After the BKT EuroCup Draw took place in Barcelona, some of the attending club representatives shared their first impressions on the outlook for the new season.
BKT EuroCup Draw reactions
GROUP A
Nedim Yucel, Besiktas
“First of all we are very excited to be in the EuroCup again after some while, so our organization and our fans are ready to add some value to the EuroCup. Now we will finish our roster. We will do our best. I wish everyone luck.”
Davor Uzbinec, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana general manager
“I hope we will be better than last year. Last year we were not good, but before that we were in the quarterfinal and I hope we will fight again for that. Our group is not easy, we have very tough opponents, but we will see.“
Idan Plada, Hapoel Tel Aviv general manager
"I think we have a tough group, but we are ready to do it. Our first goal is to get to the playoffs, the first six teams, and after it depends. I like the [new format]. I think it’s better for the EuroCup.”
Juan Antonio Morales, Joventut Badalona president
“Last season was a succesful one for us, we made it to the semifinals. Officially, the goals will be to improve on that, but still we have a lot of things to know about the rest of the 19 teams. We will see. On this date, you have a mental view of how it’s going to be and then there is always a team that you never expected and it’s a great team and then you have a team that you were afraid of it’s not so good. So we will see. If we play good, we will be successful. If we don’t play good, it's not that important who you play against.”
Amara Sy, Paris Basketball
“We are pretty excited. The draw was good for us in terms of competition because we are able to offer our fans a good level of competition, good matches, so we are really excited to start the competition. The EuroCup is a very good competition, in my opinion second to the EuroLeague. So we wanted to be a part of it and now we’re in, so the group is tough but I think the fans will enjoy the games.”
Aurimas Mileisis, Prometey Slobozhanske COO
“Last year is over. The book is closed and we are opening a new book. We will see. We want to be strong like we were last season, but we will see. You cannot predict, you cannot dream a lot. We just have to practice a lot, get ready and show our best.”
Francesco Terrin, Umana Reyer Venice general manager
“For us, it's always a pleasure to be part of this exciting tournament, our group is a tough group… Even though they changed the format, the post season is still tough because you have a win-or-go-home game, so we will try to enjoy as always. We do our best every year.”
Rimantas Kaukenas, Wolves Vilnius CEO
"I think we have a very tough group. But, you know, for us as a young team it's great to be playing against teams like those. It'll be very difficult and tough. However, I think that throughout the season, it's very important for us as a team to cement our identity, who we are and how we play. Sure, we will step on the court really appreciating these opponents, but also trying to fight to the end, with 100 percent, leaving everything on the court. If you have teams like Hapoel, Joventut, Venice, Prometey, it's a lot of lessons to learn. [The experience of Jeffery Taylor will be] very important, very valuable. We hope we will add some players to the roster who will help us. And then we'll hit the gym!"
Benka Barloschky, Veolia Towers Hamburg head coach
"The EuroCup is and will remain something special for us as a club. From a sporting point of view, all the teams in Group A would have been absolute highlights. With Hapoel Tel Aviv, London Lions and especially Paris Basketball, well-known faces are there. We are looking forward to all encounters in the international competition. The reunion with Justus Hollatz and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana will of course be a highlight that our fans are certainly looking forward to. On behalf of the city of Hamburg, we warmly welcome the new group opponents."
GROUP B
Eleftherios Arvanitis, Aris president
“We are happy because we are returning to the EuroCup and we have seen the best of the other teams."
Andrea Nardelli, Dolomiti Energia Trento general director
“Every game is going to be tough, as usual. We know that. This is our eighth season in the EuroCup, so we have to fight every single game. The new competition [format] is going to change the importance of every single game. We have many new clubs for us that we have never faced. It’s going to be interesting with some long journeys.”
Frederic Sarre, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse sports development director
“As always, the EuroCup is a very exciting competition. This is the fourth time that we participate in this competition and we are happy to be here again. We know that each season is tougher and tougher and we like that, because that way we can improve. This Group B is a strong group. We hope with these new rules we can finish among the first six teams to continue our journey, this is our goal. I think it will be a very exciting season.”
Branko Cuic, U-BT Cluj-Napoca sports director
“I see us growing, for sure, with much better results. Last year we were at the top in terms of fans and this season with better results we will even grow the number of fans in the gym.”
Anton Gavel, ratiopharm Ulm head coach
"An interesting group. With Bourg, Lietkabelis, Cluj, Buducnost and Turk Telekom we have opponents that we saw last season. Having the [last season] champion and finalist in the group right at the start is obviously an exciting challenge for us. Of course, seeing Jaka [Lakovic] again is something very special for all of us when the German champion meets the EuroCup champion. Personally, I'm particularly looking forward to Aris Thessaloniki, where I was able to spend a year of my playing career. There is an enormous fan culture there, so I am also happy for the club that they are back in the EuroCup."
Petar Mijovic, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach
"Considering the timing of this draw, it is hard to say if we got a favorable draw or not. However, it is clear that last season's finalists are in our group – teams that have the same ambitions this season. Turk Telekom is one of the rare teams that is close to finalizing its roster, and it has brought in a few EuroLeague players so far. There is Ulm, which eliminated us last season and won German League title after defeating Bayern, ALBA and Bonn, which speaks of their quality. At first glance, besides the two favorites, our group seems even and we will certainly be aiming for a high finish [in the standings]. But, first, we have to focus on us; to put together a good, competitive team."