The first winner-take-all, single-game final in the 7DAYS EuroCup since the 2012-13 season is coming on Wednesday, May 11. Here's a look at what each finalist brings to this momentous occasion.

Stats Review: The finalists

### Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Frutti Extra Bursaspor

Virtus and Bursaspor met twice during the regular season, ultimately finishing fourth and seventh in Group B respectively. Virtus won both games, beating Bursaspor by 18 in Turkey in Round 1 but more memorably edging them by just 4 points in Bologna in Round 10 as Andrew Andrews scored 37 points.

 In that pair of wins, Virtus scored at will against Bursaspor's bottom-ranked defense averaging a massive 1.25 points per possession. That figure sits well ahead of the EuroCup-best 1.03 points per possession Bursaspor has scored this season and ranks among the top marks posted by a team against a single opponent this season. Creating quality shots consistently out of motion sets in half-court situations, Virtus picked apart a Bursaspor defense that struggled then, but has improved in postseason play. 

After allowing a dismal 1.06 points per possession during the regular season, Bursaspor has allowed just 0.91 points per possession so far in three elimination games. Rotating with a greater sense of urgency in recent weeks, Bursaspor has seen its intensity pay dividends. Its defense has gone from being the league's worst by a comfortable margin to performing on par with the second-best. Given its season-long offensive explosiveness, Bursaspor has become a daunting matchup recently, looking far different even than the team Virtus beat by a narrow margin in early March.

Given the final scores in the regular-season matchups between these two teams – 83-101 in the season opener and 98-94 in Round 10 – the final probably won't be a defensive battle. Nonetheless, defense still feels like it will be a key differentiator as to whether Virtus or Bursaspor earns this season's lone EuroLeague berth.

 Bursaspor's upside in this matchup is rooted in whether it can maintain the defensive momentum that has brought the team through the eighthfinals, quarterfinals and semifinals unscathed despite playing against higher-ranked teams in jam-packed road games on each occasion.

For Virtus, the ability to come up with timely stops is a point of interest. The hosts of Wednesday's final have done a terrific job limiting shots in transition and around the rim in recent weeks, but those skills will be put to the test against the EuroCup's best offensive team.

### Who to Watch

Part of what makes this such an intriguing defensive battle is how explosive both teams have been on the offensive end of the court this season. Bursaspor leans heavily on its core scorers, a group has delivered in impressive fashion in postseason play. Virtus has gotten a tremendous effort from Mam Jaiteh in recent weeks and in that way has made it to the final without having to thrive on perimeter scoring.

The first EuroCup postseason in more than a decade to be played wholly under one-and-done circumstances has been filled with surprises. The resulting final matchup – between the competition's hottest team, Bursa, and one if its early favorites, Virtus – has delivered upon to the potential that this new format has for delivering drama.

Onuralp Bitim - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-05-11T18:30:00.000Z)

Here is where you can watch the Final game between Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Frutti Extra Bursaspor.

TV Info Final, Virtus vs. Bursaspor

**Balcans:** SPORTKLUB 2

**Baltics:** TV3 SPORT

**Bulgaria:** MAX SPORT 2

**France:** RMC

**Georgia:** SILK SPORT 2 HD

**Germany:** MAGENTA SPORTS

**Greece:** NOVASPORTS 5

**In-Flight Vision:** IMG ARENA

**Internet:** [EUROLEAGUE.TV](http://EUROLEAGUE.TV)

**Israel:** SPORT 1

**Italy:** SKY SPORT UNO and ELEVEN SPORTS

**Lithuania:** LRT PLIUS

**Poland:** POLSAT SPORT EXTRA

**Portugal:** SPORT TV

**Slovenia:** SPORT TV1

**Spain:** DAZN & DAZN3 / TELEDEPORTE

**Turkey:** S SPORT2 & S SPORT PLUS

All-EuroCup Second Team

[Bojan Dubljevic, Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/bojan-dubljevic/002742/)

The 7DAYS EuroCup's all-time leader in scoring, PIR and rebounding, Bojan Dubljevic put together another fine season that earned him an All-EuroCup Second Team selection. Valencia Basket had seven players averaging more than 20 minutes per game this season and Dubljevic played the sixth most at 20:26 per game. However, that did not stop him from finishing the season sixth in all of the EuroCup in both total rebounds (116) and rebounding per-40 minutes (12.1). The veteran big man was Valencia's top man on the glass with 6.1 boards per game and finished with the second-highest average PIR on the team, 13.3. Dubljevic averaged 8.8 points on 60.9% two points shooting in his ninth season with the club and was one of four players on the team with more than 3 assists (3.1 apg.). Dubljevic stepped up in the EuroCup Playoffs, during which he averaged 11.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in three elimination-round games to help the team reach the semifinals. That includes his performance in the quarterfinals against Boulogne Metropolitans 92 when he scored 16 points and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds for a PIR of 32. This is Dubljevic's record fifth All-EuroCup selection.

[Kevin Punter, Partizan NIS Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/kevin-punter/009862/)

Kevin Punter was Partizan NIS Belgrade's on-court leader and always took the big shots in close games. As expected, he was one of the best scorers in the competition, ranking seventh with 16.2 points per game; only two players among the top 10 averaged fewer than Punter's 17:04 minutes per game. He scored in double digits in all but one game and knocked down at least 1 three-point shot in all but two of his 17 appearances. Punter finished the season as Partizan's leader with an average PIR of 16.5. He tied for 10th in the EuroCup this season in free throw percentage, making 63 of 72 attempts (87.5%). The Partizan guard started the season strong with 26 points on 8-for-8 two-point shooting and a season-high 38 PIR in a road victory at Hamburg Towers in his first-ever EuroCup game. In Round 3, Punter sank the game-winning jumper with 4.2 seconds remaining to lift Partizan to a 68-67 win over Joventut Badalona. For the season, Punter buried 59.8% of his two-point shots and also averaged 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 4.4 fouls drawn, which was seventh-best in the competition.

[Caleb Homesley, Hamburg Towers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/caleb-homesley/011251/)

Despite being a EuroCup rookie himself, Caleb Homesley led debutant Hamburg Towers to a remarkable season. A perfect fit for Coach Pedro Calles's playing style, he finished fourth in the competition in scoring with 17.4 points per game. Homesley led the EuroCup in three-point shots made (3.4 per game) and attempted (8.6 per game) in shooting 38.8% behind the arc. He proved to be much more than a shooter, however, as Homesley also led his team with 4.3 assists per game. He added 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 fouls drawn to average a PIR of 16.4. In Round 9 against Turk Telekom Ankara, Homesley matched the best individual performance of any player in the EuroCup over the last five seasons with a PIR of 45. He had 29 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 5 fouls drawn in a 94-74 victory. That was one of seven games - half of his overall appearances - in which Homesley scored at least 20 points. For the 26-year-old Homesley, a spot on the All-EuroCup Second Team is a fine reward for an outstanding first season in European basketball.

[Semaj Christon, ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/semaj-christon/009888/)

Semaj Christon made the most out of being coached by Jaka Lakovic and ratiopharm Ulm enjoyed the fruits of their collaboration. Christon showcased his best basketball during the season to rank third in PIR with 20.1 per game. Always dangerous with the ball in his hands, he was third in scoring (17.4 ppg.) and fourth in assists (6.6 apg.). Christon was the only player to rank among the top five in both categories this season and also posted 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 3.8 fouls drawn per game. Christon earned regular season Round 16 MVP honors when he recorded one of his three double-doubles with 19 points and 12 assists for a PIR of 31 to help Ulm beat Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. He played a stellar role in his team's quarterfinals victory over Joventut Badalona, finishing that game with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, no turnovers and a PIR of 31. Ulm exited the competition with a quarterfinals loss against Virtus Segafredo Bologna in which Christon had yet another strong performance with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.



[Jaka Blazic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jaka-blazic/003452/)

Once the calendar turned to February, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana went on a glorious run of nine straight wins to finish the regular season and start the playoffs and Jaka Blazic was at the heart of it all. During that stretch, Blazic scored in double figures in every game he played and had multiple threes in all but one. He finished his fifth EuroCup campaign – and third with the club – with averages of 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for an average PIR of 17.0. Blazic ranked 12th in the competition in PIR and ninth in scoring and three-pointers made (2.3 per game). He had games this season where he set or tied his career-highs in rebounds (12 vs. Umana Reyer Venice in Round 7), assists (6 vs. Reyer in Round 16), steals and free throws made (5 and 10, respectively, vs. ratiopharm Ulm in Round 4). As the captain of a quarterfinalist, Blazic was the heart and soul of his team. This is Blazic’s second consecutive season as a member of the All-EuroCup teams.

Euroleague Basketball continues to honor the individuals who have made this 7DAYS EuroCup season such an exciting one. Now let’s introduce the five members of the All-EuroCup Second Team as voted by fans, media, head coaches and team captains.

2021-22 All-EuroCup Second Team

Semaj Christon - ratiopharm Ulm (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21

Caleb Homesley - Hamburg Towers (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21

Kevin Punter - Partizan NIS Belgrade (photo Dragana Stjepanovic - Partizan) - EC21

Jaka Blazic - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21-RS16

Look back at all the action in the semifinals by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup Semifinals: Top 5 photos

Milos Teodosic - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia)

David Dudzinski - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) 

Sam Van Rossom - Valencia Basket (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) 

Clevin Hannah - MoraBanc Andorra (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra)

Marco Belinelli - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) 

Sam Van Rossom - Valencia Basket (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-SF

Milos Teodosic - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-SF

David Dudzinski - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) - EC21-SF

Clevin Hannah - MoraBanc Andorra (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) - EC21-SF

Marco Belinelli - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-SF

All-EuroCup First Team: Jaron Blossomgame, ratiopharm Ulm

[Jaron Blossomgame, ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jaron-blossomgame/011231/)

With his strength, speed and aggressive play, Jarod Blossomgame made sure he was noticed by fans, experts and opponents alike in his first season in the competition. Blossomgame led ratiopharm Ulm to the quarterfinals before bowing out against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. He ranked fourth in PIR this season with 19.8 per game. Blossomgame was the sixth-best scorer in the competition (16.2 ppg.) thanks to excellent shooting accuracy from all angles (55.8% 2FG, 41.9% 3FG). He also helped on the boards, ranking second overall in defensive boards (6.1) and third in total rebounds (7.6). Blossomgame was the regular season Round 4 MVP after posting 26 points, 11 rebounds and a PIR of 35 in a road victory against eventual quarterfinalist Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Blossomgame had two more double-doubles in regular-season action and scored 21 points in his team's historic eighthfinals road win at Joventut Badalona. Blossomgame made 6 of 10 three-pointers on his way to 22 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in the quarterfinals against Virtus, rounding out a great season that landed him on the All-EuroCup First Team!

All-EuroCup First Team: Will Cummings, Boulogne Metropolitans, 92

[Will Cummings, Boulogne Metropolitans 92](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/will-cummings/007867/)

Will Cummings has been named to the All-EuroCup team for the first time in his fourth season in the competition. A EuroCup champion with Darussafaka Istanbul in 2018, Cumming has been Boulogne Metropolitans 92's floor general and undeniable leader throughout this season He came to play every night, posting PIRs of at least 14 in all except two of his 20 games played. Cummings ranked second in averaged PIR (21.1) and was also the second-best scorer in the competition with 17.9 points per night. He buried 41.1% of his three-point shots and made 87.2% of his free throw attempts. Cummings was among the top 10 in average steals (1.4, ninth) and fouls drawn (6.0, second) while also posting 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists for a true all-around performance. Cummings helped Metropolitans lock up third place in its regular season group with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in a 76-69 home victory against Lietkabelis Panevezys. He led Metropolitans past Umana Reyer Venice in the eighthfinals, 87-66, with 12 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. In his final game of the season, Cummings had career highs of 31 points and 37 PIR in a losing effort against Valencia Basket in the quarterfinals.

All-EuroCup First Team: Mam Jaiteh, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

[Mam Jaiteh, Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/mam-jaiteh/002581/)

In his fifth season in the EuroCup – and first outside his native France – Jaiteh has dominated like never before. The 27-year-old center set career highs in nearly every major statistical category while serving as an unstoppable force in the middle who does maximum damage in minimum time. Jaiteh set a career high in scoring with 20 points against ratiopharm Ulm on opening night and went on to improve that mark three more times, highlighted by a 27-point effort in the quarterfinals against the same Ulm squad. In total, he had five 20-point games and Virtus won all of them. Jaiteh ranks fifth this season in PIR with 18.6 per game and leads the competition in that stat on a per-minute basis with 33.6 prorated over 40 minutes of action. His 7.6 rebounds per game are fourth-best in the EuroCup, he is fifth in two-point shooting (70.9%) and his 13.2 points lead Virtus's high-octane offense. Jaiteh is the only player on a playoff team to post two of the top 10 games in performance index rating this season; he went for 38 against Ulm in the quarterfinals and 41 against Umana Reyer Venice in Round 14.

All-EuroCup First Team: Derek Needham, Frutti Extra Bursaspor

[Derek Needham, Frutti Extra Bursaspor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/derek-needham/008945/)

A floor general who helped lead Frutti Extra Bursaspor further than anyone expected, point guard Derek Needham has used his experience to put together the best of his three 7DAYS EuroCup seasons to date. At age 31, Needham posted his finest numbers yet in the competition while guiding a Cinderella to the EuroCup Final. Needham ranks sixth among all EuroCup players in average minutes, 30:20, showing just how invaluable he has been for Bursaspor head coach Dusan Alimpijevic. Needham posted EuroCup career highs across the board, too, including averaging 13.2 points and a 10th-ranked 5.0 assists. He tied for sixth in the league in steals (1.4) and ranked eighth in three-point shooting accuracy (49.1%). Needham has been rock-solid in the most important games of the season, as well. He combined 14 points with 5 assists in Bursaspor's eighthfinals upset of host Partizan NIS Belgrade; collected 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a quarterfinal win at Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana; and registered 13 points and 7 assists during a third consecutive road win, against MoraBanc Andorra in the semifinals. In his third season in the competition, Needham has been selected to the All-EuroCup team for the first time.

All-EuroCup First Team: Milos Teodosic, Virtus Segfaredo Bologna

[Milos Teodosic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/milos-teodosic/jdr/)

Despite injuries costing him several games, Teodosic remained the motor of the powerful Virtus attack and led the EuroCup in assists with one of the highest averages in competition history. He has been worth 8.5 assists per game and his per-minute average of 13.9 assists prorated over 40 minutes is a EuroCup single-season record. Teodosic tied for the most assists in a single game this season with 13, a feat he accomplished three times, including in back-to-back wins over playoff-bound Umana Reyer Venice and Frutti Extra Bursaspor in Rounds 10 and 14. Perhaps most impressive about Teodosic's many assists is not the pure volume but the artistry with which he dishes them, whether they be no-look passes or behind-the-back, through an opponent's legs or passed at an angle no one else might have seen. Of course, Teodosic's greatness is not limited to passing. He has also averaged 10.8 points and posted double-figure performance index ratings in all but three games for an average of 15.8. This is his second straight selection to the All-EuroCup Team. Teodosic is also a six-time All-EuroLeague pick, a two-time EuroCup Regular Season MVP and the 2010 EuroLeague MVP.

With the climax of the season still ahead, Euroleague Basketball continues to honor the individuals who made this 7DAYS EuroCup season such an exciting one. All five members of the All-EuroCup First Team played major roles for their respective teams this season, and they have been rewarded in voting by fans, media, head coaches and team captains.

2021-22 All-EuroCup First Team

Jaron Blossomgame - ratipharm Ulm (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-QF

Will Cummings - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21-RS16

Mam Jaiteh - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21

Derek Needham - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) - EC21-SF

Milos Teodosic - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-RS21

A pedigreed giant of European basketball and a newcomer to the international stage will share the singular experience of playing the EuroCup Final on May 11 for both a continental trophy and a place in the next season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Virtus Segafredo Bologna will host the do-or-do showdown in Italy with Frutti Extra Bursaspor of Turkey.

EuroCup Finals at a glance

Virtus combines championship experience as a club – two EuroLeague titles, three more European trophies and 24 Italian league and cup titles – with experience up and down the roster. It all starts with the veteran Milos Teodosic, the straw who stirs the drink at Virtus and was joined in midseason by another former EuroLeague champion in Daniel Hackett and the only previous EuroCup winner on either team, Tornike Shengalia. Add in established stars like Marco Belinelli and Kyle Weems, those coming into their primes like Mam Jaiteh and Isaia Cordinier, and young bucks like Alessandro Pajola, Kevin Hervey and Nico Mannion, and the reigning World Cup champion head coach, Sergio Scariolo, has plenty of weapons to choose from.

By contrast, Bursaspor is as unexpected as a finalist can be. The club is all of eight years old and has spent just the last three in Turkey's first division. Its sole trophy was Turkey's second-division title and its only player with any continental final experience, John Holland, lost last season's EuroCup title series while playing for UNICS Kazan. The entire roster except for forwards  Metin Turen and injured Birkan Batuk is new since last season, in the middle of which head coach Dusan Alimpijevic arrived. Bursaspor rallied behind guards Derrick Needham and Andrew Andrews, forwards Holland and Onuralp Bitim, and big men Turen, Dave Dudzinski and Kevarrius Hayes to reach the playoffs and knock off three higher-placed teams on the road.

Watch the Game Highlights from Segafredo Virtus Bologna vs. Frutti Extra Bursaspor, 03/03/2022

Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs Frutti Extra Bursaspor | Highlights | Round 10

Two earlier meetings between them offer some clues going into the final next Wednesday. In the season opener, Hervey led seven double-digit Virtus scorers with 18 points in a strong 83-101 road win in Bursa. Virtus won their rematch in early March, too, but this one was closer, 98-94, despite being in Bologna. Jaiteh put up 23 points that night while Teodosic dished 13 assists, but the re-born Andrews exploded for 37 points for Bursaspor.

Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that Khalifa Diop of Gran Canaria has been chosen as the 7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star Trophy winner for the 2021-22 season. Diop was voted by EuroCup coaches to win the award after helping the team win Group B of the regular season with a 12-6 record and reach the EuroCup Quarterfinals.

7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star Trophy: Khalifa Diop, Gran Canaria

The EuroCup Rising Star Trophy recognizes the most outstanding player in the competition who was younger than 22 years of age on July 1 of the summer before the season started. Diop, who turned 20 in January, was a fixture on weekly highlight reels with his electric dunks and show-stopping blocked shots. Diop ranked second among Rising Star eligible players with 16 blocks. The 2.08-meter center also finished third among them with 30 offensive rebounds, fifth in total rebounds (78) and eighth in both points (114) and PIR (149).

The Rising Star Trophy is among the awards given in recognition of the EuroCup's finest each season for their efforts on the basketball court. Diop finished first in a close race in which Jaime Pradilla of Valencia Basket and Joel Parra of Joventut Badalona were tied behind him for second place in the voting. The head coaches had previously chosen one of their peers, Dusan Alimpijevic of competition finalist Frutti Extra Bursaspor, as this season's [EuroCup Coach of the Year](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/7days-eurocup-coach-of-the-year-dusan-alimpijevic-frutti-extra-bursaspor/). The All-7DAYS EuroCup teams and the season's MVP, for whom fans, team captains and media also voted, will be announced before Bursaspor visits Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the 7DAYS EuroCup Final on Wednesday, May 11.

7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star: Khalifa Diop, Gran Canaria

In his second EuroCup season, Diop came off the bench for Gran Canaria in all but four of his 20 appearances this season, averaging 15:26 minutes per game. In the games when he spent more than 15 minutes on the floor, he posted 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for an average PIR of 12.6. He posted career highs of 18 points and 9 rebounds vs. eventual semifinalist Valencia Basket and registered a career-high of 3 blocks in three different games. He finished this campaign averaging 5.7 points on 58.2% two-point shooting to go with 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

A native of Senegal, Diop joined Gran Canaria as a teenager. He played in its youth categories and the club's second team in the Spanish lower divisions before making his professional debut during the 2018-19 season. He split time between Gran Canaria and its second team until the 2020-21 campaign, which was Diop's first full professional season.

This is the second consecutive season that a Gran Canaria player has been voted the EuroCup Rising Star, after Aleksander Balcerowski won the award last season. The list of Rising Star trophy winners also includes Milan Macvan of Hemofarm Vrsac in 2009, Victor Claver of Power Electronics Valencia in 2010, Donatas Motiejunas of Benetton Treviso in 2011, Jonas Valanciunas of Lietuvos Rytas in 2012, two-time winner Bojan Dubljevic of Valencia Basket in 2013 and 2014, Kristaps Porzingis of Baloncesto Seville in 2015, Mateusz Ponitka of Stelmet Zielona Gora in 2016, Rolands Smits of Montakit Fuenlabrada in 2017, Dzanan Musa of Cedevita Zagreb in 2018, and Martynas Echodas of Rytas Vilnius in 2019.

Virtus Segafrdo Bologna bounced back from last season's disappointment, becoming the first-ever Italian team to make it to the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals.

One year later, Virtus veterans showed the way

A year ago, Virtus won its first 19 games in the 7DAYS EuroCup, going undefeated through the regular season and the Top 16, sweeping Joventut Badalona in the quarterfinals and taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three semifinals against UNICS Kazan. 

Alas, none of that was enough, as UNICS won the next two games, qualifying for the finals and leaving Virtus to wonder what went wrong. 

Flash forward to the team's single-game, do-or-die semifinal on the road against Valencia Basket on Wednesday, and some of the Virtus players who went through that experience last season stepped up big in a 73-83 victory that sends them home next week to play Frutti Extra Bursaspor of Turkey in the EuroCup Final.

Marco Belinelli had 14 points and 3 steals, Milos Teodosic finished the game with 12 points and 4 assists, and Kyle Weems got 8 points and 5 rebounds. Toko Shengelia was the team's biggest contributor with 15 points, 3 assists and a PIR of 16. Shengelia, a EuroCup champion with Valencia in 2010, earned a second chance to lift the trophy.

Milos Teodosic, Marco Belinelli Highlights vs. VALENCIA BASKET, 05/04/2022

Belinelli Teodosic bounce back _5605700.mp4

The season was not a bed of roses for Virtus, which lost two key players, Ekpe Udoh and Awudu Abass, even before the EuroCup season started. Nicolo Mannion, Kevin Hervey, Teodosic and Belinelli were also out for a significant periods of time. Under those circumstances, Virtus make the right moves in the player market, bringing in Jakarr Sampson, Isiaia Cordinier and above all, Shengelia and Daniel Hackett, who joined the team right before the signings deadline. 

It took Virtus some time to show its best version, but head coach Sergio Scariolo's team finished the regular season strong, with three consecutive victories. Once in the playoffs, Virtus had to battle hard to beat Lietkabelis Panevezys in the eighthfinals, 75-67, and ratiopharm Ulm in the quarterfinals, 83-77. Center Mam Jaiteh played a stellar role in both games, getting 20 points against Lietkabelis and earning the MVP honor for the quarterfinals with 27 points, 11 rebounds and a PIR of 38 against Ulm.

As such, Virtus is back to a European competition final, the 11th in club history. It won two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles, downing AEK Athens 58-44 in 1998 and surviving an unforgettable five-game playoffs series against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2001. Its first continental crown was the 1989-90 Saporta Cup, edging Real Madrid 79-74. Most recently, Virtus won the EuroChallenge in 2009 and the BCL in 2019. 

The club wants to go one step further now, winning Europe's second-tier competition and earning the right to play in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. To do so, it must beat Bursaspor, whose forward John Holland knows what it takes to eliminate Virtus in Bologna, because he did it with UNICS a year ago. Virtus hopes it learned from that experience to go all the way this time.

Valencia Basket v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2022-05-04T18:30:00.000Z)

The leader of a Cinderella story like few others in the competition history, Dusan Alimpijevic of Frutti Extra Bursaspor, has been voted the 7DAYS Eurocup Coach of the Year for the 2021-22 season.

7DAYS EuroCup Coach of the Year: Dusan Alimpijevic, Frutti Extra Bursaspor

Alimpijevic, at 35 the youngest coach to win the award, guided Bursaspor all the way to the EuroCup Finals in his first full season in the competition. He engineered a rarely seen in-season turnaround that saw his team win just four of its first 13 games before going on a run of 8-1 that included three postseason road wins in a span of just 14 days.

The Coach of the Year honor is among several awards that recognize the finest EuroCup participants for their efforts throughout the season. Alimpijevic's fellow head coaches were the voters for the award. The Rising Star Trophy, also voted by the head coaches, will be announced next. The All-7DAYS EuroCup teams and the season's MVP, for which fans, team captains and media also voted, will be announced before the 7DAYS EuroCup Final on May 11 in Bologna, Italy.

7DAYS EuroCup of the Year: Dusan Alimpijevic, Frutti Extra Bursaspor

Alimpijevic started his coaching career at age 22, working as an assistant in Novi Sad and Vojvodina in his native Serbia. While in Vojvodina, he survived the fatal crash of a team bus in 2010 that left his head coach and one player dead while Alimpijevic was hospitalized for more than a month. He would make his head-coaching debut with Vojvodina and head the bench of Spartak Subotica, too, before joining FMP Zeleznik in 2016. His breakthrough came in the 2017-18 season when as a 31-year old he led Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade to an 11-19 record in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and guided the club to the Adriatic League finals. Since then, Alimpijevic coached Avtodor Saratov in Russia before taking over at Bursaspor in November 2020 and winning three of the team's last four games in the 2020-21 EuroCup season.

This season, Bursaspor opened with a 2-1 record but dropped eight of its next 10 games and found itself outside of the playoff picture in Group B. A mid-March three-game homestand turned things around for Alimpijevic and Bursaspor. Within eight days, victories over rival playoff contenders Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and Umana Reyer Venice preceded one against Valencia Basket, catapulting Bursaspor into the playoffs from seventh place. After winning four of its last five regular-season games, Bursaspor continued its magical run by surviving a pair of thrillers in the elimination rounds. First came a stunning 95-103 overtime win on the sold-out home court of Partizan NIS Belgrade in the eighthfinals. Then, Bursaspor held off another host at its packed home arena, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, by 83-85 in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Alimpijevic and Bursaspor continued making history with their third road win in less than two weeks, a 68-85 romp over MoraBanc Andorra that sent the team into the do-or-die EuroCup Final next Wednesday against Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

Alimpijevic is the second EuroCup Coach of the Year from Serbia, joining Sasa Obradovic, who won the honor in 2018 with Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. Aito Garcia Reneses is the only coach to win the award twice – with Gran Canaria in 2015 and ALBA Berlin in 2019. The other previous winners were Oktay Mahmuti of Benetton Basket in 2009, Ilias Zouros of Panellinios in 2010, Aleksandar Petrovic of Cedevita Zagreb in 2011, Jure Zdovc of Spartak St. Petersburg in 2012, Fotis Katsikaris of Uxue Bilbao Basket in 2013, Andrea Trinchieri of Unics Kazan in 2014, Maurizio Buscaglia of Dolomiti Energia Trento in 2016, Pedro Martinez of Valencia Basket in 2017 and Zvezdan Mitrovic of AS Monaco in 2021.