lived in Ljubljana before now but I visited the city a lot of times because my Dad's family is here, my cousins are here, and I'm happy to come here and see all of them again. It had been way too long since I got to do that, with my career taking me here and there, so I'm very, very happy to be close to that side of the family; it just feels good. I am also pretty close to home in Udine, which is like an hour and a half away. So geographically, it's very nice. Of course, the city is beautiful and I'm very satisfied with that, and basketball-wise this is another team with great tradition. For me, it has to be the right balance between luck and knowing what club to choose, starting from Virtus Roma, which had amazing history. Of course, Virtus Bologna and now Olimpija, all of these clubs have great history and great tradition. I think it helps even more to give it all I got. Of course, that is my job as a player but at the same time, when I see how much it means to these clubs and these organizations, it definitely helps me bring out even that 110%. 

"This is another team with great tradition"

What works for us now is definitely taking it one game at a time. I would say the same if we were 6-1 or 7-0 in the standings. At the same time, I think it is very important for us to keep this energy to look for a playoffs spot. We have the talent, the players and the ability on offense and defense to compete with anyone in the EuroCup, really. First of all, though, we have to take care of business now and give it all we've got to try and win as many games as we can. And then when we lock in this playoff spot, anything can happen from there. 

Even though we had this like slow start, I'm just glad that we, as a team, were able to weather through the storm because now I think we are going to be able to start playing the right way and showing what we can do. The style of basketball we play is very fun, it is very up and down, very fast and especially for the fans, it's fun to watch. Again, it wasn't our best start, but I don't think they should worry because we are going to be bringing everything we got, giving all we have on the court, fighting and playing for them. It's all up to us, the players, to show them that we are going to give it all we got. If we start winning games now, it will be a comeback story, so it is time to show what we were brought in for it. This puzzle that was put together can really work, and I'm very confident because I think we are playing better in every game. Our team can really show that we are here to compete and win games!