The rise of Pedro Calles of Hamburg Towers, one of the youngest coaches in the 7DAYS EuroCup this season, is an inspiring tale. 

Coach Pedro Calles, Hamburg: ‘We are ambitious but humble’

Like all the players on the Hamburg squad spare Seth Hinrichs, Coach Calles, 38, is a EuroCup newcomer. Nevertheless, the team is in a good position to make it to the knock-out rounds. Their coach has many shares in the team’s success after accepting the challenge to come to Germany for a small role and slowly but steadily growing in stature to become one of the most interesting coaches in European basketball. 

Born in Cordoba, Spain, Calles played in the Spanish third division and started his coaching career in his hometown as an assistant at Salsas Musas Cordoba. He then spent time as an assistant coach with Plasencia in the Spanish third division while getting a degree in Physical Education and Sports Science in Granada. That led to an offer to join Artland Dragons in 2012 under Coach Stefan Koch's supervision as an athletic trainer who would also help players to develop with individual workouts.

"A friend of mine, who I met while studying in Helsinki, Finland in 2005, ended up working for Artland and he got me in touch with the team's head coach, Stefan Koch. After a couple of interviews, they gave me the chance to join the team," Calles said. "The closest airport was Bremen, 45 minutes away, but it didn't have many international flights. We did most of the EuroCup trips from Hamburg and Dusseldorf, which were more than two hours away by bus." 

Back then, Artland had three very experienced guards in MarQuez Haynes, Kristaps Valters and Demond Mallet. A year later, he was one of the team's assistant coaches, along with future EuroLeague coach Martin Schiller, working for Tyron McCoy. It was in Quakenbreuck that Calles had his first EuroCup experience as Artland played the competition in all of his three seasons with the club.

Artland decided to stop its top-level basketball activities in 2015 and Calles moved on to Rasta Vechta. He got the opportunity there through Bryce Taylor, who had played for Artland the previous season and recommended him to his new club. 

"Bryce is a great person and a very professional player. When Artland announced that it wouldn't compete in the German League, he was playing for Bayern Munich. His assistant coach was Andreas Wagner, who had committed to coach Rasta Vechta the following season. Back then, he was looking for an assistant coach and Andrea Wagner called me," Calles said. "He told me that Bryce Taylor had talked to him about me and offered me the chance to join his coaching staff. That's how I got the chance to go there. I don't know what Bruce told Andreas, but he definitely helped me join Vechta."

“I reached a certain point in which I wanted new challenges in my career and that's what I came to look for in Hamburg."

Working for Wagner, Calles helped Vechta gain promotion to the German elite only to return to the German second division at the end of the 2016-17 campaign. Vechta, now coached by Douglas Spradley, bounced back the next season, to the German top-flight again. In the summer of 2018, Calles was offered the head coaching position and took the challenge.

Calles had his team play modern, aggressive, attractive basketball, using physical lineups to put pressure on defense, looking for steals and fastbreak opportunities. He also has a good eye to sign relatively unknown players and give them the chance to play very well. Vechta signed TJ Bray and Austin Hollins before the start of the 2018-19 season and once Calles had a competitive backcourt, he led Vechta to unthinkable heights. 

Vechta surprised everyone by finishing the German League regular season with a 24-10 record, beating both ALBA Berlin and FC Bayern Munich at home. Vechta eliminated Brose Bamberg in the playoffs before losing against Bayern in the semifinals. Calles was chosen as the 2018-19 German League Coach of the Year at the age of 35, taking that title over his coaching hero, Aito Garcia Reneses. 

"I have been a big fan of Aito and a big follower of the basketball his teams play for many years," Calles said. "I met him for dinner and basketball was not the main topic. We talked about geography a lot, and Aito is a person that is always asking, trying to know more things." 

Calles coached Vechta for another season and had a 12-9 record in the 2019-20 German League when the competition was stopped because of COVID-19. Bray and Hollins had left to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams, but Vechta landed Trevis Simpson and Steve Vasturia. Once the competition resumed, Vechta failed to make it to the playoffs. 

Looking for new challenges, Calles joined Hamburg with the ambition of bringing continental basketball back to the city. Hamburg had finished last in the 2019-20 German League with a 3-17 record, but avoided relegation due to the COVID-19 situation. Calles liked Hamburg's humble but ambitious approach and took its offer. Reuniting with Taylor, the player who persuaded Vechta to give him an opportunity, had a part in his decision to join the Towers. 

"I was in Vechta for five years, which were fantastic, two of them as head coach. We achieved goals which we had not planned but I reached a certain point in which I wanted new challenges in my career, and that's what I came to look for in Hamburg," Called said. "What they want and how they want to get it matched what I was looking for. Hamburg is a club that is growing and wants to establish itself in the German League. They are ambitious but humble." 

Calles signed Maik Kostar, who is still with the team, and Kameron Taylor, who went on to join Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, and with them, Hamburg took a giant step in the standings. After finishing at the bottom of the table in the 2019-20 campaign, Calles took Hamburg to the German League playoffs last season. They beat ALBA twice and Bayern at home on the way to a 21-13 record. ALBA swept Hamburg in the German League quarterfinals. After the season concluded, Calles's team was offered an invitation to play in the EuroCup as the only squad debuting in the competition this season.

Like at every previous step in his career, Calles was far from intimidated by the challenge. Instead, he continues to grow as a coach and land interesting players, like Caleb Homesley and Jaylon Brown. Despite a 1-5 start in Group A, Hamburg went on to beat Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, Dolomiti Energia Trento, Turk Telekom Ankara and MoraBanc Andorra and is now eighth with a 5-7 record - three wins in front of ninth place. Hamburg ranks third in scoring (85.8 ppg.), second in steals (9.1 spg.) and is the runaway leader in three-point shots with 31.2 per night. 

Those numbers reflect Calles's trademark – a high rhythm, loads of pressure on the ball and fun-to-watch basketball. Calles and Hamburg are eager to ride that formula into the knockout stages where they hope to surprise some big teams and make even more noise in the EuroCup.

It is the ultimate individual award in the 7DAYS EuroCup: the MVP acknowledges the best player in the competition throughout the entire season. 

Midseason awards candidates: MVP 

With so many great players in the competition, the list of past MVPs is full of stars. Former EuroCup MVPs include the likes of Chuck Eidson, Patrick Beverley, Nick Calathes, Tyrese Rice and its last four winners - Jamar Smith in 2021, Luke Sikma in 2019, Scottie Wilbekin in 2018 and Alexey Shved in 2017. One of the players on our shortlist of candidates has a chance to become the first player to be chosen EuroCup MVP twice. 

Errick Mccollum Top Plays of the 2021-22 Regular Season

2021-22 MVP candidate: Errick McCollum, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar

### Errick McCollum, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 

McCollum was the EuroCup MVP in the 2015-16 season, in which he led Galatasaray Istanbul to the title. He is playing some of the best basketball of his career this season, leading the competition in PIR (24.2) and scoring (22.3 ppg.). It is also the highest scoring average in the competition after 12 games since Milan Gurovic of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (25.9 ppg in 14 games) in the 2006-07 campaign. McCollum is also averaging 3.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 6.3 fouls drawn, proving that he is much more than just an elite scorer. His teammate Johnathan Motley (23.9 PIR per game) has been out since January 12, but McCollum has stepped up to keep Lokomotiv as competitive as it can be. 

Kevin Punter Top Plays of the 2021-22 Regular Season

2021-22 MVP candidate: Kevin Punter, Partizan NIS Belgrade

### Kevin Punter, Partizan NIS Belgrade

There were a lot of expectations from the always-demanding Partizan fans and Punter has exceeded them, leading the team to a 9-4 record. Punter has averaged 17.5 points on 66.7% two-point and 88.5% free-throw shooting plus 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals for a PIR average of 19.8. He has scored in double digits in all of his games until now, topped by 28 points against Boulogne Metropolitans 92 in an 82-89 road victory in Round 6. Earlier, in Round 3, Punter hit every mid-range jumper his team needed to lead Partizan's wild comeback in a 68-67 home victory over Joventut Badalona. If Partizan needs someone to step up in crunch time, Punter is its number one choice. 

2021-22 MVP candidate: Ante Tomic, Joventut Badalona

### Ante Tomic, Joventut Badalona 

Simply put, Tomic is the best player on the best team in the competition thus far. Joventut leads Group A with an 11-2 record and is two wins ahead of the next closest team with five games remaining. Tomic has been its cornerstone, especially in offense, due to his passing skills, experience and low-post game. Tomic is averaging 10.0 points on 62.3% two-point shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists in just 20 minutes per night. He ranks second in PIR per 40 minutes (32.5), only trailing Motley (35.7). Every second that Tomic is on the court is a blessing for Joventut, as he reads double-teams like no other center in the EuroCup, allowing his team to find many open shots all around. 

2021-22 MVP candidate: Will Cummings, Boulogne Metropolitans 92

### Will Cummings, Boulogne Metropolitans 92 

A EuroCup champion with Darussafaka Istanbul in 2018, Cummings is playing a leading role for Boulogne Metropolitans 92 this season. Cummings ranks third in PIR average (21.0) and sixth in scoring (17.7 ppg.). He has also averaged 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 5.8 fouls drawn. Cummings has scored in double digits in all of his games but one with Metropolitans and posted a PIR higher than 30 three times: 34 and 33 in both games against former team Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, in Rounds 3 and 12, respectively, and 32 against Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 10. Coach Vincent Collet runs his team's offense through Cummings and he has not disappointed any Metropolitans fans. 

2021-22 MVP candidate: Justin Cobbs, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

### Justin Cobbs, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 

Buducnost ranks third in Group B with an 8-5 record and Cobbs has a lot to do with his team's success until now. He is averaging 16.7 points on 46.2% three-point shots, 4.5 assists and 1.6 assists, ranking eighth in PIR at 19.4. Cobbs had a PIR of 44 - the second-highest in the EuroCup this season - in a near-perfect performance in Round 5 against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana with 33 points and just 3 shots missed, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. He has scored in double digits in all games but one and had 4 assists in 11 of his team's 13 showdowns until now. In other words, Cobbs has been there all the way for Buducnost as its true floor general.

The 7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star award acknowledges the best player aged 22 or under when the season officially starts - in this case, on July 1, 2021. 

Midseason awards candidates: Rising Star 

It has been a tight race this season, as there are very good candidates showcasing their skills all around the competition. Only one of them will be named the 2021-22 EuroCup Rising Star, joining a long list of winners that includes Bojan Dubljevic, the only player to win the awards twice, Kristaps Porzingis, Jonas Valanciunas, Dzanan Musa and Mateusz Ponitka, among others. Here are the main candidates to win the award this year. 

2021-22 Rising Star candidate: Joel Parra, Joventut Badalona

### Joel Parra, Joventut Badalona

A left-handed small forward with all-around skills, Parra, 21, is one of the reasons why Joventut has the EuroCup's best record (11-2). Parra leads all Rising Star eligible candidates in PIR (13.1) and scoring (11.5 ppg.), and is fully established in Joventut's rotation, leading his team in minutes per game with almost 24 per night. Parra is shooting the ball with good percentages (62.2% 2FG, 34.5% 3FG, 84.8% FT) and has also averaged 4.2 rebounds while scoring in double digits nine times in 13 games. He went for a season-high 18 points against Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 11. 

Jaime Pradilla Top Plays of the 2021-22 Regular Season

2021-22 Rising Star candidate: Jaime Pradilla, Valencia Basket

### Jaime Pradilla, Valencia Basket 

Valencia started the season with many frontcourt injuries and Pradilla, 21, took advantage of the available minutes and made the most of his extended playing time, averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a PIR of 12.0 in 12 games. He leads the 2021-22 EuroCup in two-point shooting percentage, having downed 42 of 53 shots inside the arc (79.2%). He has also been effective from the foul line (81.0%). Pradilla attacks the rim whenever possible, but is a smooth low post player who can make mid-range jumpers with great effectiveness. He ranks seventh overall in PIR per 40 minutes (30.0), proving he is much more than just a low post scorer. 

2021-22 Rising Star candidate: Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos, Promitheas Patras

### Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos, Promitheas Patras

Rogkavopoulos, 20, has cooled off a bit after a sensational start to the season, but remains one of Promitheas's top players this season. He had a PIR of 20 or higher in three of his first four EuroCup games - 20 against Valencia Basket, 28 against Gran Canaria and 21 against Frutti Extra Bursaspor. He ranks third among Rising Stars candidates in PIR (11.2 per game) and is first - and tied for 12th in the competition - in rebounds (6.0 rpg.). Rogkavopoulos is averaging 8.0 points and 1.5 assists, having made 36.0% of his three-point shots. He is playing more than 23 minutes per night and has surprised a lot of fans and experts in his first EuroCup season. 

Alen Smailagic Top Plays of the 2021-22 Regular Season

2021-22 Rising Star candidate: Alen Smailagic, Partizan NIS Belgrade

### Alen Smailagic, Partizan NIS Belgrade

Smailagic, 21, has thrilled Partizan fans with his energy, reaching the Top 10 plays of the week often with his blocks and high-flying dunks. He is also playing an important role on a title contender, averaging 8.6 points on good shooting percentages (58.5% 2FG, 32.3% 3FG, 73.5% FT), 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks for an average PIR of 10.8 in almost 24 minutes per night. He posted a double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds) in Round 5 against Lietkabelis Panevezys and finished that game with a career-high PIR of 20 and scored in double digits four other times. 

2021-22 Rising Star candidate: Hugo Benitez, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse

### Hugo Benitez, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse

Benitez, 21, is in his second EuroCup season and has adjusted very well to the backup point guard role. He is averaging 5.9 points on 94.7% free throw shooting, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals for an average PIR of 9.6 in 12 games. So far, Benitez has dished 4.56 assists per turnover, ranking him second in the EuroCup this season only behind two-time EuroCup champion Sam Van Rossom (4.60). His best game was a strong all-around performance (12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) in Round 3 against Promitheas Patras, in which he showed hints of the player he could become very soon. 

Joel Parra - Joventut Badalona (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21

Dolomiti Energia Trento announced on Tuesday that it has signed veteran shooting guard Dominique Johnson for the remainder of the season. 

Trento adds veteran guard Johnson

Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach

“We think that Dominique is the right player to add to our existing roster. We are convinced that his arrival can breathe new energy to help the team change the moment we were going through. Johnson is a guard with important years of experience in Europe and in Italy, who can help us a lot thanks to his experience and quality, For his knowledge of the game and for his creative qualities, we welcome him and look forward to working with him.”

Johnson (1.93 meters, 34 years old) has two seasons of EuroCup experience under his belt with ALBA Berlin and Banvit Bandirma, during which he averaged 14.7 points on 39.5% three-point shooting and 1.3 steals in 24 games.

He last played for Fuerza Regia Monterrey, which Johnson helped win the Mexican championship in November with 12.9 points and 2.7 assists per game. He averaged 14.8 points on 11-of-22 three-point shooting in a 4-0 sweep of Astros de Jalisco in the finals.

Johnson is familiar with Italian basketball, played for Udine in the second division last season and has also suited up for Varese, Pistoia and Umana Reyer Venice. He previously played for Idaho, Frisco and Canton in the G-League; Slask Wroclaw and Tarnobrzeg in Poland; Maccabi Rishon Lezion in Israel; Lhasa Jingtu in China; Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut in Lebanon; and Orleans in France.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">BENVENUTO DOMINIQUE! 🖤🦅<br><br>L&#39;esperta guardia statunitense si lega alla Dolomiti Energia Trentino fino al termine della stagione 🔥<br><br>Coach Lele Molin: «Giocatore che può aiutarci molto per la sua conoscenza del gioco e le sue qualità realizzative»<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeDieHard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeDieHard</a> <a href="https://t.co/VnrJgkMDkf">pic.twitter.com/VnrJgkMDkf</a></p>&mdash; Dolomiti Energia Trento (@AquilaBasketTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AquilaBasketTN/status/1496136306056962061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Dominique Johnson (Andrzej Romanski PLK.pl)

The race to be the 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season's top scorer is going to be a tight one. 

Midseason awards candidates: Top Scorer

Many great players have led the EuroCup in scoring at some point during their careers since Jaime Arnold of Krka Novo Mesto averaged 20.3 points in the 2002-03 campaign, the competition's inaugural season. Milan Gurovic, Jaycee Carroll, Keith Langford, Alexey Shved, Scottie Wilbekin and more recently, Milos Teodosic and Jaka Blazic, are some of the names on this exclusive list. Here are the top candidates to join them. 

Errick McCollum, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar - 22.3 ppg.

2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup scoring race: Errick McCollum, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar

### Errick McCollum, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar - 22.3 ppg.

McCollum currently leads the 2021-22 EuroCup in scoring with 22.3 points per night, showing extreme consistency when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. He has scored at least 15 points in all 12 games until now and reached 30 against two of the most physical squads in Group A, Partizan NIS Belgrade (33) and MoraBanc Andorra (30). McCollum has made 41.4% of his three-point shots and 88.1% of his free throws while getting to the foul line more often than anyone else (8.4 attempts per night). McCollum climbed to second place on the all-time scoring list with 1,489 points and passing Bojan Dubljevic (1,527) doesn't seem like a remote possibility. 

Johnathan Motley, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar - 21.2 ppg.

2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup scoring race: Johnathan Motley, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar

### Johnathan Motley, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar - 21.2 ppg.

Having two teammates ranking first and second in the scoring table is unprecedented in EuroCup history. Darius Washington (21.6 ppg.) and Radoslav Rancik (18.8 ppg.) of Galatasaray Istanbul ranked first and third, respectively, in the 2009-10 campaign. Peyton Siva (15.2 ppg.) and Rokas Giedraitis (14.8 ppg.) did the same for ALBA Berlin in the 2018-19 season. Motley is second overall with 21.2 points and has played only nine games, so his scoring average could fluctuate more than others. He has buried 64.7% of his two-point shots, making 7.7 of those per night - the highest number of shots inside the arc made on average since the 2016-17 season. 

Caleb Homesley, Hamburg Towers - 20.7 ppg.

2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup scoring race: Caleb Homesley, Hamburg Towers

### Caleb Homesley, Hamburg Towers - 20.7 ppg.

Hamburg has surprised many EuroCup fans and experts with its high rhythm and Homesley has been at the center of it all. He leads the EuroCup in three-point attempts this season with 9.1 per game. It is also the most shots attempted from downtown per game since the 2004-05 season. Homesley has knocked down 44.0% of his three-point shots and his 4.0 triples per game are second-most in EuroCup history behind only Charles Smith of Virtus Bologna, who made 4.3 during the 2003-04 season). He has scored 20 points or more seven times in 10 games played and reached the 29-point mark twice - against Boulogne Metropolitans 92 in Round 5 and Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 9. 

Errick McCollum - Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21

Mathias Lessort has been a force for Partizan NIS Belgrade ever since he joined the club in late December.

Midseason signing Lessort has been a force for Partizan

His dominance should not surprise those who have followed his career closely; this is the big man's third campaign in the competition and he has been chosen to the All-EuroCup Teams in each of the first two. What is so special about Lessort's game is that he does not excel in any one area, but he wears opponents down by contributing on both ends, whether scoring, rebounding, blocking shots or doing the little things that don't show up in the box score.

That explains how Lessort has the second-highest performance index rating by average among centers in EuroCup history. His average PIR of 18.1 in 47 EuroCup games is 14th all-time and only four of the players above him have played more games. What's more, Lessort's pro-rated PIR over 40 minutes stands at 30.7 for his career, which is second among all players in competition history.

His numbers have only risen this season under Coach Zeljko Obradovic's tutelage at Partizan where he has averaged 16.2 points on 65.9% two-point shooting, 7.4 rebounds - including 3.2 offensive rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals for an average PIR of 25. Lessort is playing 25 minutes a game in the EuroCup for Partizan, a drastic increase from the 12 minutes he averaged in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague at the start of the season with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, where he posted 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Lessort achieved another milestone recently with Partizan when he earned MVP of the Round honors for Round 13 after leading his team to a victory over MoraBanc Andorra. It marked the first such honor during the regular season, though Lessort was the MVP of the Quarterfinals last season with AS Monaco.

A great performance in a winning effort allowed Mathias Lessort of Partizan NIS Belgrade to earn 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season Round 13 MVP honors. Lessort, a EuroCup champion and All-EuroCup First Team selection with AS Monaco last season, led Partizan to a 95-70 home win against MoraBanc Andorra with a PIR of 32.

Lessort, an unstoppable force for Partizan

Against Andorra, the 26-year-old center collected 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 4-of-4 on free throws while grabbing 12 rebounds - 5 from the offensive glass. Lessort also dished out 3 assists with 0 turnovers in more than 25 minutes of action, drawing 5 fouls for a performance index rating of 32.

This is Lessort's second time playing for a club in the Serbian capital; he debuted in the EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade during the 2017-18 season and he seems to have found a special connection with fans in the city.

“These are the types of games you play for - this type of atmosphere, this type of win,” Lessort said after the win over Andorra.

He was the catalyst as Partizan pulled away in the second quarter of that game. Lessort threw down a massive dunk and followed that the next time down with a lefty lay-in. As Andorra tried to stay close, Lessort collected the ball after a blocked shot on offense and laid it back in. He later grabbed a big offensive rebound and scored the putback. After forcing a turnover on defense, Lessort then assisted on the team’s first three-pointer by Aleksa Avramovic. All that came in a span of just 3:37 minutes in helping Partizan establish a 12-point margin and control of the game.

Lessort also helped get the boisterous crowd at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in a frenzy with some spectacular scenes. The physical specimen threw down two huge dunks in the final quarter to keep the fans behind them and urging them on.

By the time the final buzzer sounded, it was clear to all watching why Lessort has some of the most-impressive all-around numbers in EuroCup history and that with him in the middle, Partizan must be considered a title contender more than ever before.

Mathias Lessort - Partizan NIS Belgrade - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21

### Serbia: Punter leads Partizan into final

Partizan NIS Belgrade is in the Serbian Cup finals after holding off FMP Zeleznik 92-89 at the eight-team tournament in Nis, and will play arch-rival Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in Sunday's final. Kevin Punter shined with 29 points, while Dallas Moore netted 17 points. Zach LeDay had 14, and Balsa Koprivica had 11 points and 6 rebounds in a victor. Teams traded blows with Koprivica scoring 6 early points, but it was FMP that mostly held slim leads in the first quarter. Moore scored 8 points, including a pair of triples to get Partizan offense going, and Punter scored 7 points, including a triple to cap a 7-0 run for a 35-32 lead midway through the second quarter. Punter had 17 points before halftime, and Nemanja Dangubic and LeDay each hit a three-pointer late in the second quarter to open 52-43 halftime lead. Partizan increased the margin to double digits in the third quarter, and Matthias Lessort's dunk helped make it 67-51 midway through the third quarter. FMP refused to go away, and scored the first 7 points of the fourth quarter, but a triple from Moore made it 77-67, and when FMP closed within 82-77, Punter immediately answered with back-to-back three-pointers on the next two trips down the floor to make it 88-77 with 2:15 to go. FMP made one final push, and had 7 seconds to send the game into overtime, but Nenad Nerandzic missed a last-second three-pointer.

### Lithuania: Lietkabelis edges into final

Lietkabelis Panevezys held off host side Rytas Vilnius 80-82 on Saturday, to return to the Lithuanian Cup final where it will play Zalgiris Kaunas. Rytas jumped to an 18-5 lead after only 7 minutes, but Dovydas Giedraitis and Vytenis Lipkevicius scored 5 points each in a 0-10 run that got Lietkabelis right back. A triple from Karolis Giedraitis cut it to 23-22, and Lietkabelis came within a single point several times in the second quarter behind Gediminas Orelik, but but Rytas remained in front  and the hosts held 43-39 halftime lead. Lietkabelis took its first lead on a basket from Kristupas Zemaitis, and a triple from Orelik made it 48-50 after 3 and a half minutes in the third. Teams kept trading baskets and changing leads. Lietkabelis got to 62-67 early in the fourth after a bucket from Dovydas Giedriatis, and Orelik made it 66-71. Back-to-back threes from Kaspars Berzins and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis opened 72-79 with 4 minutes to go, but Rytas answered with a pair of triples to get within a single point in penultimate minute. However, Dovydas Giedraitis scored with 15 seconds to go, making it 78-81, and Lietkabelis held on to book a spot in Sunday's final. Likpevicius led the way with 16 points, and Orelik scored 15. Dovydas Giedraitis had 12, and Zemaitis finished with 10 in a victory.

Lietkabelis Panevezys held off host side Rytas Vilnius 80-82 on Saturday, to return to the Lithuanian Cup final where it will play Zalgiris Kaunas. Partizan set a date with Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in the Serbian Cup final.

Domestic cups: Partizan, Lietkabelis win thrilling semifinals

Kevin Punter - Partizan NIS Belgrade (photo Turk Telekom) - EC21

### Slovenia: Cedevita Olimpija lifts the trophy

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana lifted Slovenian Cup trophy for the 21st time, but the first since 2017 with 80-99 win over Helios Domzale in the final on Friday night. Cedevita had five double-digit scorers, paced by Yogi Ferrell's 2 points on 5-for-8 three-point shooting. Zoran Dragic netted 21 points with 8 rebounds, while Zach Auguste collected 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jaka Blazic scored 13, Edo Muric had 11 points plus 9 rebonds, and Alan Omic scored 10 in a win.

Cedevita opened the game with three-pointers from Muric, Dragic and two from Ferrell to open 5-16 lead. Helios quickly rallied, however, tying it at 29-29 early in the second quarter on a triple from Bine Prepelic. Ferrell and Omic helped Cedevita restore the lead, but Helios made another run at the end of the half, and took 46-45 lead into the break. In the third, Ferrell scored 5 points then Blazic nailed back-to-back threes to open 53-63. Ferrell's three-point play and Dragic's three-pointer opened a 13-point margin, and Auguste made it 64-75 after 30 minutes. Auguste scored 4 more points in the fourth, before Blazic's three-pointer opened 68-88 with 6 minutes left, as Cedevita was on its way to lift the Cup trophy for the first time in five years.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">ZMAGA! Vse končano je, Cedevita Olimpija zopet prva jeeeee! 🎼🎵🎶<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevoSrce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevoSrce</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PokalSpar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PokalSpar</a> <a href="https://t.co/qO3pXKF2kU">pic.twitter.com/qO3pXKF2kU</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (@KKCedOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL/status/1494785498086350848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
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### Serbia: Partizan cruises to semis

Partizan cruised in its Serbian Cup quarterfinals game with 101-48 win over Borac Zemun. Partizan took control in the first quarter, pulling away to 22-12 lead behind Kevin Punter and Balsa Koprivica. Borac stayed close thanks to shooting 6-for-12 from long range, but Zach LeDay, Aleksa Avramovic and Tristan Vukcevic made sure Partizan takes 47-30 into halftime. Led by Dusan Miletic and Uros Trifunovic, Partizan scored the first 11 points of the third quarter, and cruised to a victory that sets up a semifinal clash with FMP Zeleznik on Saturday. Vukcevic led Partizan with 16 points, Nemanja Dangubic had 14 point, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, while Alen Smailagic scored 12 points. Trifunovic finished with 11, and Avramovic with 10 points and 6 assists in a victory.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> ide u polufinale nacionalnog kupa! 👏🏴🏳️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KupKorac?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KupKorac</a> <a href="https://t.co/iMLyl7iw3w">pic.twitter.com/iMLyl7iw3w</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan NIS (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1494789061558640647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
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### Poland: Trice leads Slask into semis

Slask Wroclaw advanced from the quarterfinals of the Polish Cup with a 77-88 win over Czarni Slupsk, and will next play Ostrow Wielkopolski in the semifinals on Saturday. Travis Trice starred with 28 points and 9 assists in a victory. Kerem Kanter and Aleksander Dziewa scored 12 points apiece, while Szymon Tomczak scored 10 for Slask which never trailed after the opening 4 minutes, but did not pull away until the third quarter. That's when Trice and Tomczak kept Slask in front before back-to-back threes from Jakub Karolak opened 54-66. Slupsk rallied and tied it at 71-71 with under 7 minutes to go, but Kanter and Trice scored the next 6 points, before a pair of buckets from Ivan Ramljak helped Slask hold on.

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana ended its Slovenian cup title drought, while Partizan NIS Belgrade and Slask Wroclaw won their quarterfinals clashes on Friday night.

Domestic cups: Cedevita lifts Slovenian cup

Cedevita Olimpija wins 2022 Slovenian Cup

Believe it or not, the last two shots made by C.J. Harris of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in the 7DAYS EuroCup were both game-winners. 

You read that correctly. What's more, those shots came almost exactly one month apart. 

On January 18, in Italy, Harris stunned host Umana Reyer Venice by coming out of a timeout with 1.9 seconds left to hit a three-pointer on the buzzer to send his team home to Bourg with a 78-81 road win and a step up from last place in the Group B standings.

CJ Harris wins it for Bourg on the buzzer!

Harris, the team's leading scorer this season, then missed Bourg's next two games with COVID-19, only returning to the EuroCup stage on Thursday, February 17, in a Round 13 make-up home game vs. group leader Gran Canaria. 

Harris struggled in his return, missing the only two shots he had taken in his first 9 minutes on the floor. But then, with the score tied 76-76 and 22.5 seconds remaining, both Bourg and Gran Canaria huddled on the sidelines during a timeout to plan for the final possession. 

The EuroLeague TV microphones picked up Bourg head coach Laurent Legname setting up a final shot for Harris, just as he had a month earlier. Obviously, Legname knew in his gut that Harris was the right choice. And Harris came through, again.

He ran a pick-and-roll with Alexandre Chassang to force Gran Canaria to switch on defense and thus was able to get pesky defender Andrew Albicy away from him. Facing big man Oliver Stevic instead, Harris went to work. He got Stevic on his heels with a cross-over dribble and pulled up for a jumper from the top of the lane. This time, it was the Bourg home crowd that could celebrate as the shot fell through with 3 seconds left, good enough for the victory.

Just like his last made shot in the EuroCup boosted Bourg's playoffs chances, so did Harris's next one on Thursday, leaving the team with a 5-8 record in eighth place.

CJ Harris did it again! After scoring the game-winner in Venice, repeated it on Thursday night at home vs Gran Canaria!

Harris played just 9:30 total on Thursday, which was the fewest of the 10 players Coach Legname used from his roster. Before the game-winner, he was the only player who hadn't scored until then. 

Rasheed Sulaimon, who led Bourg in scoring with 21 points, was one of the first to celebrate with Harris after the shot fell. After the game, he shared his joy in Harris – and the team's success: 

"He's been out with COVID for a long time, hasn't scored in the whole game. Our whole team trusted him to make the biggest shot, and he came through. I just love this team. I love how we stay together."

It may very well be unprecedented in the annals of basketball. 

Harris's game-winner might have made basketball history, too

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Gran Canaria (2022-02-17T19:00:00.000Z)

Calvin Harris JR - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) - EC21