Buducnost VOLI Podgorica announced on Saturday that it has hired Andrej Zakelj as the club's new head coach. Zakelj, 45, arrives from fellow Montenegrin side SC Derby, where he has spent the past two and a half seasons. He replaced Petar Mijovic, who resigned the post eight days earlier. 

Andrej Zakelj named head coach of Buducnost

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica announced on Saturday that it has hired Andrej Zakelj as the club's new head coach. Zakelj, 45, arrives from fellow Montenegrin side SC Derby, where he has spent the past two and a half seasons. He replaced Petar Mijovic, who resigned the post eight days earlier.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Andrej Žakelj novi šef stručnog štaba Budućnost Volija! 🔵⚪️<br><br>Na vanrednoj sjednici Upravnog odbora Budućnost Volija, donijeta je odluka da mjesto glavnog trenera plavo-bijelih preuzme Andrej Žakelj.<a href="https://t.co/hGWhhrz3Zy">https://t.co/hGWhhrz3Zy</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKB</a> <a href="https://t.co/axKpiJFCZf">pic.twitter.com/axKpiJFCZf</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1725946333847048504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zakelj spent more than a decade as an active player in his native Slovenia. Upon his retirement at age 28, he immeditley began coaching, first as an assistant at Geoplin Slovan Ljubljana and then Union Olimpia Ljubljana. Zakelj's firs yead coaching gig came with Lastovka Domzale and he would also serve as the head of bench for TBV Start Lublin in Poland and Terme Olimia Podcetrtek, Sentjur and Koper Primoska in Slovenia. He won the Slovenian Cup with Koper in 2020 and the ABA Supercup with Derby last year.

Buducnost has lost four straight games in the EuroCup and has a 2-5 record in Group B of the BKT EuroCup this season. It has reached the EuroCup elimination rounds in each of the last three seasons.

The Slovenian coach arrives from fellow Montenegrin side SC Derby.

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-11-21T18:00:00.000Z)

Faced with tough times since he was a boy, Buducnost's point guard takes his first season in Europe as a challenge to be mastered.

Buducnost's Wright is conquering his latest challenge

The fact that [McKinley Wright IV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/mckinley-wright-iv/012606/) has excelled in his European debut with Buducnost VOLI Podgorica shouldn't be a surprise. He reminds himself that he can conquer any challenge whenever he looks at his social media profile.

The banner photo atop Wright's Twitter/X page shows a sign with the phrase: "Ur gonna figure it out. Like u always have."

"There's been a lot of trials and tribulations in my life. I've been through more than the average kid, and I always managed to figure it out," Wright explained. "It's just a self-reminder that whenever I'm going through a hard time I will find a way to figure it out – like I have since a child."

The Buducnost guard is shining in his first season in Europe, averaging 11.9 points and 4.7 assists for the Montenegrin team in the EuroCup.

"It's been a great learning experience," Wright said. "I'm still adjusting but catching on to the playing style quickly. It's different from the NBA, but the experience has been good."

One of the biggest challenges Wright has faced was not having his father around as he was growing up. McKinley Wright III was sentenced to a lengthy prison term when Wright IV was just seven years old.

"He helped me a lot from prison, always stayed on me and made sure I was doing good in school, staying out of trouble, and in the gym working," Wright recalled. 

Despite his father's trials and tribulations, the Buducnost said he always proudly bore the IV with his last name.

McKinley Wright Season Highlights

"Yeah, my roman numeral means a lot to me. It's a generational name that I'm super proud to be apart of. I never got to meet the II or 

I, so I do everything I can to make them proud and listen to the stories that my dad has about them," Wright said.

Wright graduated from the University of Colorado in 2021 and split the last two seasons between the NBA and the G-League. Last season he was with the Texas Legends and also appeared in 25 games with the Dallas Mavericks. 

Wright really valued his time playing alongside and competing in practice against Dallas superstar Luka Doncic.

"Luka is a great teammate, a funny guy. Just watching him control the game with his pace and never being sped up is something anyone can learn," he said. "It was also great to be on the floor with him at times. He's really an encouraging teammate and wants to help all his teammates get better."

After playing a smaller role for the first few months, Wright got much more playing time at the end of last season with the Mavericks, playing at least 20 minutes in five of his seven games in March and April. Three times he scored in double figures and in those seven games he collected 21 assists with just 7 turnovers.

"That final stretch gave me a ton of confidence," he said. "In my mind I am an NBA player and I believe I belong there. Not that Europe isn't great for basketball, but my plan is to get back into the NBA." 

Wright's time here in Europe is just another challenge he plans on conquering – just like others in his past.

Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 7 by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 7

Round 7 of the 2023-24 EuroCup Regular Season saw a number of players impress, with Michael Ruzic, Nikola Popovic, Ronald March, Roko Prkacin and Rayjon Tucker doing enough to earn roll call honors.

Roll call, Round 7: Youngsters, EuroCup rookies stepped up

### Ruzic showed his promise against Paris

Joventut Badalona may have lost 94-101 in overtime to Paris Basketball, which improved its record to 7-0, but youngster [Michael Ruzic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/michael-ruzic/012349/) certainly made a good impression for the depleted hosts. The Spanish side has been dealing with a number of injuries this season and has thus leaned on its ever-impressive youth academy, with the 17-year-old Ruzic having his best game to date in Round 7. The Croatian finished with a career-high 17 points on good shooting splits, having gone 5-of-7 on two-pointers, 2-of-2 from deep and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. Ruzic also grabbed 5 rebounds, dished 2 assists and made 2 blocks, all of which are career-best marks in what was just his third game in the BKT EuroCup.

Michael Ruzic had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, all of which are career highs, during Joventut Badalona's 94-101 overtime loss to Paris Basketball in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Michael Ruzic's highlights vs. Paris

### Popovic went to new heights for Lietkabelis

[Nikola Popovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/nikola-popovic/006230/) had his best EuroCup game to date in Round 7, as the 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys big man posted career highs in points (18) and PIR (23) as his team beat Turk Telekom Ankara 93-86 in overtime. Impressively, 8 of those points came in the final quarter of regulation, with the 26-year-old Popovic playing a key role in keeping Lietkabelis close before the hosts had a late surge to force the extra period. Having only joined the Lithuanian side midway through last season, with his EuroCup debut coming in Round 12 of the 2022-23 campaign, Popovic seems to have really found his feet at Lietkabelis, with the Serbian going from a career-high 15 points in Round 6 against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse before then bettering that mark with the 18 he netted against Turk Telekom one week later.

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys big man Nikola Popovic had a career-high 18 points and a career-best 23 PIR as his team beat Turk Telekom Ankara 93-86 in overtime in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Nikola Popovic's highlights vs. Turk Telekom

### March helped Prometey bounce back

Prometey Slobozhanske returned to winning ways after a couple of losses by downing Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 98-89 at home. [Ronald March](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ronald-march/012600/) made sure his team was highly competitive until the end, helping Prometey in many different ways. He played more than 31 minutes and finished the game with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 5 fouls drawn and a PIR of 19. He had 4 points and 1 block in the final quarter, in which Prometey managed to keep a safe margin until the final buzzer. March is averaging 12.7 points on 59.5% two-pointers but is doing better at home, posting 14.8 points on average and hitting 16 of his 24 two-pointers (66.7%).

Ronald March had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals as Prometey Slobozhanske beat Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 98-89 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Ronald March's highlights vs. Hapoel

### Prkacin had an all-around performance

Dreamland Gran Canaria remained undefeated in the 2023-24 EuroCup season after downing Slask Wroclaw 81-77 in Round 7. [Roko Prkacin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/roko-prkacin/007644/) had his best game of the season, coming off the bench to get 9 points on 4-of-4 two-pointers. He added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals for a PIR of 17, a new career high. Prkacin, whose father Niksa played in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for nine seasons, ranks fifth overall in two-point shooting, hitting 82.4% of his attempts inside the arc (14-of-17). Prkacin left the game when Gran Canaria led 77-60 and his team was +14 with him on the court, which is a good sign going forward.

Roko Prkacin had 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals as Dreamland Gran Canaria beat Slask Wroclaw 81-77 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Roko Prkacin's highlights vs. Slask

### Tucker kept leading Reyer's comeback

Umana Reyer Venice started the season with a 1-4 record but has now won its last two games, with [Rayjon Tucker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/rayjon-tucker/012591/) having had a lot with it. Reyer downed Wolves Vilnius 77-93 in Round 7 and Tucker was everywhere, getting 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, zero turnovers and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 21. He helped Reyer have extremely good ball circulation: 18 assists and just 5 team turnovers. Tucker played really well against Cedveita Olimpija Ljubljana in Round 6, too: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 fouls drawn and a PIR of 21. Tucker was on the court for over 31 minutes in both games, showing he is one of Reyer's main pillars this season.

Michael Ruzic of Joventut Badalona dunks during his team's Round 7 game against Paris Basketball in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

These five players impressed enough to earn a notable mention after another thrilling week of action in the BKT EuroCup.

SC Prometey has announced the signing of Rob Gray, the 2020-21 EuroCup Finals MVP.

SC Prometey seals move for 2020-21 EuroCup Finals MVP Rob Gray

Prometey Slobozhanske has announced the signing of [Rob Gray](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/rob-gray/010549/), the 2020-21 BKT EuroCup Finals MVP. Gray (1.85 meters, 29 years old) averaged 18.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a 15.2 PIR in his last experience in the EuroCup, as he helped lead AS Monaco to the title in the 2020-21 season. He most recently played for Turkish side Tofas, posting 21.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 10 Basketball Champions League games in the 2022-23 campaign.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rob Gray joins Prometey <a href="https://t.co/09IZ59JJp8">pic.twitter.com/09IZ59JJp8</a></p>&mdash; BC Prometey (@BcPrometey) <a href="https://twitter.com/BcPrometey/status/1725144546953121901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Rob Gray’s incredible impact for Monaco

Gray made his EuroCup debut in the 2020-21 season, having played four games for Metropolitans 92 and averaged 14.5 points and 2.0 rebounds, but he made a mid-season moved to Monaco. In the principality, the guard – as noted above – ended up inspiring the team to the EuroCup title. His most impressive impact came in the 2020-21 EuroCup Finals, as he posted 23 points in Game 1 and 25 points in Game 2, with Monaco winning both games.

From there, Gray remained on Monaco’s roster as it made the jump to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in the 2021-22 campaign, but he saw his role significantly reduced as he posted 3.8 points across eight games in an average of 10:19 on the court. Then, last season he joined Tofas and he now returns to the EuroCup with Prometey, which has turned to Gray after parting ways with Marcus Keene and Rashard Kelly.

More Prometey News

New Prometey Slobozhanske signing Rob Gray in action for AS Monaco in the 2020-21 BKT EuroCup season.

The Ukrainian team has shaken up its roster in recent weeks.

Prometey seals move for 2020-21 EuroCup Finals MVP Rob Gray

Karel Guzman was at the center of everything good for U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season, as he earned MVP of the Round honors for his part in his team’s 60-98 win at Dolomiti Energia Trento.

Round 7 MVP: Karel Guzman, U-BT Cluj-Napoca

[Karel Guzman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/karel-guzman/011797/) was at the center of everything good for U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season, as he earned MVP of the Round honors for his part in [his team’s 60-98 win at Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dolomiti-energia-trento-u-bt-cluj-napoca/U2023/68/).

The 28-year-old’s round-high PIR of 34 was a career-best mark, while he also set career highs in rebounds (12), assists (5) and blocks (2). His 14 points, of which 9 came after the halftime interval, were the joint second most by a Cluj player, while he also committed zero turnovers. Guzman is the first-ever Cluj player to become the MVP of the Round, and it came on a night that saw the Romanian side secure its biggest-ever road win in the EuroCup.

Karel Guzman | Round 7 MVP | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

[Angel Delgado](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/angel-delgado/012647/) of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul had the second-highest PIR in Round 7 with 30, although it came in an 80-83 loss to the London Lions. The Dominican Republic international had an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double, as well as 3 assists and, like Guzman, 0 turnovers. Two players had a 28 PIR, the third-best total in this round: [Matt Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/matthew-morgan/012585/) of London and [Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/nadir-hifi/012640/) of Paris Basketball. Morgan recorded 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal in London’s win at Besiktas, while Hifi amassed 27 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in Paris’s 94-101 overtime victory at Joventut Badalona. [Aljami Durham](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/aljami-durham/012582/) of Veolia Towers Hamburg rounds out the top performers in Round 7 with a 27 PIR, having had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in his side’s 83-86 win at Cedevita Olimpia Ljubljana, the team’s first victory this season.

Dolomiti Energia Trento v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-11-15T19:00:00.000Z)

Tyler Cook, a player with 65 games of experience in the NBA, has joined Joventut Badalona on a deal until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Tyler Cook joins Joventut Badalona until the end of the season

Joventut Badalona has confirmed the signing of Tyler Cook on a deal until the end of the 2023-24 season. Cook (2.03 meters, 26 years old) will get his first taste of European basketball with Joventut, having previously spent his career in his native United States and also in Australia. The power forward arrives with the aim of improving Joventut’s play in the BKT EuroCup, with the team having gone 3-4 through the first seven games.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">💥 Tyler Cook: potència física pel joc interior de la Penya<br><br>🤝 El pivot nord-americà signa fins al final de temporada<br><br>🔗 La notícia: <a href="https://t.co/cJGONrl9qt">https://t.co/cJGONrl9qt</a><br><br>😀 Welcome to Badalona, <a href="https://twitter.com/iamtc25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iamtc25</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Badalona%C3%89sFutur?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BadalonaÉsFutur</a> <a href="https://t.co/p7AAmNg4Qo">pic.twitter.com/p7AAmNg4Qo</a></p>&mdash; Club Joventut Badalona (@Penya1930) <a href="https://twitter.com/Penya1930/status/1725121582480126108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### High-level experience

Since leaving the University of Iowa in 2019, Cook played 13 games in the 2019-20 NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets, 32 games with the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020-21 campaign, and 20 games with the Chicago Bulls in the 2021-22 season. As such, he played a total of 65 games in the NBA, averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.6 minutes on the floor. Cook scored a career-high 17 points against Denver while playing for Detroit on May 15, 2021.

He also spent time in the G League with the Canton Charge, the Oklahoma City Blue, the Iowa Wolves and the Windy City Bulls, before spending the 2022-23 campaign with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Utah Jazz’s G League affiliate. Cook also had a brief stint in Australia with the South East Melbourne Phoenix as an injury replacement.

More Joventut News

New Joventut Badalona signing Tyler Cook in action for the Chicago Bulls in the 2021-22 NBA season.

The 26-year-old big man arrives with 65 games of experience in the NBA.

Tyler Cook joins Joventut until the end of the season

Here are the leaders in the main statistical categories for Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season. 

Round 7, individual highs: Gediminas Orelik, Lietkabelis, 31 points

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

Gediminas Orelik of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys led all players in scoring with 31 points in Round 7. Rasheed Sulaimon of Wolves Vilnius is the competition's top scorer at 20.2 points per night.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

Angel Delgado of Besiktas had 14 rebounds, the most in this round. Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm leads the overall standings with 11.2 boards per game.

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

Juan Nunez of Ulm and Donatas Sabeckis of Lietkabelis led all players in Round 7 with 10 assists apiece. Klemen Prepelic of Cedevita ranks first overall with 9.5 dimes per contest.

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

Jeremy Morgan of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse had a round-high 5 steals. Isiaha Mike, also of Bourg, is the competition leader in steals with 2.4 steals per game.

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

Ben Lammers of Dreamland Gran Canaria and Dusan Miletic of Slask Wroclaw both made 5 blocks in Round 7. Miletic is the competition's leading shot blocker at 2.3 per game.

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

Six players had a double-double in Round 7: Karel Guzman of Cluj (14 points, 12 rebounds), Delgado of Besiktas (18 points, 14 rebounds), Nunez of Ulm (12 points, 10 assists), Steven Enoch of Turk Telekom Ankara (12 points, 13 rebounds), Williams of Ulm (13 points, 10 rebounds), and Sabeckis of Lietkabelis (10 points, 10 assists).

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-11-14T17:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Slask Wroclaw (2023-11-15T20:00:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-11-14T18:30:00.000Z)

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2023-11-14T18:30:00.000Z)

Wolves Vilnius v Umana Reyer Venice (2023-11-15T17:00:00.000Z)

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-11-15T17:30:00.000Z)

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul v London Lions (2023-11-15T17:00:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona v Paris Basketball (2023-11-14T19:30:00.000Z)

Prometey Slobozhanske v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2023-11-14T17:00:00.000Z)

The London Lions are roaring louder and louder in the EuroCup, with Petar Bozic's side securing an impressive 80-83 win at Beşiktaş J.K. in Round 7 to improve to 5-2.

London Lions continue to make noise in the EuroCup

It’s a good time to be a fan of the London Lions. Playing in their second season in the BKT EuroCup, the team from the English capital now find themselves with a 5-2 record in Group A, good enough for a share of second place. Interestingly, the side that London is now level with record-wise is Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, the club it beat on Wednesday night.

In a game that went right down to the final seconds, [London did enough to hold on at BJK Emlakjet Sports & Event Hall as it won 80-83](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/london-lions-hold-off-besiktas-jk-comeback-80-83/). Petar Bozic’s squad was without Sam Dekker, an All-EuroCup Second Team selection in 2022-23, as well as Tarik Phillip, Kareem Queeley and Bradley Kaboza, while Ciaran Sandy and Rokas Gustys didn’t step onto the court. As such, London leaned on eight players to get the job done.

Besiktas strive for a fifth home triumph, again with focus on defense, as it ranks second in the tournament at just 72.3 ppg allowed. Meanwhile, the Lions have rediscovered their roar since beating Joventut and are equipped with Gabe Olaseni to help make the difference.

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul-London Lions | Round 7 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

What helps, obviously, is when those players step up to the plate. Just two London players managed to reach double figures, with Gabe Olaseni posting a game-high 24 points and Matt Morgan adding 17, but there was a solid contribution right across the board: Mo Soluade and Luke Nelson both had 9 points, Conor Morgan 8, Donte Grantham 7, Jordan Taylor 5 and Josh Sharma 4.

### Matt Morgan did a bit of everything

In his rookie EuroCup season, the scoring of Matt Morgan has been one of the most enjoyable revelations. The 26-year-old is averaging 18.7 points through his seven-game EuroCup career to date, and even if his tally in Istanbul was a bit lower than that, he put his fingerprints on the game in a number of ways.

Surprisingly, the 1.88-meter Morgan grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds against Besiktas, while – not so surprisingly – he also led his side in assists with 7. It very much felt like a European triple-double (given NBA games last eight minutes longer). Time and time again, the American guard found ways to make an impact for his team, be that scoring or finding teammates for good looks at the basket.  

Matt Morgan had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists as the London Lions beat Besiktas Emlajket Istanbul 80-83 in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Matt Morgan's highlights vs. Besiktas

With Dekker having made just two appearances so far this season, which came in Round 3 at Prometey Slobozhanske and Round 4 against Paris Basketball, it has been the job of Morgan to keep London competitive this season. It would not be a surprise if the former Le Mans standout is getting some key tips from Coach Bozic on how to run the team, too, given the Serbian’s 122-game Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.

“Man, the crowd was amazing. That team was a really good team, but we stayed together, we played a really good game, so hopefully we can build on this and keep winning,” Morgan said in the post-game flash interview.

“I think it’s my teammates \[that helped me play at this level\], honestly. They got me open, I made some tough shots, but a lot of my stuff came from them. A lot of stuff came in the flow of the offense.”

### London’s offense was ticking along perfectly

Speaking of offense, London moved the ball excellently against Besiktas. Wednesday night’s visiting team finished with 23 assists, its fourth-best mark this season, with Morgan (7), Taylor (6) and Conor Morgan (5) contributing a combined 18 dimes between them. Even on social media after the game, Dekker was particularly impressed with the way Coach Bozic’s squad moved the ball.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Basketball is beautiful. <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LondonLions</a><br><br> <a href="https://t.co/wLg3KaOFwq">pic.twitter.com/wLg3KaOFwq</a></p>&mdash; Sam Dekker (@dekker) <a href="https://twitter.com/dekker/status/1724869264618709389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So, too, was Bozic. Speaking immediately after the final buzzer and then again in the post-game press conference, the 44-year-old stressed his delight at London 23 assists, which comes one week after recording 25 in another road win at Joventut Badalona.

“Amazing game. We played in front of a full gym against one of the top teams in the EuroCup,” commented Coach Bozic in the post-game press conference. “I am so proud with my team, how they handled the whole atmosphere. We shared the ball well – I’m very happy with the 23 assists.”

### An important victory

By coming away from Istanbul with the win, London improved its record to 5-2, but perhaps more importantly it prevented Besiktas from going 6-1. Instead, Dusan Alimpijevic’s side dropped to 5-2, level with London. While Paris Basketball – one of just two teams to beat London this season – is a perfect 7-0, Wednesday night’s triumph in Turkiye keeps the English club in contention to secure the second seed in the playoffs, although there’s still a long way to go yet.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CLUTCH D to secure a historic W against a strong <a href="https://twitter.com/BJK_Basketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJK_Basketbol</a> team 😤🦁<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/rN3OxU431e">pic.twitter.com/rN3OxU431e</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1724891853827486052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Nevertheless, London going 4-0 on its travels – the second-best mark in the entire EuroCup – is nothing to be sniffed at. Coach Bozic has this team playing at a very high level and the best part is that it can add a player of Dekker’s quality into the mix once he is back healthy. London may not have the European history of some other clubs in the EuroCup, but it is already a major force in the competition. As I said at the top, it’s a good time to be a London fan.

More London Lions News

The London Lions players celebrate after beating Besiktas Emlajket Istanbul in Round 7 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Petar Bozic’s players have shown no sign of slowing down, as they are now 4-0 on the road.