It was a memorable year in the BKT EuroCup, with a high level of play, young talents proving their value, spectacular plays and a long overdue first-time winner, as Dreamland Gran Canaria won the title in its 15th season in the competition. Let's look back and enjoy what 2023 had to offer.
Top 10 EuroCup moments of 2023
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10. Cluj's turnaround
U-BT Cluj-Napoca turned things around in 2023. At the start of the year, Cluj was in its first EuroCup campaign and things were looking good, but the team went on to lose six of its last seven regular season games and missed the playoffs. Cluj made the right off-season moves, keeping a core of players led by Karel Guzman, Patrick Richards and Andrija Stepanovic, and adding experienced players like D.J. Seeley and Jarell Eddie. Backed by thousands of fans at U-BT Arena, Cluj ranks third in Group B with a 9-4 record and is looking forward to an even brighter 2024!
9. Trento finally takes off
Dolomiti Energia Trento endured a tough run in the competition, amassing a 5-28 record in the previous two seasons and starting the 2023-24 campaign with three consecutive losses. Since Trento was 0-6 in the 2020-21 EuroCup Top 16, that meant Trento had lost 37 of its last 42 EuroCup games. Quinn Ellis hit a game-winner to lift Trento to a 92-93 road win against 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, which would be a turning point. Trento managed to win six of the next 10 games, including a resounding 76-98 road victory at Gran Canaria. Now Trento enters 2024 on a roll.
8. Hapoel's fan base stands out
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv made its EuroCup debut in the 2022-23 season and its fans have been almost everywhere since then. It was common to see thousands of Hapoel fans, proudly wearing their red and white shirts, all around Europe. In its first EuroCup game in 2023, Hapoel edged the London Lions 93-95 behind massive support from its fans, who stayed to meet the team afterward. Such great support took Hapoel to new heights, as the team reached the EuroCup Quarterfinals in its first-ever season. Hapoel kept Coach Danny Franco and the same core of players and now ranks 10-2 in Group A.
7. Ulm keeps finding talent
ratiopharm Ulm made sure 2023 was a year to remember, claiming its first-ever German League championship and reaching the EuroCup Quarterfinals. Finding great players in different markets was one of the keys to its success. Former head coach and current sports director Thorsten Leibenath promoted former player Anton Gavel to the head coaching spot, and signed new, fresh players such as Juan Nunez, Yago dos Santos and Bruno Caboclo. When some of those stars left, Ulm signed star big man Trevion Williams, do-it-all swingman Georginho De Paula and forward L.J. Figueroa. Ulm dug deep to find great talents and to keep winning.
6. Paris brings out young stars
Paris Basketball qualified for the EuroCup Playoffs last season and is well on its way to getting there in 2024. It has been competitive while giving young players a chance to shine. Ismael Kamagate and Juhann Begarin were serious contenders for the Rising Star award last season. Kamagate led the 2022-23 EuroCup in blocked shots (1.5 bpg.) and ranked fourth in rebounds (8.4 rpg.). This season, Nadir Hifi has stormed into the competition with his flashy moves and all-around energy. At age 21, Hifi leads the EuroCup in scoring with 18.3 points on 44.2% three-point shooting (taking 6.6 per game).
5. Omic sets several all-time records
Alen Omic stood out again in the 2022-23 season, averaging 10.8 points and 8.9 rebounds for Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. He also climbed many spots in a lot of all-time charts. Omic became the all-time leader in PIR (1,944) and rebounds (888), both on the defensive (579) and the offensive (309) ends. Omic is also first in two-point shots made (544), third in fouls drawn (461) and fifth in scoring (1,342 points). A EuroCup champion with Unicaja Malaga in 2017, Omic has taken part in 131 EuroCup games, which is the fifth-most all-time, and his 103 starts are tied for second place. EuroCup legend!
4. Paris, London on the rise
Many fans and experts alike had doubts when Paris Basketball and the London Lions joined the EuroCup as newcomers before the 2022-23 season. Both teams managed to reach the playoffs last season: London fell against Joventut Badalona in the eighthfinals and Paris knocked off 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys before losing to Gran Canaria in the quarterfinals. This season, Paris and London are again in the same regular season group and doing even better. Paris leads Group A with a league-best 12-1 record and London also seems to be playoff-bound at 9-4. Big teams in big cities!
3. Turk Telekom's historic run
Few expected Turk Telekom Ankara to be as strong in the first half of 2023, but the club went all the way to the EuroCup Finals for the first time. Accordingly, Erden Can was chosen as the EuroCup Coach of the Year, Jerian Grant became the 2022-23 EuroCup MVP and Axel Bouteille joined him on the 2022-23 All-EuroCup First Team. Turk Telekom had a 13-5 regular season record and then eliminated Germani Brescia, ratiopharm Ulm and Prometey Slobozhanske to storm into the finals, where Gran Canaria prevailed. Turk Telekom is back for more in the 2023-24 season.
2. Prometey makes history
It was one of the best stories in sports: a Ukrainian team based in Latvia, Riga, far away from its home country, competing in a European competition and almost going all the way. Prometey put together a great team led by Caleb Agada, D.J. Kennedy, Ondrej Balvin and the spectacular D.J. Stephens, who dunked his way onto the All-EuroCup First Team. Prometey was first in Group A with a 14-4 record and KO'd Veolia Towers Hamburg and Promitheas Patras to get to the semifinals. Many Ukrainians came to support the team in Riga and everywhere else. Prometey remains a contender this season.
1. Gran Canaria finally wins it
Accordingly, it was a dream season for Dreamland Gran Canaria, even though the new sponsor arrived after winning the EuroCup title. Gran Canaria had a league-best 15-3 regular season record, which meant it was done traveling in late March. Gran Canaria was undefeated at home all season and beat Frutti Extra Bursaspor, Paris Basketball, Joventut Badalona and Turk Telekom Ankara en route to lifting the trophy in front of its fans. John Shurna was chosen as the 2023 EuroCup Finals MVP and made it to the All-EuroCup First Team, Olek Balcerowski was the 2022-23 EuroCup Rising Star and EuroCup veterans A.J. Slaughter, Andrew Albicy and Oliver Stevic celebrated a long-awaited EuroCup crown. Bravo!