Two of the premier guards in the 7DAYS EuroCup will match up against one another when MoraBanc Andorra hosts Hamburg Towers on Wednesday. They are among the most productive players in the EuroCup this season with Andorra’s Codi Miller McIntyre third in the competition in assists and Hamburg’s Caleb Homesley this in scoring. 

Major Matchup: Miller-McIntyre, Andorra vs. Homesley, Hamburg

Miller-McIntyre leads his team in scoring (14.4 ppg.), assists (7.1 apg.) and steals 1.4 spg.) and is third in rebounding (4.2 rpg.). He has posted a PIR in double figures in every game this season and had one of his two double-doubles the last time he squared off against Homesley and Hamburg, in Round 3, with 17 points and 11 assists in a 91-97 road win in Germany.

Major Matchup: Vives, Joventut vs. Avramovic, Partizan

Joventut Badalona's Vives is back from injury after a strong domestic performance in a derby against FC Barcelona. He has averaged 5.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in seven performances as a starter this season with Joventut. He is a big help to his team, the first to nine wins this season, as Joventut looks to stay in the top spot in Group A.

Avramovic is one of the top performers for Partizan NIS Belgrade this season with averages of 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals in 10 appearances this season. Against Joventut in Belgrade, he had 4 points and he will surely look to improve on that.

Joventut Badalona v Partizan NIS Belgrade (2022-02-02T20:00:00.000Z)

A big scoring battle is expected when Promitheas Patras takes on Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in Round 12. Kendrick Ray has been Promitheas's scoring leader all season long and Bourg's Rasheed Sulaimon has proven that he can be almost unstoppable under the right circumstances. Both of them need to step up in a pivotal showdown. 

Major Matchup: Ray, Promitheas vs. Sulaimon, Bourg

Ray posted his only EuroCup career double-double, 16 points and a personal-best 10 rebounds, against Bourg in Round 3. He averages 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists over 10 games, playing more than 30 minutes per night. Ray hits 37.3% of his shots from downtown and is equally efficient (82.8%) from the foul line. He ranks second in his team in PIR (12.8 per game).

Sulaimon played a big role in Bourg's 92-62 home victory against Promitheas in Round 12, getting 13 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists in almost 35 minutes on the court. He is averaging 12.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists until now, but has struggled to shoot the ball consistently (38.8% 2FG, 29.6% 3FG). He should step up in a big game against a direct opponent in the race to the knock-out rounds.

Promitheas Patras v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2022-02-02T17:30:00.000Z)

The battle for first place in Group B runs through the Canary Islands on Tuesday, where Gran Canaria hosts Valencia Basket in an all-Spanish showdown in which control of the paint will likely be a deciding factor.

Major Matchup: K. Diop, Gran Canaria vs. Rivero, Valencia

Given Valencia's strong interior quartet, it will be all hands on deck for Gran Canaria big men on Tuesday, and that means that emerging big man Khalifa Diop will be called on to make a difference. Just turned 20 years old, Diop doesn't play big minutes yet, but is capable of special things, like his 7.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in less than 15 minutes over the last five games. He has also broken out for 3 blocks in two different games this season, which is just the kind of detail that would go a long way towards limiting Valencia's experienced shot-makers around the basket.

One of those inside offensive threats for the visitors is Jasiel Rivero, whose debut EuroCup season has been more than solid, to say the least. The 28-year-old from Cuba is Valencia's second-best scorer, at 12.4 points per game, and hardly misses when he shoots in action, making 70.5% of his two-point shots and 42.9% of his threes. His 60.4% free throw accuracy is less impressive, but he makes up for that by ranking sixth in the entire EuroCup with 2.7 offensive rebounds per game among Valencia's league-leading 12.5 as a team.

Gran Canaria v Valencia Basket (2022-02-01T20:00:00.000Z)

The duel in the paint between the two of the top teams in Group B will be decisive when Virtus Segafredo Bologna hosts Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Tuesday in the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Major Matchup: Jaiteh, Virtus vs. Reed, Buducnost

Mam Jaiteh played less against Buducnost in a 68-82 road loss in Podgorica back in Round 3 than he has all season, but he will be central to the rematch due to continued injuries on the Virtus frontline. In his fifth EuroCup season, Jaiteh has acquitted himself well lately, averaging 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds over the last five games, hitting 70.1% of his two-point shots in that span. His defense in the rematch with Buducnost might be even more important, though.

Willie Reed was a difference-maker in his team's win over Virtus back in early November. He made 10 of his 15 shots inside that night for 21 points while pulling 6 rebounds. On the season, he is even better, with 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on average while shooting 61.8% from the field, which in his case is exclusively inside the three-point arc. Buducnost will depend on him scoring inside to try to sweep Virtus and fortify its third-place position in the standings.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2022-02-01T19:30:00.000Z)

In the second half of his two-part interview, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar star Errick McCollum spoke about the start of his career and reflected on what motivates him as he turned 34 years of age over the week. 

Errick McCollum: 'Struggle breeds success'

Errick McCollum, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Saturday, is on pace to shatter career-highs in several statistical categories this season. In the second half of his [two-part interview](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/errick-mccollum-lokomotiv-this-is-the-best-that-i-have-played/) with [Eurocupbasketball.com](http://Eurocupbasketball.com),  McCollum was more philosophical as he discussed how he thrived at a small college, the approach that has helped him take apart defenses at such a high rate, his motivation and what birthdays mean to him. "It’s tough because as an athlete I don’t like to reflect, I don’t like to reminisce because it makes me feel like you’re living in the past or it’s over," he told [Eurocupbasketball.com](http://Eurocupbasketball.com). "But the birthday is the one time of the year when I take that time to reflect and see how far I’ve come and how far I am as a man and family and I hope I can continue to improve."

**Yours is a basketball family. You and your brother C.J. came out of smaller universities to go on to big pro careers. How were you both able to take advantage of that small-school route to major success?**

"We were able to develop early. When you go to a small school maybe you don’t have the resources or all the money in the school that all those bigger universities have, but you are able to play through mistakes. They give you a chance to grow, to develop. Often times a lot of young players struggle to grow because when you don’t play you don’t respond the correct way. They don’t work as hard. Or they lose interest, or they lose confidence. But when you go to a smaller school you get to play right away. You get to learn, get your growing pain and you get to struggle. And I think struggle breeds success. Without struggles, you can never get where you want to go. And you can never be the player you’re supposed to be. I think until you find that rough patch, or you hit that difficult situation where you have to find yourself and persevere. And that’s what determines the good players from the great ones. You’re able to overcome obstacles."

**Do you share C.J.'s wine enthusiasm, too? He must want you to scout the best bottles for him while you're traveling around Europe?**

"I love the wine. He and my wife are in a different class than me. But my wife introduced me to the wine. That’s when my brother started to take a bigger interest in it. Fast forward many years and now he has the winery and his own production and everything. It’s something that we enjoy. Obviously, we like to taste it and pair it with different foods. And just the culture of wine - how long it’s been around. It’s just something that we’ve taken an interest in and we really enjoy. I think when I’m done playing I will have more time to check out and be more involved with. But when you’re gone overseas playing so many months you don’t really have too much time to handle those types of endeavors."

"I think if you apply yourself and work hard you remain humble, good things will happen to you. That’s been the case for me."

**Back to basketball. You make shots all over the floor, and particularly thrive in the mid-range, which is said to be a dying art. Do you feel that way, too?**

 "Yeah, I think nowadays it’s pretty much three or layup. It’s what the NBA pushes. It’s what a lot of teams in Europe are starting to do. I think that if you can shoot, you can do anything if you put the time into it and work. If you have touch. A three-point shot is not a good shot unless you practice it. A mid-range shot is not a good shot unless you practice it. That goes for everything. Now the way the game is taught, there are a lot of guys who cannot shoot that shot and you can tell how they do defensively with pick-and-roll strategies. It’s a shot that I thrive on. And it’s a shot that has made me very successful and made a lot of money."

 **You are second all-time in EuroCup scoring and at the rate you're going, could be first in the next few weeks. What would that mean to you, especially since you are doing it in fewer games than anyone before you?**

 "It’s just a blessing. My gift from God is what allowed me to be in this position. I think also having good coaches, having good teammates. It just means that there are a lot of guys out there who set good screens for me and who gave me the ball in good situations where I could succeed and coaches who called plays for me. Another part of it is a lot of hard work, dedication and staying healthy. I think this is my fifth EuroCup season and probably other guys in front of me have played double the amount of time but I think if you apply yourself and work hard you remain humble, good things will happen to you. That’s been the case for me."

"The birthday is the one time of the year when I take that time to reflect and see how far I’ve come and how far I am as a man."

**You've won the EuroCup title, been MVP and All-EuroCup. What is motivating you right now, on your 34th birthday, for this season in progress?**

 "For me, it’s just my family. Every time I go out and play I just want to represent my family in the best light, the McCollum name and make my family proud. I think at this stage I have a son - he’s 17 months - and I just kind of want to set a good example for him, whatever you do to pursue to the best of your abilities. For me, that’s being a father, being a husband, being a brother, a son and also a basketball player. So whatever you do, you have to put forth your best energy, your best effort and no matter how successful you get or how good things are going, the energy you brought into it at the beginning of your career you have to bring that same energy towards the end or the middle. That’s how I approach it. Every day I come with that enthusiasm and that hunger and drive to be better."

 **By the way, how have you learned to celebrate your birthdays when it always arrives during the season and so far away from home?**

 "It’s tough just because you try to always remain focused, you don’t want to have any distractions but you also are blessed and thankful that God has given you another year to live. I try to find a balance. I’m a family guy. I keep it simple. I go to dinner with my wife and son and just sit back and reflect. You kind of remind yourself everything that you are thankful for, that you have that you didn’t have in the past or maybe took for granted. It’s tough because as an athlete I don’t like to reflect, I don’t like to reminisce because it makes me feel like you’re living in the past or it’s over. I try to live in the moment. I try to stay focused on the moment. It allows me to not get comfortable, push myself, stay motivated, stay grounded. But the birthday is the one time of the year when I take that time to reflect and see how far I’ve come and how far I am as a man and family and I hope I can continue to improve."

Errick McCollum, Lokomotiv: 'Struggle breeds success'

Errick McCollum - Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (photo Fedor Aebor - Lokomotiv) - EC21

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and swingman Mirko Mulalic are together again after signing a deal for the remainder of the season on Monday. A 

Cedevita brings Mulalic home

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and swingman Mirko Mulalic are together again after signing a deal for the remainder of the season on Monday. A product of the club’s youth system, Mulalic (1.95 meters, 33 years old) last played for Cedevita in 2019-20. He arrives from Hungarian club Alba Fehervar where he averaged 4.5 points, 1.9 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game in eight appearances this season.

 

He has also played for Triglav Kranj, FGC Mercator Skofja Loka, Geoplin Slovan Ljubljana, LOGO Grosuplje, Hopsi Polzela, Krka Novo Mesto and Sixt Primorska of his native Slovenia, Balkan Botevgrad of Bulgaria and Rabotnicki of FYROM. Mulalic lifted the Slovenian Cup three times - with Krka in 2015 and 2016 and with Primorska in 2018.

 

“I’m happy that I’m coming back to Cedevita Olimpija,” Mulalic said. “Ljubljana is my home, and this club is the one in which I’ve made my first steps, so the feeling to put on the jersey again will be special. The team is already set, the roles are given. I want to help the squad with my experience, and give everything I can, to help achieve goals set in the beginning of the season.”

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mirko Mulalić is back in Cedevita Olimpija. He last wore the Dragon&#39;s jersey in the 2019/20 season.<br><br>Mire, welcome back! 💚🧡 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevoSrce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevoSrce</a><br><br>🔗: <a href="https://t.co/H2q1VVDWEL">https://t.co/H2q1VVDWEL</a> <a href="https://t.co/dEy7ltkfYR">pic.twitter.com/dEy7ltkfYR</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana - English (@KKCedOL_EN) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL_EN/status/1488165171470163982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and swingman Mirko Mulalic are together again after signing a deal for the remainder of the season on Monday. 

Cedevita brings home swingman Mulalic

mirko-mulalic-media-day-cedevita-2019-ec19

It took Tommy Klepeisz some time before he was able to play in the 7DAYS EuroCup, but he is really enjoying the experience as an important player on a fun-to-watch team, ratiopharm Ulm. Klepeisz started his career with Gussing Knights of his native Austria and also played for German side Braunschweig before joining Ulm midway through the 2019-20 season. He only got to play three EuroCup games in the 2020-21 campaign, but has become a very important player for Coach Jaka Lakovic, helping on the boards, sharing the ball and above all, pulling the trigger from beyond the arc. Tommy will share stories about ratiopharm Ulm, his experience in a competition he wanted to be a part of for a very long time, and much more in his EuroCupbasketball.com blog.

Tommy Klepeisz: 'This is exactly what you want as a player'

First of all, I have to say that playing for ratiopharm Ulm is a lot of fun. We have a lot of experienced players, who have played at the highest level. Their athleticism and just the presence they bring to every game, that's just spectacular to watch. It's also fun to be with them on the court. Like, for example, with Blossomgame, you can just sometimes throw the ball up and you know he's going to get it, and it's similar with Felicio. So just being around those guys, the atmosphere they create is fun, and then I think we have a lot of talent in the role players from the German side that help us a lot. Then Fedor Zugic is another high-level prospect, so it's a very good mix of young and experienced players, high-level Americans and also very, very talented German players. I think it's a great mix. 

We come off a big home win against Virtus. It was probably our best game this season, too. I think we had a couple of very high-level games where we just executed the game plan very well, especially defensively, which is how we got our confidence. It was very similar in Gran Canaria when we played there. Where we could really get stops, consecutive stops, gained some momentum out of that and then knocked down some shots and we got rolling. And yeah, in those two games, I think we never looked back. We just kept our momentum, built on it and built a lead. And I think we did that really well in those two games.

"You want to be challenged as a player and that's what Lakovic does every day."

For a three-point shooter, playing for Jaka Lakovic is a plus, of course. Some players set good screens and others gain a lot of attention from the opponents' defense to generate open shots. In our team, the defense sometimes is focused a lot on Semaj Christon, for example, and with Thornwell, we got another player who can really move the ball and find the open guy really well. So it's kind of like when we have the right guys out there, we have four really good passers on the court and then you're going to have an open shot sooner or later and then it's my job to knock them down.

Coach was a great shooter in the past and you can tell by the way he explains movements to us. Every now and then, he shows off a little in practice. When we need to do a drill or something, he goes first just to show us how it's done. He lets one fly and 90 percent of the time, it's straight cash, so you got a sense of how good of a player he was, just by seeing him introduce drills and stuff like that. You give him a ball and tell him to show an easy drill, like, go between your legs, one dribble behind the back, one dribble and crossover, one dribble and pull up jumper... just warm-up drills and you see by how he handles and touches the ball, that he was a really, really high -level player, just by that. And that's sometimes, like, astonishing.

I have never had a coach who has been that good as a player. He sees details and he therefore expects a lot from you because he knows how hard it was to be on the court and be in our shoes. So he expects a lot and demands a lot. And it's sometimes hard to fulfill all the things he expects and his wishes on the court, but that's what you want. You want the best coach at the highest level, and you just want people to demand a lot from you and to be coached. And he does that really well. You want to be challenged as a player and that's what he does every day. 

Next, we play against two of the teams that we beat already, Umana Reyer Venice and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Those were both very close games, down to the wire. I think both of these went to overtime - the one against Cedevita even went to double overtime! We definitely know they will be out there for revenge and that they want to get back to us. But yeah, that's what you get to deal with if you beat a team, of course. We already beat both teams and I hope we can do it again, but it's not going to be easy.

"It was always a dream of mine to play on the highest international level... And I'm glad that I get this chance!"

I think the new format is very, very exciting and interesting. It also means a lot of games for the team. Now with the COVID situation and games being postponed, this is going to be very challenging, but I love it. As a player, you want to play and you don't want to practice a whole week and then play one game a week. It's nice to have two games and the level of the competition is very high. I think it's the best format ever in the EuroCup. This is going to be very thrilling and exciting. 

It was always a dream of mine to play on the highest international level. I played EuroChallenge and FIBA Europe Cup in Gussing, but the EuroCup is a different level and it always was a dream of mine to be here and to compete with those guys. And now, especially with this new format, going up against teams like Virtus Bologna, Valencia, Gran Canaria and those power players, this is exactly what you want as a player. I was always aiming for that and striving for that. And I'm glad that I get this chance!

Tommy Klepeisz, Ulm: 'This is exactly what you want as a player'

Thomas Klepeisz - ratioharm Ulm (photo Larry Langer - Ulm) - EC21

The hosts' second-ranked offense (88.2 ppg.) is without several injured players, but they have plenty of leftover firepower if they can also defend, which has been Virtus's problem of late, resulting in a ranking of 19th as its opponents are scoring 86.5 points on average. Young Alessandro Pajola will have added responsibility to face veteran Justin Cobbs and set the pace, but where Virtus can boast advantages is on the wings. Kyle Weems, Marco Belinelli, Isaia Cordinier and Amar Alibegovic have been good for a combined 42.9 points this season and have diverse talents that complement each other. If they can thrive, Virtus can battle through injuries for the win.

The visitors will hang a hat on their sixth-ranked defense (78.4 oppg.), especially on the road, but must be wary of the Virtus shooters because Buducnost allows its opponents the league's highest rate of three-point accuracy, 38.4%. Budcnost's defense was a lot better before giving up 103 points last week on the road, so you can be that Wilie Reed, Vladimir Micov, Dennis Seeley and Cobbs will start out in Bologna focusing on that end of the floor. On the offensive side, the team's bread-and-butter is Seeley and Cobbs working with Reed, then the others setting up for open shots and cuts. Expect Buducnost's guards to slow the tempo to not let what happened last week in Valencia happen again.

In a battle over third place in Group B of the 7DAYS EuroCup, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (6-4) hosts Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (7-4) on Tuesday of Round 12 with the visitors holding a four-point victory from their first meeting this season that they will also be trying to protect for tiebreak purposes.

Keys to victory: Virtus vs. Buducnost, Round 12

Amedeo Tessitori - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21