Veteran guard [Daniel Hackett](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/daniel-hackett/001844/) joined Virtus Segafredo Bologna from CSKA Moscow just before the signing deadline in early March and brought exactly what the team needed with his warrior mentality.

[One](http://mentality.One) of the top defenders on the continent, Hackett's perimeter on-ball pressure was just what the doctor ordered for Virtus. It led to a transformation of the team’s defense, which allowed 85.1 points before Hackett's arrival, but dropped that to just 71.0 points in nine games with Hackett in the lineup.

Daniel Hackett Top Plays from 01/01/2022 to 05/30/2022

Tribute to the champs Daniel Hackett s top moments of the season_5847432.mp4

Hackett played 24:22 minutes per game in Virtus uniform this season and assumed a starting role in his second game with the team. It did not take long for the veteran to contribute offensively, too. Between Round 16 and the semifinal, a span of six games – all of which Virtus won, the 34-year-old averaged 9.7 points on remarkable 10-for-17 (58.8%) three-point shooting, while also posting 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

Perhaps, no better game personifies what Hackett brought to Virtus than the EuroCup Finals. In the 80-67 title-clinching win over Frutti Extra Bursaspor, Hackett finished with just 1 point in 22 minutes on the floor. However, he had a performance index rating of 10 thanks to his 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 drawn fouls, and despite the lack of offensive contribution, Hackett finished the night with a +/- of 13, a game-high. With that triumph, Hackett also joined the select company of players who have both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup titles to their names.

Tribute to the Champs: Daniel Hackett

Daniel Hackett - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Daniel Hackett - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Daniel Hackett - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - Final practices in Bologna - EC21

Daniel Hackett - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-QF

Daniel Hackett - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-RS17

7DAYS EuroCup champion Virtus Segafredo Bologna took a commanding 2-0 lead over Bertram Derthona Basket Tortona in the Italian league semifinals with a 91-70 home win on Sunday. 

Domestic leagues: Virtus takes 2-0 lead in Italian semis

The visitors held 52-62 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Justin Cobbs opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer before Filip Barovic scored 8 points to cut the deficit to 65-66. Back-to-back three-pointers from Marko Jagodic Kuridza and Petar Popovic sparked a 10-0 run that put Buducnost up 77-70 with 1:50 to go, completing the comeback. Jagodic Kuridza and Barovic led the way with 14 points apiece, Cobbs netted 13 and Popovic 11 points in a victory.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🔵🔵🔵🔵<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ajmoplavobijeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ajmoplavobijeli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKB</a> <a href="https://t.co/qFEjz1z3aY">pic.twitter.com/qFEjz1z3aY</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1531332093489340425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica won the first game of the best-of-five Montenegrin League final series by coming back from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to beat Mornar Bar 83-76.

Domestic leagues: Buducnost rallies to win Montenegrin finals opener

Filip Barovic - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Buducnost) - EC21

Young guard Alessandro Pajola had his finest season yet for Virtus Segafredo Bologna providing top-notch playmaking and staunch defense all season long on their run to the title.

Tribute to the Champs: Alessandro Pajola

Young guard [Alessandro Pajola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/alessandro-pajola/006739/) had his finest season yet for Virtus Segafredo Bologna providing top-notch playmaking and staunch defense all season long on their run to the title.

Pajola, 22, opened the season as Virtus’s starting point guard and he posted impressive numbers in 13 games in that role. He started the season with a 10-point, 7-assist effort against eventual finalist Frutti Extra Bursaspor on opening night and followed that with 5 assists and 6 steals against ratiopharm Ulm a week later. Pajola averaged 6.2 points, 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals and just 1.5 turnovers for an average PIR of 9.1 as the starter.

Tribute to the Champs Alessandro Pajola

His role changed with the midseason addition of former EuroLeague champion Daniel Hackett. Pajola saw a reduction in minutes as he started to come off the bench, but his heady play and tough-as-nails defense ensured a key role in Coach Scariolo’s rotation. In Virtus’s four elimination round games, Pajola averaged 16:09 minutes and posted a 13-to-2 assist to turnover ratio, including 6 assists without any turnovers in the final against Bursaspor. 

 

For the season, Pajola was second on the team in assists (3.9 apg.) behind only EuroCup-leader Milos Teodosic and third in steals (1.1 spg.). His aggressive defense led to 60 fouls committed, which was sixth-most in the competition. Pajola was a major force for Virtus all season and a big role in the team’s march to the EuroCup crown. 

Alessandro Pajola - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21

Alessandro Pajola - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21-Final

Alessandro Pajola celebrates - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21

Alessandro Pajola - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21

Alessandro Pajola - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Larry Langer - Ulm) - EC21

Bourg announced Fauthoux as new coach

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse started a new project for the 2022-23 season early with the announcement that Frederic Fauthoux will serve as head coach for the next two seasons. Fauthoux, 49, arrives from LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, where he was an assistant coach the last two seasons.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Frédéric Fauthoux, nouveau coach de la JL Bourg ✍🏻<br><br>En quête d’un nouvel homme fort pour conduire l’effectif bressan, la direction du club a décidé d’accorder sa confiance à l’actuel pensionnaire du club voisin, LDLC ASVEL. Bienvenue à toi, Freddy ! 👋<br><br>➕<a href="https://t.co/11ynRY3qaa">https://t.co/11ynRY3qaa</a> <a href="https://t.co/T3k9t29jXt">pic.twitter.com/T3k9t29jXt</a></p>&mdash; JL Bourg Basket (@JLBourgBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket/status/1531193012675612678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Fauthoux was a legend for Pau-Orthez, where he played from 1990 to 2007 and won seven French League titles. He was also a member of the French national team, with whom he won bronze at EuroBasket 2005. Fauthoux made his coaching debut in 2012 with Elan Pau-Nord Est, where he coached until 2015. He then moved to Metropolitans 92 from 2015 to 2020. He started there as an assistant to Antoine Rigaudeu and became the head coach in December 2015.

Sasheed Sulaimon - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) 

Hugo Benitez - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) 

Calvin Harris JR - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) 

Axel Julien - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Gran Canaria)

Jalen Jones - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus)

Jacorey Williams - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg)

Maxime Roos - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) 

Pierre Pelos - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg)

Erik Mika - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg)

Jacorey Williams - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) 

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse finished its 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup campaign. Check this Slide Show with its best 10 pictures! 

Top 10 Photos of the 2021-22 Season: Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse

7DAYS EuroCup champion Virtus Segafredo Bologna took a commanding 2-0 lead over Bertram Derthona Basket Tortona in the Italian league semifinals with a 91-70 home win on Sunday. After falling behind early, Virtus held Derthona to 9 second-quarter points and outscored its opponent 52-29 in the middle-two quarters to take control of the game and series.

Milos Teodosic scored 17 points in 18 minutes to lead the Virtus attack, Toko Shengelia added 13 points and Nico Mannion and Amedeo Tessitori contributed 10 points apiece. Eleven different Virtus made a basket and nine players dished an assist. J.P. Macura scored 18 in defeat for Derthona.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">2️⃣-0️⃣<br>“Tutti i giocatori con la faccia giusta…” 😉<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WatchUs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WatchUs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TuttoUnAltroSport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TuttoUnAltroSport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LBAPlayoff2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LBAPlayoff2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/2Cdxzs3oZ5">pic.twitter.com/2Cdxzs3oZ5</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@Virtusbo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virtusbo/status/1531018848165670914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Zvezda survives stiff Partizan challenge to charge in Adriatic finals

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade survived a late Partizan NIS Belgarde challenge to win 85-81 and take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Adriatic League finals series. Zvezda scored 29 points first-quarter points in taking a double-digit lead and led 47-40 at halftime. Partizan rallied to lead twice in the fourth quarter, but Zvezda answered through Nikola Kalinic triples and held on late to win.

Kalninic led all scorers with 25 points, Luka Mitrovic scored 14, Nikola Ivanovic 12 and Austin Hollins. Nate Wolters also dished 8 assists for the winners. Aleksa Avramovic paced the Partizan attack with 21 points and 4 steals, Mathias Lessort added 18, Dallas Moore 14 and Zach LeDay 11. Zvezda will try to sweep the series in Game 3 on Wednesday.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Kraj meča. Crvena zvezda vodi 2:0 u seriji. Treći meč je na programu u sredu, a domaćin je <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ABALiga?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ABALiga</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abaplayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#abaplayoffs</a> <a href="https://t.co/RbaYwoWEsl">pic.twitter.com/RbaYwoWEsl</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan NIS (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1531005802319953921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Niccolo Mannion - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21

Rafa Martinez announced Saturday that his professional career has come to an end. Martinez, age 40, retires as the only player to win the 7DAYS EuroCup title three times. 


7DAYS EuroCup great Rafa Martinez retires 

Martinez has also played more EuroCup games than anyone, 144, all of them with Valencia Basket, where he played for 11 seasons. He helped Valencia win three EuroCup titles in 2010, 2014 and 2019, and reach two other finals in 2012 and 2017. Martinez briefly led the EuroCup's all-time scoring list, and now ranks fourth overall with 1,240 points. He is second in three-point shots made (233), only trailing Jamar Smith (264). In those 144 EuroCup games, Martinez averaged 8.6 points, burying 41.1% of his three-point shots and 87.7% of his free throw attempts. 

Martinez played in Spain for his entire professional career. He started it with Basquet Manresa and also played for Valls before joining Valencia in 2008. Added to his EuroCup achievements, Martinez also helped Valencia reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs in 2011, as well as lifting the Spanish League trophy in 2017. After his 11 years with Valencia, Martinez went on to play for Bilbao Basket and Manresa, which he helped reach the BCL championship game this season. He ranks fourth in three-point shots made (885) in the Spanish League. 

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana took a 2-0 lead in the Slovenian League finals by downing Helios Suns 87-75 in the Slovenian capital on Sunday. 


Domestic leagues: Cedevita gets closer to Slovenian title

Cedevita is one win away from winning its second consecutive league title. Helios hosts Game 3 on Tuesday. Jaka Blazic, Alen Omic and Zoran Dragic led the winners with 14 points apiece. Omic added 12 rebounds for a double-double. Alen Hodzic added 12 points while Zach Auguste and Marko Radovanovic each had 10 for Cedevita, which outrebounded Helios by 50-34, pulling down 17 offensive boards. Leon Santelj led Helios with 18 points. Cedevita made 1 of its opening 20 three-point shots but Hodzic dynamited the game from beyond the arc in crunch time. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">ZMAGA! Le še korak do novega naslova državnega prvaka!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevoSrce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevoSrce</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LigaNovaKBM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LigaNovaKBM</a> <a href="https://t.co/QlTpgxkzSG">pic.twitter.com/QlTpgxkzSG</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (@KKCedOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL/status/1530596621788008449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Helios used an 0-8 run to get a 24-28 edge at the end of the first quarter. Radovanovic and Auguste stepped up for Cedevita and Blazic scored off a steal to tie the game, 47-47, at halftime. Dragic had 6 points in an 8-0 run that allowed Cedevita to get a 61-56 lead late in the third quarter. Helios bounced back and took the lead, 66-68, with over 9 minutes left. Auguste followed a dunk with a jumper, igniting a 17-2 run in which Hodzic struck three times from downtown to break the game open, 83-70, giving Cedevita full control of the game until the final buzzer. 

Alen Omic - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21-EF

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica booked a place in the Montenegrin League finals with a 61-73 win over city rival Podgorica, sweeping their best-of-three series. 

Domestic leagues: Buducnost into Montenegrin finals

Slask won the Polish League crown for the first time in 20 years after 90-77 win over Legia Warsaw in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series on Friday night. The most decorated basketball club in Poland, Slask won its 18th title with a 4-1 finals win. It was a rollercoaster-game in which Slask stormed out of the gates and held 31-13 lead after 3 minutes of play in the second quarter, only for Legia to put together a 2-25 run and take 33-38 lead into halftime. However, Kerem Kanter and Travis Trice fueled a 14-2 run to open the third quarter. More baskets from Kanter restored a double-digit margin late in the third q, then his back-to-back three-pointer in the fourth, followed by a triple from Kodi Justice opened 79-61 with 6 minutes to go, paving the way to victory. Kanter led the way with 26 points, Aleksander Dziewa scored 16, Justice had 14 and Trice finished with 11 points and 7 assists.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="pl" dir="ltr">🇮🇹 WKS ŚLĄSK WROCŁAW - MISTRZ POLSKI 2022 🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hej%C5%9Al%C4%85sk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HejŚląsk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/plkpl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#plkpl</a> <a href="https://t.co/B1q6cpfFmU">pic.twitter.com/B1q6cpfFmU</a></p>&mdash; WKS Śląsk Wrocław - koszykówka (@WKS_SlaskBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/WKS_SlaskBasket/status/1530291694142373888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

In Italy, Marco Belinelli scored 10 points in the final 3 minutes as Virtus Segafredo Bologna rallied to beat the visiting Tortona 77-73 and take 1-0 lead in their best-of-five semifinal series. Tortona took a lead 3 minutes into the second half on a three-pointer from Jamarr Sanders, and held a lead of up to 6 points. The visitors were up 66-71 with 3 minutes to go when Belinelli went on a run, which included a transition triple with 52.6 seconds to go to finally give Virtus 75-73 lead, which the EuroCup champs knew how to preserve. Belinelli scored 24 points, Mam Jaiteh had 13, Tornike Shengelia collected 11 plus 8 rebounds, and Milos Teodosic had 10 points and 9 assists.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">GARA1 È NOSTRAAAAAAA ⚪️⚫️<br>Nonostante una Tortona mai doma la Virtus si aggiudica il primo atto della semifinale ⚡️<br>25 per Belinelli 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WatchUs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WatchUs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TuttoUnAltroSport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TuttoUnAltroSport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LBAPlayoff2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LBAPlayoff2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/ISdGVrIOdF">pic.twitter.com/ISdGVrIOdF</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@Virtusbo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virtusbo/status/1530289413518917635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica booked a place in the Montenegrin League finals with a 61-73 win over city rival Podgorica, sweeping their best-of-three series on Friday night. The hosts led for majority of the first half, and led by as many as 34-24 midway through the second quarter. But Zoran Nikolic strung together 6 unanswered points, and Buducnost cut it to 39-36 at halftime. Buducnost then opened the second half with a 0-10 run, with Petar Popovic netting 7 points and Vladimir Micov scoring a three-point play. The hosts for within 59-62 in the fourth quarter, but Popovic had a three-point play in a 0-7 run that restored a double-digit advantage for Buducnost, sealing the deal. Popovic led the way with 17 points, and Zoran Nikolic scored 16 in a win. Buducnost will play Mornar Bar in the best-of-five finals.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🔵🔵🔵🔵<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ajmoplavobijeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ajmoplavobijeli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKB</a> <a href="https://t.co/pFp2xK5W90">pic.twitter.com/pFp2xK5W90</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1530246768067325954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade defeated Partizan NIS Belgrade 90-76 to take 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Adriatic League final series. Teams traded leads in the first half, with Balsa Koprivica giving Partizan an early spark. Aleksa Avramovic and Kevin Punter each hit a three-pointer and the visitors held 19-23 after the first quarter, but Ognjen Dobric, Dejan Davidovac and Nikola Ivanovic got Zvezda going in the second quarter with teams trading leads before a three-pointer from Ivanovic made it 42-39 at the half. Zvezda took control with an 8-0 run to open the third quarter, sparked by a triple from Nate Wolters. A pair of triples from Dobric opened 56-43 after 4 minutes in the third and Zvezda never looked back. Punter did score 11 points third-quarter points to cut into deficit and Dallas Moore hit back-to-back triple to get Partizan within 70-64. But consecutive three-pointers from Ivanovic restored a double-digit margin and Zvezda took 1-0 series lead. Ivanovic led Zvezda with 18 points while Luka Mitrovic and Dobric scored 14 apiece. Wolters had 11 and Davidovac 10 points in a victory. Punter led Partizan with 15 points, Moore netted 12, Zach LeDay scored 11 and Avramovic 10 points in defeat.

Slask Wroclaw got back on the Polish throne after two decades while 7DAYS EuroCup champion Virtus Segafredo Bologna rallied late behind Marco Belinelli to win semifinals opener of the Italian League playoffs.

Domestic leagues: Slask wins Polish League after 20 years

Slask Wroclaw (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21-RS15