U-BT Cluj-Napoca has completed a deal to sign Leonardo Meindl, the club announced on Friday.

Cluj inks forward Meindl

U-BT Cluj-Napoca has completed a deal to sign Leonardo Meindl, the club announced on Friday. Meindl (2.01 meters, 29 years old) joins from Fuenlabrada, where he averaged 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28 Spanish League games last season. He will make his 7DAYS EuroCup debut in the 2022-23 campaign.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marking it official here too! <a href="https://twitter.com/leomeindl23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@leomeindl23</a>, welcome to U BT family! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ubt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ubt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cluj?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cluj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/haideU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#haideU</a> <a href="https://t.co/bzywn3VO8U">pic.twitter.com/bzywn3VO8U</a></p>&mdash; U-BT Cluj-Napoca (@UBTCluj) <a href="https://twitter.com/UBTCluj/status/1558012100634632193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Meindl spent the first nine years of his professional career playing in his native Brazil, as he represented Franca, Bauru, Paulistano and Sao Paulo. In 2020, he signed for Fuenlabrada and then went on to feature in 64 games in the next two seasons. From his first year to his second with Fuenlabrada, Meindl was able to increase his scoring average from 11.0 points per game to 13.1. His assist numbers also increased, going from 1.5 per game in 2020-21 to 2.1 in 2021-22. Meindl is also a member of the Brazilian national team.

London Lions has roared again on the free-agent market with the signing of veteran big man [Tomislav Zubcic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tomislav-zubcic/LJP/) for the coming season. Zubcic (2.13 meters, 32 years old) arrives from Tofas Bursa, for which he averaged 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal in the Turkish League last season. He also recorded averages of 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the Basketball Champions League.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ZUBA! ✍️ <a href="https://twitter.com/TomislavZubcic7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomislavZubcic7</a> <br>We are very happy to confirm the signing of the talented big man with EuroCup experience - Tomislav Zubčić! 🇭🇷<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wearelondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wearelondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/londonlions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#londonlions</a> <a href="https://t.co/UCLn2PJhCH">pic.twitter.com/UCLn2PJhCH</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1557743642709745664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zubcic has taken part in five previous EuroCup seasons with three different teams: Cibona Zagreb and Cedevita Zagreb of his native Croatia, as well as Nizhny Novgorod of Russia. He has also played for Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius of Lithuania, Avtodor Saratov and Enisey of Russia, Oklahoma of the G League, Trabzonspor of Turkey, Telekom Bonn of Germany, Igokea of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Manresa of Spain. Zubcic has won five Croatian League titles, three with Cibona and two with Cedevita, from 2009 to 2015. He has also lifted the Croatian Cup three times.

London secures Zubcic for frontline

### Round 1: Battle of newcomers

London visits Hapoel Tel Aviv on October 11, becoming the third British team to take part in the competition. Brighton Bears was the maiden British squad in the EuroCup and went 4-6 in the 2003-04 campaign. In its last game, a 112-103 double-overtime home win against Cholet Basket, Randy Duck scored 49 points, which is still the competition’s all-time record. Guildford Heat took part in the 2007-08 EuroCup and bowed out with a 0-10 record. London starts a new journey at Tel Aviv’s Drive in Arena.

### Round 2: The EuroCup in London

The game between London and Dolomiti Energia Trento will be the first EuroCup contest played in London. The English capital hosted the 2013 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, in which Olympiacos Piraeus secured the continental crown. Trento failed to reach the knockout rounds last season and should be a tough opponent in the Lions' home opener at Copper Box.

### Round 9: Capital showdowns

From the moment that the 2022-23 EuroCup teams were announced, and considering there are just two regular-season groups, there was a lot of anticipation to see if London and Paris Basketball would land in the same group. It worked out that way, and they will meet each other at Copper Box on December 21. They also meet in both teams' regular-season finale in Round 18 in Paris!

### Round 15: A pivotal home stretch

Before that final game in Paris, London will have played three of its previous four games at home. Its only road game in almost two months should be against Slask Wroclaw, which qualified for the knockout rounds last season as one of the eighth-ranked squads. If London beats Slask, it may have a strong chance to qualify for the next round in its next two home games – against Promitheas Patras in Round 16 and Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 17.

By taking part in the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup, London Lions opens a new era for British basketball. Fully established as one of the teams to beat in the country, London won the British League in 2019 and ranked third last season. The club is set to play its home games at Copper Box Arena, giving 6,000 fans the chance to cheer for their team in this new adventure. There are many challenges and tough games to face throughout the regular season, and here are four big ones.

2022-23 Games to Watch: London Lions 

2022-23 Games to Watch: U-BT Cluj-Napoca

### Round 2: Utilizing home advantage

Cluj-Napoca welcomes Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana to BTarena in its first home game of the EuroCup season. Head coach Mihai Silvasan will be looking at this game as a chance to possibly build on his team's opening match, a road trip to take on Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. Given that Cluj-Napoca has another home game in Round 3, this is a perfect opportunity to get its home campaign off to a great start, although it will be tough against one of the EuroCup favorites.

### Round 10: Seizing an opportunity

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse was one of three teams that failed to make it into the playoffs in last year's EuroCup, so Cluj-Napoca will know that it is on the right track with a win. This is also the end of a back-to-back home stand for Cluj-Napoca, which means there is even more reason to place extra emphasis on this fixture. Come the end of the season, these two could be battling it out for one of the final places in the elimination rounds.

### Round 12: Sanders returns to Venice

Swingman Victor Sanders was one of Cluj-Napoca's additions this off-season. He joined after averaging 7.4 points, 1.6 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 16 EuroCup games for Umana Reyer Venice last season. Sanders will get the chance to return to Palasport Taliercio on January 24, as he looks to remind his former team of his talents. Expect Sanders to be a central figure for Cluj-Napoca in this one, particularly with the playoff race starting to heat up at this point in the campaign.

### Round 17: Facing an old friend

Last season saw Cluj-Napoca face Prometey Slobozhanske in the Basketball Champions League, with the Romanian team winning that game 81-92 on the road. Cluj-Napoca guard Patrick Richard tallied 19 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in the victory and he will have his sights set on a similar performance this time around. One player who was with Cluj-Napoca in the 2021-22 campaign and is now with Prometey is Dustin Hogue, so he will hope to once again be on the winning side. With this being Cluj-Napoca's penultimate game of the regular season – and its last at home – it will be determined to put on a show for the supporters at BTarena.

One of the new entrants to this year's 7DAYS EuroCup is U-BT Cluj-Napoca, which already has its sights set on securing a place in the playoffs. Ahead of the 2022-23 regular season, here are four games for Cluj-Napoca fans to circle in their calendars.

London Lions has completed the signing of [Tarik Phillip](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tarik-phillip/009649/), the club confirmed on Tuesday. Phillip (1.90 meters, 28 years old) spent the first half of last season with Umana Reyer Venice, with which he averaged 5.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in nine 7DAYS EuroCup matches. He then played for San Pablo Burgos of Spain in the second half of the campaign. Phillip represents Great Britain at the international level.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TARIK! ✍️ <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillipTarik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PhillipTarik</a><br>We are thrilled to confirm the signing of the GB International Tarik Phillip! 🇬🇧<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wearelondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wearelondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/londonlions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#londonlions</a> <a href="https://t.co/H8z3fC9025">pic.twitter.com/H8z3fC9025</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1557022641352912896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Phillip is entering his third season in the EuroCup, having made his competition debut with Tofas Spor Kulubu of Turkey in 2019-20. Across his 25 EuroCup appearances with Tofas and Reyer, he has averaged 9.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals. Phillip played college basketball in the United States with Independence Community College and West Virginia University, with his professional career beginning with Szolnoki Olajbanyasz of Hungary in 2017-18. In addition to Tofas, Reyer and San Pablo Burgos, he has also played for CB Clavijo of Spain, Memphis of the G League and Hapoel Jerusalem of Israel.

London tabs guard Phillip

### Round 1: Season tip-off

Buducnost is traditionally a tough home team, and it will surely try to use its home opener against Veolia Hamburg Towers to set the tone for the new EuroCup campaign. Buducnost and Hamburg have never played before and both teams have new head coaches and many new players, which is more of a reason they both want to leave a good impression from the opening tip.

 

### Round 4: A long-awaited London trip

This will be the 16th EuroCup season for Buducnost, which enters the season having played 182 games in the competition. However, Round 4 will see the club have something it has not done before, travel for a EuroCup game on British soil when it visits the London Lions. This is not the first time, however, that Buducnost travels to face a team from London; it happened twice the previous century and not in more than 20 years since Buducnost beat London Towers 88-95 in the 2000-01 EuroLeague.

Cameron Reynolds Top 2 Pts, 3 Pts of the 2021-22 Regular Season

2021-22 season highlights: Cameron Reynolds, Dolomiti Energia Trento

### Round 16: Reynolds returns to Trento

Buducnost has won each of its previous two road games in Trento and the team will hope to continue the trend in this late-season contest in which a win could be extra valuable. This game will also mark a return of Cameron Reynolds to Trento. He was the team's top scorer last season, averaging 13.0 points and 4.1 rebounds. Trento might have struggled in the EuroCup last season, but it will surely be a special occasion for Reynolds to see many familiar faces and friends.

 

### Round 17: Taking down Gran Canaria?

Buducnost and Gran Canaria have faced each other six times in EuroCup action entering this season and Gran Canaria has won each one of those games. A regular-season sweep last season included a 76-83 win at Moraca. This season, Buducnost will welcome Gran Canaria in its final home game of the regular season, which will likely carry significant playoff implications. Reason after reason not to miss this game.

Watch the Game Highlights from Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria, 12/15/2021

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs Herbalife Gran Canaria - Game Highlights_3914886.mp4

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica enters its latest 7DAYS EuroCup campaign with a new head coach, a revamped roster and a slate of games that will open some new and return to a few long-forgotten forefronts. Check out some of the games to watch on Buducnost’s schedule.

2022-23 Games to watch: Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

### Lietkabelis retools

Lietkabelis Panevezys was busy retooling its roster with a pair of Tuesday transfers. First came shooting guard [Kristian Kullamaee,](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/lietkabelis-lands-shooting-guard-kullamaee/) and a few hours later the signing of center [Benas Griciunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/lietkabelis-adds-center-griciunas/) was announced. Both are EuroCup newcomers. The former is the son of former EuroLeague player Gert Kullamaee and arrives from the Spanish League. The latter, a Lithuanian international at the junior levels, comes from Lithuanian side Neptunas Klaipeda.

### Buducnost makes Kaba its man inside

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica has a history of dominant bigs, with 2019 EuroLeague Rising Star Goga Bitadze and 2021 All-EuroCup First Team selection Willie Reed among the more recent stars. It believes that Turkish League MVP [Alpha Kaba ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/buducnost-signs-turkish-league-mvp-kaba/)will be the team’s next star in the paint after signing him to a two-year deal. The 26-year-old averaged 13.6 points on 61.5% two-point shooting, a league-best 10.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks in 31 games last season for Gaziantep.

### London makes some noise

The London Lions ensured its backcourt will have a local flavor with two moves. National team guard [Luke Nelson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/lions-land-london-born-guard-nelson/), who was born in London and raised in Worthing, signed up to return home from the French League on Wednesday. Two days later, home-grown [Bradley Kaboza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/london-locks-up-kaboza-on-4-year-deal/) penned a four-year deal to stay put. Two-thirds of the nine Lions under contract for next season have local ties, which means a lot to fans and the future of basketball in the British capital. Then, on Sunday evening, London confirmed the arrival of former NBA player [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/london-bolsters-frontcourt-with-dekker/). He will add valuable experience, as the team looks to go as far as possible in this year's EuroCup.

### Rookies with impact

Players without previous experience at the highest levels of Europe can be risky plays, but they also offer high rewards. ratiopharm Ulm and Promitheas Patras have placed their bets on high-upside forwards. Ulm signed power forward [Josh Hawley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ulm-tabs-hawley-at-power-forward/) to a two-year deal, and Promitheas netted small forward [Jericole Hellems](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/promitheas-brings-rookie-forward-hellems/) for the upcoming campaign. Hawley has played professionally in Georgia and Romania, where he had 11 double-doubles with CSU Craiova last season. Hellems will begin his pro career after playing four years of college basketball at North Carolina State University.

[The week in EuroCup signings: July 26 to 31](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/the-week-in-eurocup-signings-july-26-31/)

[The week in EuroCup signings: July 18 to 25](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/the-week-in-eurocup-signings-july-18-25/)

[The week in EuroCup signings: July 11 to 17](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/the-week-in-eurocup-signings-july-11-18/)

[The week in EuroCup signings: July 4 to 10](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/this-week-in-eurocup-signings-july-4-10/)

[The week in EuroCup signings: June 27 to July 4](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/this-week-in-eurocup-signings-june-26-july-4/)

The 7DAYS EuroCup’s teams are continuing to work hard to build strong squads ahead of the 2022-23 season, which is just two months away. Here are some of the most noteworthy EuroCup signings from the last week.

The week in EuroCup signings

London Lions added a serious weapon to the frontcourt by signing forward [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/sam-dekker/009672/), the club announced on Sunday. Dekker (2.02 meters, 28 years old) arrives from Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul, where he posted 13.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 18 Turkish League games last season. He started the season in the NBA with Toronto, but only made one appearance. Dekker returns to the competition where he made his European debut in the 2019-20 season, when he played for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and averaged 13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He has also played for Turk Telekom Ankara in Turkey.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">IT&#39;S OFFICIAL! ✍️ <a href="https://twitter.com/dekker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dekker</a> <br>We are very happy to confirm the signing of the talented forward with NBA &amp; EuroCup experience - Sam Dekker! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wearelondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wearelondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/londonlions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#londonlions</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/samdekker?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#samdekker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BritishBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BritishBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/gDvIdPOXj1">pic.twitter.com/gDvIdPOXj1</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1556294099040346114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Prior to that, Dekker spent four years in the NBA. His first two seasons were with Houston, his third was with the Los Angeles Clippers, and in the 2018-19 campaign he suited up for Cleveland and Washington. Before turning pro, he played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, posting 12.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

London bolsters frontcourt with Dekker

Gran Canaria finished the week with a bang by signing shooting guard [Vitor Benite](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/vitor-benite/007128/) for the coming season. Benite (1,94 meters, 34 years old) arrives from San Pablo Burgos, where he spent the past three seasons. He averaged 12.5 points last season and is a career 39.9% three-point shooting in the Spanish League. Benite returns to the 7DAYS EuroCup after playing for Cedevita Zagreb in the 2018-19 season. He also played the 2016-17 EuroCup with UCAM Murcia. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🖊 OFICIAL | El Gran Canaria ficha a Vítor Benite.<br><br>▪ El experimentado exterior brasileño se incorpora a la disciplina claretiana.<br><br>👀 <a href="https://t.co/FJvLs4nwLD">https://t.co/FJvLs4nwLD</a> <a href="https://t.co/ljg32ZzEwF">pic.twitter.com/ljg32ZzEwF</a></p>&mdash; CB Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1555609414429704198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Benite began his career with Pinheiros in his native Brazil and also played for Franca, Limeira and Flamengo before coming overseas to play for Murcia in 2015. He helped San Pablo Burgos win back-to-back Basketball Champions League crowns in 2020 and 2021 and was the Final Eight MVP in the second of those triumphs. Benite won the Brazilian League three times with Flamengo and also lifted the 2014 Intercontinental Cup. He won the gold medal with Brazil at the 2015 Pan American Games and the silver at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship.