Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of the second week of action in the BKT EuroCup
Round 2: Pre-game quotes and injury reports
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17 Mins read
Wednesday's games
Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. Turk Telekom Ankara
Ioannis Kastritis, Aris Midea Thessaloniki head coach
"It's our first official home game. Nothing has changed in our approach. We're playing in front of our fans for the first time, and we are very excited. Our motivation must always be high, especially when facing such a strong team like Turk Telekom. So, in order to be competitive, we need to stay fully focused for the full 40 minutes. We have to try to extend our good periods during the game so that, with the support of our fans, we can fight for a positive result."
James Banks, Aris Midea Thessaloniki center
"We know that Turk Telekom is a very strong team. It will be a very tough game, but we want to win it. We know that we can improve in certain areas, and each of us can become better. We know which parts of the game we are good at and which need improvement. The coach has a specific plan for us that we need to follow. The key for tomorrow's game will be to play tough and take as many rebounds as we can. We must not allow them to score easy points and we need to play together on both defense and offense."
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Dreamland Gran Canaria
Andrej Zakelj, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach
"This is an important game for us, and I think we need to show a reaction after the first round. We showed it on Saturday [in the ABA League], so we need to keep it going. Gran Canaria is always a tough opponent, with good athleticism, aggressiveness, and strong individual players. So, we expect a difficult task ahead, along with some issues we are dealing with, but we have to grit our teeth and, with the support of our fans, try to win our first home game. Gran Canaria has kept the core of their team, especially Albicy, who is the engine of the team. They brought in Thomasson and Homesley at the two and three spots, who are really strong scorers. Under the basket, there's Tobey, whom we know from the region, and Conditt. We must not forget Shurna, a tricky, atypical player. They are an experienced team, but we have our own task to do, and we will do everything we can to win."
Rasheed Sulaimon, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica guard
Well, first of all, we've got to respond. I thought we did a great job of responding last game, but this is the next EuroCup game, so we have to respond again. It's another big-time team, but we have to protect our home court. I’m expecting a strong reaction from the team, good energy from the fans, and hopefully, we’ll get it done.
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca
Frederic Fauthoux, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse head coach
"We want to launch the Eurocup season at home in the best way, we are focused and ready, it's up to us to impose our game."
Xavier Castaneda, Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse guard
"I am happy with the state of the team. We are focused on our upcoming opponent, Cluj who we know is a really good team. All Eurocup games involve great competitiveness and we have to be ready for Cluj tomorrow."
Mihai Silvasan, U-BT Cluj-Napoca head coach
"We will play against the team that reached the finals last season. They are one of the favorites to win this group and even the BKT EuroCup. They play an aggressive type of basketball and they started this season very well. Unfortunately, we do not have the results we want so far, but we will try to play or chance. We will fight for a victory and we want to show better-quality basketball."
Patrick Richard, U-BT Cluj-Napoca guard
"We are ready to get back on the floor. We dropped the first two games of the season, so we want to bounce back. We are going to a tough place to play and win, especially in the last years. We continue to build, continue to improve and get better. We are taking it one game at a time. We are eager to get back on the court and we want to get a win on the road."
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs. Trefl Sopot
Eigirdas Zukauskas, Dolomiti Energia Trento forward
"We will play our first home game against Sopot and we hope that many fans will come to support us, even though it is a midweek game. Sopot is a quality team, as demonstrated by their excellent performance against Ulm, where they lost only in overtime. They have a deep roster, with players capable of playing under the basket and outside the 6.75 line, making their game very dangerous."
Zan Tabak, Trefl Sopot head coach:
“They played their first game at Gran Canaria and were really close to winning on a difficult court. We really expect them to play fast and aggressive. We have to be able to control the defensive transition. They are a dangerous team to play.”
Aaron Best, Trefl Sopot guard:
“Trento is a tough, very talented team. We are going to have our work cut out for ourselves. We’re going dive into the film and travel up there and get ready for the next challenge. We have to play our brand of basketball. Be physical and tough, dictate the tempo from the defensive end the best we can and try to stick to our game plan.”
Injury report: Trefl Sopot reports that all player are ready to play.
Valencia Basket vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg
Hamburg injury report: Zsombor Maronka (ankle joint injury), Jared Grey (broken arm), Niklas Wimberg (broken leg).
Tuesday's games
7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem
Yonatan Alon, Hapoel Jerusalem head coach:
"We are coming in very focused. The way we played against Valencia is still on our minds and we don’t want to perform like that in the EuroCup. We will face a tough and determined opponent who knows us very well, but we are coming with the goal of getting the job done. We must be sharp and win all the 50-50 balls, especially in the rebounding aspect, and offensively, we need to get good shots."
Noam Dovrat, Hapoel Jerusalem guard:
"Last week’s loss is on our minds and we are determined to correct the impression. It won’t be easy against a talented team with a home-court atmosphere, but as long as we implement everything we learned from the last loss, I believe we can win and bring some comfort to our dear fans who are supporting us from afar."
Bahcesehir College Istanbul vs. Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul
Dejan Radonjic, Bahcesehir College Istanbul head coach:
“It is going to be our first EuroCup game at home. Beşiktaş is a good team and they showed it in their first game against Buducnost at home. They are an aggressive team on both ends of the floor and we have to respond to their aggressiveness. It will be a tough game. We practiced well and we have to focus for all 40 minutes.”
Jaleen Smith, Bahcesehir College Istanbul guard:
“This game is going to be tough. Besiktas is an aggressive and tough team. We need to limit their transition plays and figure it out on the offensive end to get the win.”
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Joventut Badalona
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius
Stefanos Dedas, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv head coach:
“Wolves is our first game at home in a competition that we want to do great things this season. It’s a difficult and crucial game. We want to react and show character after the first tough game in Badalona. So it’s an opportunity to win, gain confidence and continue working as a team. We are a new team with good players and winning this game is going to give us time to continue building and connecting the players and hopefully we will be able to give our fans a first win.”
Bar Timor, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv forward:
"We all know how important the next game is for our journey in the EuroCup and we want to show that we can play better as a team and win. We still have a long way to go this season and we will do everything we can on the court and hope the fans can be proud of us."
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Umana Reyer Venice
Neven Spahija, Umana Reyer Venice head coach:
"We are going to Ljubljana to face Olimpia Ljubljana, which plays much better than what the results suggest. In Cluj-Napoca, they showed how well they can play and how serious and organized they are as a team. Both teams lost their last game and are approaching this challenge with only one day of rest, which is very difficult under these conditions. But it is what it is, and we will do our best. Olimpia has a new roster, with a lot of talent, and like us, they are trying to find the best chemistry."
Mfiondu Kabengele, Umana Reyer Venice center:
"To best prepare for the game against Ljubljana, we each need to be aware that we must do our jobs to the best of our abilities. I'm not just talking about made or missed shots, but about defense, rebounding, and off-ball work. In short, doing the things that help the team win, like supporting each other."
Injury report: Reyer's Xavier Munford will not play, while Juan Fernandez is a game-time decision.