The teams in the 7DAYS EuroCup are continuing to work hard to build strong squads ahead of the 2022-23 season, which is just a couple of months away. Here are some of the most noteworthy EuroCup signings from the last week.
The week in EuroCup signings
Promitheas, Paris find their scorers
Promitheas Patras started off the week with a bang by inking combo guard Joe Young to a one-year deal. Young is set to test his scoring skills in the EuroCup for the first time after having averaged 18.2 points in the G League last season. He was also able to lead the Chinese League in scoring a couple of years back, as he averaged 38.3 points in 44 games in the 2019-20 campaign. Promitheas has also added a big body in the paint after bringing back veteran center Michalis Tsairelis. Meanwhile, Paris Basketball has found its scoring weapon in guard Tyrone Wallace, who posted 20.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the G League last season. Paris did not stop there, though, as it added more scoring in the form of power forward Aamir Simms, who will make his debut in the EuroCup in 2022-23.
Return of former EuroCup stars and two D.J.s
Prometey Slobozhanske has bulked up in the paint ahead of its competition debut by adding a former All-EuroCup center in Ondrej Balvin. The Czech big man returns to the EuroCup, where he last played with Gran Canaria in the 2017-18 campaign, when he earned All-EuroCup Second Team honors after posting averages of 10.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. Balvin is one of three players that Prometey signed this week, as there was the return of two D.J.s – Stephens and Kennedy – who have both previously played in the competition. Elsewhere, Germani Brescia re-signed Amedeo Della Valle, who ranked second in the Italian League in scoring last season with 18.0 points a game. It marks Della Valle's return to the EuroCup, where he was an All-EuroCup First Team selection in 2018 during his time wearing Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia's uniform. A couple of other former EuroCup stars returned over the weekend, as guard Josh Adams signed with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and two-time EuroCup semifinalist Trent Lockett returned to Trento.
Trento, Lietkabelis get top talents on loan
Thursday saw a pair of teams, Dolomiti Energia Trento and Lietkabelis Panevezys, each add a prodigious European teenager to their respective rosters. In one of the most intriguing moves of the EuroCup off-season, Trento has brought in Matteo Spagnolo on loan from Real Madrid for the upcoming season. Spagnolo starred during a loan spell with Cremona in the Italian League last season, posting 12.2 points on 44.1% three-point shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Trento hopes he can take another step towards stardom in its jersey. Lietkabelis, on the other hand, has secured the arrival of Paulius Murauskas on loan from Zalgiris Kaunas. The 18-year-old is one of the brightest young talents at Zalgiris, and last year he dominated in the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament, averaging double-double numbers. Murauskas also played well while on loan at Nevezis in the Lithuanian League. Both Spagnolo and Murauskas have opted to remain with teams from their respective native countries, choosing EuroCup as the best place to develop their immense talent.
Rebounding aces fill rosters
Umana Reyer Venice completed its roster this week with the arrival of center Yankuba Sima, as it adds depth in the paint. Another team who made an addition to its frontcourt is Hapoel Tel Aviv, who inked rebounding ace Chris Horton, the French League's leader in rebounds (8.1 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg.) last season. Trento also signed forward Darion Atkins, who pulled down 6.5 rebounds in the German League with Chemnitz last season. Meanwhile, Gran Canaria has kept a proven veteran commodity by re-signing Oliver Stevic for another season. Stevic has averaged 4.6 rebounds in 102 EuroCup appearances.
Trio keeps their captains
Brescia, Veolia Hamburg Towers and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica have all announced deals to keep their team captains. On Monday, Brescia confirmed that David Moss will stay with the team for a seventh consecutive season. The 38-year-old forward has been Brescia's team captain since November 2016. A day later, Hamburg extended Seth Hinrichs for a further two years, tying him to the club until 2024. Later that same day, Buducnost declared that it had finalized terms on a deal with captain and club legend Suad Sehovic, extending their partnership for a 10th consecutive season.