Experience meets youth – in club terms at least – in one of the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals matchups, with the 13-5 Joventut Badalona playing host to an 8-10 London Lions squad on Wednesday, April 12. This meeting between second in Group A and seventh in Group B, respectively, pits two teams against one another that both have serious aims of reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Joventut enters the playoffs in red-hot form, having gone on a five-game winning streak to end the regular season, whereas London recovered from back-to-back defeats to end the first part of the campaign with a victory.
Can Joventut overcome last year's nightmare?
In the 2021-22 EuroCup season, everything seemed to be lining up for Joventut to have a deep run in the playoffs, with the team being the No. 1 seed after achieving a 12-4 record and going 9-0 at home. Yet, ratiopharm Ulm did not read the script in the eighthfinals, beating Joventut 73-79 to stun the home crowd. This time around, the Spanish team has the joint third-best record in the competition at 13-5 and has been almost unbeatable in Badalona, going 8-1.
The nightmare of last season still haunts many Joventut fans, who saw the team miss an opportunity to reach the EuroLeague after last featuring in Europe's premier club competition back in 2008-09. But, with its mix of veteran players, such as Ante Tomic, Pau Ribas and Guillem Vives, and those entering their prime, like Joel Parra, Henry Ellenson and Kyle Guy, Joventut will take some stopping in this year's postseason. Up against a first-year team in London, that talent and know-how may be enough to secure its second quarterfinal appearance in the last three years.
How will London cope under the spotlight?
As just the third English team to ever compete in the EuroCup, this season was always going to feel special for London. There have been ups and downs along the way, perhaps evidenced by its 8-10 record, but it did what it needed to do and has become the first club from England to ever reach the EuroCup Playoffs, a feat that the Brighton Bears (2003-04) and the Guildford Heat (2007-08) were unable to accomplish.
Now, a huge test is in store when it takes on one of Europe's most historic clubs, Joventut. Yet, against the top three teams in Group B, London showed that it should not be underestimated. Despite going 0-6 against Gran Canaria, Turk Telekom Ankara and Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv, London lost by a combined 9 points – 93-95 to Hapoel, 57-60 to Gran Canaria and 84-89 to Turk Telekom – at Copper Box Arena. It was a different story on the road, but with London enjoying a 5-4 overall record on its travels, it will be hoping to replicate Ulm's role as the party pooper at Palau Olimpic de Badalona.
Joventut's variety vs. London's go-to threats
Joventut has typically leaned on several players throughout the course of the regular season, which often meant that it was incredibly tough for opposition coaches to take just one player out of the game. Veteran center Tomic showed that age is nothing but a number with another outstanding season, in which he averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while the 35-year-old Ribas also stepped up on a regular basis with 9.4 points, 1.8 boards and 3.5 assists. But, in a worrying sight for London, there's more.
There is a younger crop of players that Joventut has been able to regularly lean on this season, and the 23-year-old Parra is at the front of the pack. The dynamic forward averaged 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists as he took his game to the next level in terms of scoring. Sharpshooter Guy was another who caught the eye on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 12.1 points and regularly catching fire from three-point range. Ellenson, another forward, paired 10.6 points per game with 4.4 rebounds, and his ability to stretch the floor makes him a dangerous weapon. Keep an eye out for Andres Feliz, too, as he often provides a boost to head coach Carles Duran's side with 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per night.