Lietkabelis Panevezys ranks third in offensive rebounding (12.1 orpg.), and that should be one of the biggest keys to its Round 9 showdown against Slask Wroclaw.

Keys to victory: Lietkabelis vs. Slask

The Polish powerhouse is second in offensive boards (12.3 orpg.), so boxing out should be more important than ever in this game. Lietkabelis is sharing the ball really well, averaging 18.3 assists per night, but also makes a lot of mistakes that it needs to cut down on in this important game, as it ranks second in turnovers (15.9 per game). Stopping Kerem Kanter should be critical for the Lithuanian powerhouse and Lietkabelis relies on Kaspars Berzins to do so.

Marquee matchup: Lietkabelis's Radicevic vs. Slask's Trice

In his sixth EuroCup campaign, Radicevic is doing a little bit of everything, averaging 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals as the team's starting point guard. Radicevic needs to play aggressively against Travis Trice, Slask Wroclaw's scoring leader. Trice did not play against Lietkabelis in Round 1, which adds more anticipation to this matchup. He is averaging 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists, which is fourth overall, in six games this season.

Travis Trice - Slask Wroclaw (photo Dawid Podsiadlo - Slask) - EC21

Lietkabelis Panevezys (4-5) takes on Slask Wroclaw (1-7) in Round 10’s first game at Cido Arena on Tuesday.

Lietkabelis hosts Slask in Round 10’s opener

Lietkabelis comes off a home victory against Boulogne Metropolitans 92 and wants to keep its momentum going, led by Gediminas Orelik (15.6 ppg.), Panagiotis Kalaitzakis (13.9 ppg.) and Vytenis Lipkevicius (8.6 ppg., 5.3 rpg.). Slask has lost its last two games and hopes to get back to winning ways. Travis Trice (12.7 ppg.) has been its top scorer until now, followed by Kodi Justice (10.4 ppg.) and Jakub Karolak (10.3 ppg.). Earlier this season, Lietkabelis defeated Slask 59-70 at Hala Orbita behind 12 points from Kalaitzakis.

With the first half of the regular season done, Eurohoops evaluates all 20 7DAYS EuroCup teams as regards their performances to date.

7DAYS EuroCup Power Rankings Vol. 3

Welcome to the third edition of the 7DAYS EuroCup Power Rankings! Last week marked the midpoint of the 2021-22 regular season and some of the favorites have already gotten ahead in the standings battle.

However, with COVID-19 resurfacing on many squads, several games of Round 9 had to be suspended and rescheduled for later in the season, creating opportunities for underdogs to have their fair share of the spotlight. For this edition of the power rankings, we’re keeping in mind each of team’s momentum, health status/absences, and how much they have improved (or not) along the season so far.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1296656/7days-eurocup-power-rankings-vol-3/)

Pau Ribas - Joventut Badalona - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21

Dynamic guard Dylan Ennis is back in the 7DAYS EuroCup with his third team in the competition, Gran Canaria. In his first experience, Ennis led MoraBanc Andorra to the 2019 EuroCup Semifinals and was chosen to the 2018-19 All-EuroCup Second Team. After a brief experience with AS Monaco in the 2019-20 campaign, Ennis has joined Gran Canaria and hopes of leading his new squad all the way to the championship. One of the most extroverted players in European basketball, Ennis is always ready to interact with fans on social media. You can follow him on TikTok (@dylanennis88), Instagram (@dylanennis31) and Twitter (@canadiankidDJE.)

Dylan Ennis, Gran Canaria: 'We want to continue to win'

It is good to be back to the EuroCup, this time with Gran Canaria. We are doing good. We are enjoying the competition, trying to stay together right now with everything happening. But I think we are in good spirits. We've got a few players out, but they will be back soon and we will continue to get better. We already beat teams like Valencia, Virtus and Buducnost. I don't know why they didn't consider us as one of the favorites at the start. I did, personally, and I guess our team took that as disrespect. We had such a great roster coming in and Gran Canaria did so amazingly last year, making it to the semifinals, so I don't understand why we would rank so low. But that helped us, it gave us the underdog mentality that we continue to have in the EuroCup. I think we are going to continue to have that underdog mentality. Once you get comfortable at the top, that's when you start losing. And I don't think we are going to get comfortable. We want to continue to win and continue to beat anybody in front of us.

In our last EuroCup game, we beat Virtus by 20 points at home. Obviously, you look at their roster and, even though we are competitors, we see Milos Teodosic and Marco Belinelli. We grew up watching those guys and wanting to emulate things they do. But on the court, we loved that challenge to play against that top team. And you know how it came out, amazing, beating them by 20 at our house. It really gave us a confidence boost. It just allowed us to know that we can beat anybody on any given night. Another important win, as in Valencia. It is such a great team and, especially at home, they are tough to beat. But I think that that win definitely helped us get our confidence in the EuroCup. After that win, it helped us knowing that even if we are on the road, no matter who's in front of us, it's possible to beat these teams if we all stick together.

"Nothing beats playing on your home court."

All these wins are crucial because the home-court advantage is going to be more important than ever. It is so big because, obviously, you have to play away games sometimes, but you know that travel, it takes a little bit out of you, especially if you're playing in two competitions, which most teams are. So getting that home-court advantage, being comfortable at home, especially against these big teams, where they have such a big following and such a big crowd, it's going to be very important. We've been doing good on the road, but nothing beats playing on your home court.

At the same time, we are the only team that still didn't lose on the road. That maybe plays mind tricks on everybody when they play us because, if they play us at our house, they say the travel is tough, so they are going to get a tough game, especially when our crowd gets going. And then they see our record on the road and realize that they can't get comfortable because we have such a good away record when we play at their house. So it's good for us. It puts us in a good position to be playing good, on the road and at home. But as I said, we are not going to get comfortable. All the games that we won are great so far but they are not going to help us going forward. We still have to continue to win games against these big teams. We still have Virtus at their house so we are going to continue to stay focused because the second you get comfortable, you start losing games.

Sometimes we play on the road in the Spanish League, and then again on the road in the EuroCup. In that case, we don't go back home because the travel coming back to Gran Canaria between games would be tough. I think staying on the road it's good for us. It allows us to not be in the airport and not be on the plane, making sure we do recovery. And obviously, we miss being back home with our families and everything like that, but it's a sacrifice you have to make to win these games. And I think our organization does a great job making sure that we are good for each game, traveling where we have to because we know the travel coming back here is tough. So hopefully we can continue having good routes to games.

It is good to be back to the EuroCup. I love it. I think this is an amazing league. I have had success when I first played in it, being in the All-EuroCup second team, and I'm having success now, as well. But it's all credit to my team, my coaches, and both teams. When I was at Andorra and now that I play in Gran Canaria, it's free-flowing basketball, a lot of run and gun, a lot of quick shots in transition. That's my style, so I think both of the EuroCup teams I played with allow me to flourish. And I just hope I can continue to have the success I'm having so far.

It is great to be in Gran Canaria right now, too -- 25 degrees! I wouldn't even call this winter, honestly. I grew up in Canada and lived in New York, Chicago and Andorra. I had cold weather my whole life, but now I'm here and I was on the beach yesterday with my family. It's amazing! The people are amazing, the weather's amazing, I wake up and I look out my window and I see the ocean and palm trees and the sun. So I can't complain about anything right now. I know it's tough times and obviously I'm human and I wish everything would go back to normal but at the same time, I'm so blessed to be here at Gran Canaria. I am healthy, my family's healthy and just being in a good environment, so I'm thankful for that.

Off the court, I spend a lot of time with Chris Kramer. We actually didn't know each other before we came to Gran Canaria. I knew nothing of him before. When we decided to sign him, I asked around and people say, he's a great guy. And then just over time, we got closer. I think a big bond was us having our wives and our daughters here, and they are best friends as well. My wife and his wife are best friends like they've known each other for 30 years. Our daughters are best friends, and I think that definitely helps our chemistry on the court as well.

Gran Canaria fans, I love the support! You guys showed me and my family so much love. You guys are continuing to support the team and I really appreciate that. We are halfway through the season but still have a long way to go. Hopefully, you guys keep supporting us because we love you and everything you guys do for us!

Dylan Ennis 2- Gran Canaria (photo Buducnost) - EC21

Umana Reyer Venice has signed veteran point guard Jordan Theodore for the remainder of the season, the club announced Tuesday. 

Reyer signs playmaker Theodore

Theodore (1.83 meters, 32 years old) returns to the 7DAYS EuroCup after helping UNICS Kazan reach the finals last season. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 assists in 16 games last season with UNICS, including 15.0 points and 7.0 assists for an average PIR of 24.5 in the finals against AS Monaco. It was Theodore’s second season with UNICS. He also played one season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with AX Armani Exchange Milan.

Theodore’s professional career has seen stops in Turkey (Antalya, Mersin, Banvit Bandirma and Besiktas Istanbul), Puerto Rico (Mets de Guaynabo), Dominican Republic (Huracanes del Atlantico), France (JL Bourg), Germany (Fraport Skyliners) and Greece (AEK Athens) as well as the aforementioned stints in Russia and Italy. He joined his former UNICS teammate Jordan Morgan as the second Jordan to sign with Reyer this week.

Joventut Badalona big man Vladimir Brodziansky is playing some of the best basketball of his career. Last week he scored 12 of his career-high 31 points in an outstanding third quarter that put Joventut on the right track to beat Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. In his second EuroCup season, the Slovak big man is averaging 14.6 points with very good shooting percentages (63.2% 2FG, 40.7% 3FG, 83.9% FT) plus 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Brodziansky is the fourth-best scorer in the competition on a per-minute basis (26.4 points prorated over 40 minutes) and ranks eighth in PIR per 40 minutes (30.4). He said that he likes to be in an environment full of veteran players who can help, but also playing alongside many young, promising talents. "I'm not as young, like a rookie or whatever, so I am trying to help the younger guys when I can, but also trying to learn from players like Ante and Pau Ribas, so it's great for me," Brodziansky told EuroCupBasketball.com. "We’ve got great veterans and really good, talented young guys, so it is a great mix. I think the team is doing a really good job at adding new players, young players from their bases, from the younger teams. I think that's great."

Vladimir Brodziansky, Joventut: 'Every possession counts'

**Hello, Vladi. Congratulations on beating Lokomotiv. It was a battle of powerhouses and you had one of your best games of the season. What made the difference in this game?**

"I think we did a really good job in the second half. We played a great defensive game. I think that in the second half, especially, we played to our strengths and did a great job. We did what the coaches told us to do and won. That was a great win for us."

**Ante Tomic left the game in the third quarter and you stepped up big, scoring 12 points in that period. Did you feel like it was your moment to carry the team on your shoulders?**

"In our team, it is just the next-man-up mentality. When Ante went down, we all just locked in more. We tried to focus, my teammates found me in good spots and I just made the shots. And I think that's it. We are a great team and I think we did a great job."

"In our team, it is just the next-man-up mentality. When Ante went down, we all just locked in more."

**Speaking of Tomic, how much do you and Simon Birgander learn from him in practices and games?**

"A lot, for sure. He's a great, great guy that always tries to help everybody, giving us tips. We learn from practicing with him. He is a great leader and obviously, he played in great teams. He’s had a great career and has many years of experience, so it's amazing to learn from somebody like that. Like I said, he's always giving you tips. I mean, he's amazing in the low post, so we just learn from that. His passes, his vision, his scoring... he is just all over."

**Now that Joventut has faced all of its regular-season opponents, how strong is the EuroCup this season and how do you like to be a part of it?**

"It is, for sure, amazing. There are great teams: Lokomotiv, Partizan and many others. It is just a great competition. I think the level is really high and I'm really happy to be part of it. You know, playing European competition is always great."

**Joventut is a team full of young talents and well-rounded veterans. You seem to be linking both generations. How does it feel, especially off the court?**

"I think it's good. You know, I still have a lot to learn. As you say, I'm not as young, like a rookie or whatever, so I am trying to help the younger guys when I can, but also trying to learn from players like Ante and Pau Ribas, so it's great for me. We’ve got great veterans and really good, talented young guys, so it is a great mix. I think the team is doing a really good job at adding new players, young players from their bases, from the younger teams. I think that's great."

**How do you like the club's philosophy, being loyal to its run-and-gun playing style and giving chances to all the youngsters that deserve to be out there?**

"I agree. For many years, many players grow up here - Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernandez, now we got Pau Ribas and Ferran [Bassas]... You know, many great guys grow up here. I think the club is doing a great job in growing their players, basically. And I think it's a great philosophy, it's great for the future of the club and great for the city. The young players are practicing here and they see us. They practice on the side courts and are here every day, so I guess they can take us as role models. They can see many players who grow up here who play here now on the main team. So I think it's great motivation for them to see that, like 'look, if we work hard, we can make it to the top team.' You can play like the other guys who made it."

**Not many players from Slovakia have excelled in the EuroCup, though Radoslav Rancik and Anton Gavel were definitely among them. Did you ever talk to them? Were they role models growing up?**

"Yes. Lately I've been talking to Rado Rancik. With Anton Gavel, I have been in contact a little bit for a few years already. They hit me up sometimes after the game, give me some tips. So it's great for them and I'm really grateful for them. I think they are great guys. They try to help Slovak basketball as well."

"You have to win every game, every game counts and every point basically counts."

**How important is the home-court advantage going to be going forwards, even in knock-out games?**

"The home crowd is always helpful. We have a great crowd here. A lot of people come to the game to support us, so home advantage is going to be huge. We talked about before the Lokomotiv game that this is our chance to skip into first place. And for the rest of the season, you know you have to win every game, every game counts and every point basically counts. You are going to finish as high as you can so you can you get the home advantage, as you said. Our fans know basketball and they support us all the time. They are always behind us, even when we're down a little bit, they still support."

**Generally speaking, and other than Joventut, who do you consider the main candidates to win the EuroCup this season?**

"I mean, there are many great teams. In our group, it's obviously, Partizan and Lokomotiv. On the other side, there is Virtus, Valencia, which was in the EuroLeague last season and I am pretty sure they are going to get back. There are many other teams like Gran Canaria, which is also doing really good. So I think there are a lot of good teams and it will be really interesting to see because of the knockout stage. It's one game, so anything can happen. Basically, it's like in college, you know, March Madness!"

**We are at the regular season's halfway mark. What will be most important going forward?**

"I think, just to finish every game, play every game. Basically, every possession counts. We have to win as many as we can, especially home games. As for the road games, if you want to finish first, you have to win most of the games, you know? It's great a competition, great teams, so you have to play 100% every game. It's going to be tough, but we will do our best."

Euroleague Basketball's annual mid-season survey of 7DAYS EuroCup general managers asked a series of fan-centric questions about the competition so far.

Mid-season survey of 7DAYS EuroCup general managers!

At the start of the new year, the GMs were asked about the main candidates to win individual awards, as well as the best defenders, passers and shooters among all EuroCup players. The GMs also reveal their choices for the best coach, the most fun-to-watch team and the most-likely finalists. Check out their answers below!

As the midway point of the 7DAYS EuroCup arrives, efficiency is up and there's no shortage of players contributing to that.

Stats Review: Efficiency everywhere at midseason

### High-Gravity Matchup

A top eight is forming in Group A and Hamburg Towers scored an impactful home victory coming out of the break to keep pace. Notching a third straight win by riding a strong second quarter to a 20-point victory over Turk Telekom Ankara, the EuroCup newcomers got 50 points combined from Ray McCallum and Caleb Homesley.

### Offensive Efficiency Leaders

In Hamburg's win, Homesley needed just 18 possessions to score 29 points, making his one of the most efficient individual efforts of the regular season so far.

That was not anything especially new for the rookie who has been the highest volume scorer by a sizeable margin among this season's 10 most efficient offensive players. Currently sitting second in this season's scoring race between Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar's inside-outside duo of Johnathan Motley and Errick McCollum, Homesley has been a revelation this season, scoring at a high level both on and off the ball.

While his play has been key for Hamburg, he's far from the only player buoying a team's offensive performance with exceptionally efficient play. Across the EuroCup, efficiency is up yet again this season after a significant jump last year. The average possession is worth 0.97 points per possession, which is among the top marks in the history of the competition. The leaders above have played a notable role in that.

Turk Telekom has done much of their best work defensively this season, but Aaron Harrison was giving the club a major lift offensively prior to his injury, scoring at an elite rate by creating his own shot out of ball screens. Mismatch forward Kyle Weems, stretch big man Vladimir Brodziansky, center Willie Reed, and scoring guard Kevin Punter make up the first half of a top 10 that has something for everyone, covering more roles than tends to be the norm.

Two teams have two players ranked among the most efficient high-volume scorers in the EuroCup so far this season. Group B leaders Buducnost VOLI Podgorica have gotten a career season from EuroCup veteran Justin Cobbs, who has lived at the line and scored in bunches this season after serving as a prolific facilitator early in his time in Podgorica. Marco Belinelli brought an obvious pedigree to Virtus Segafredo Bologna this season and has shot the ball at an exceedingly high level running off screens. It will be interesting to see how his role and that of Kyle Weems shift with Milos Teodosic out for the next several weeks for the league's most-efficient offensive team.

While the 76 players using over 10 possessions per game have averaged 0.98 points per possession this season, the 100 players using between 6 and 10 have matched that number. The EuroCup's rising efficiency is as much a byproduct of role players as it is about the first and second scoring options on all the teams. The gaudy points-per-possession numbers recorded by the group of contributors above show just how dangerous players in the middle tier can be

This group may not be playing especially large roles this season, but they do represent a mix of dangerous shooters, athletic big men, and complementary scoring threats thriving for their respective teams. The EuroCup may not be in the middle of a complete offensive renaissance, but the early returns on the league's new format are clearly positive and the number of players contributing to that is genuinely encouraging.

### Looking Ahead to Round 10

Halfway home, the hot spot in the standings appears to be towards the bottom of Group B where Promitheas Patras and Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse still have a chance to stay in step with the eight teams ahead of them if they can capitalize on their five remaining home games each. They'll take on Umana Reyes Venice and Valencia Basket, respectively, in Round 10 as they look to end matching three-game losing streaks. Their performance in the coming weeks will likely dictate just how chaotic the playoff picture winds up being in March.



Marco Belinelli - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21