Heading into the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica will be looking to build on last year's eighthfinals finish in the competition. The team came up short against eventual semifinalist MoraBanc Andorra, but the arrival of a new head coach, Vlada Jovanovic, and some noteworthy additions to the roster could set it up for a deep run in the elimination rounds. Playing in Group B in this year's EuroCup Regular Season, Buducnost will be expecting to match – or better – its fifth-place finish in the group from one year ago.
Roster rundown: Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
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4 Minute de lecture
BACKCOURT
Buducnost enters the new campaign with two new options in its backcourt, and both of whom will be expecting to have big roles under Coach Jovanovic. The first of these two players is point guard Trae Bell-Haynes, who has signed for Buducnost from Breogan of Spain and previously played in the EuroCup for Fraport Skyliners in the 2018-19 campaign. Last season, the Canadian international averaged 12.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists for Breogan in the Spanish League. Joining Bell-Haynes is EuroCup rookie Phil Booth, a shooting guard who has arrived at Buducnost from Oostende of Belgium. He impressed in the Basketball Champions League during the 2021-22 campaign, as he put up an average of 13.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Together, Buducnost fans will be hoping these two guards can help the team achieve a lot of success in the coming season. Competing with Bell-Haynes and Booth for game time will be Petar Popovic. The 25-year-old started four of his 16 appearances for Buducnost in the EuroCup last year and managed to have his most productive scoring year to date, averaging 8.3 points per game. The other guard looking to find his way onto the court is Igor Drobnjak, yet it is expected that he will once again be a bit-part player for Buducnost. He came off the bench six times last year and played an average of 8:12 minutes, but he will have to improve his scoring output – two points per game – if he is to have a realistic chance at displacing any of the three aforementioned players in Coach Jovanovic's plans.
FRONTCOURT
One signing that has generated a lot of excitement among Buducnost's fanbase is Cameron Reynolds. The small forward spent last season with Dolomiti Energia Trento of Italy, where he averaged 13.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15 7DAYS EuroCup games. It is expected that Reynolds will be one of Buducnost's star performers in the 2022-23 season. Another new addition who arrives with plenty of expectation is center Alpha Kaba, last season's Turkish League MVP. Playing for Gaziantep, he averaged 13.6 points, a league-best 10.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks in 31 games. Kaba returns to the EuroCup after last playing in the competition with Nanterre 92 in the 2020-21 campaign. Meanwhile, swingman Edin Atic is looking to improve on what was a decent first year with Buducnost. The 25-year-old played a total of 16 games for the team in the EuroCup last season, averaging 6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 22.0 minutes on the court. Then, rounding out the options among the forwards are veteran team captain Suad Sehovic, fellow veteran Marko Jagodic-Kuridza, returning loanee Aleksa Ilic and Aleksandar Lazic, who joined Buducnost in the off-season from Mornar Bar of Montenegro. At center, backing up Kaba will be the 22-year-old Kenan Kamenjas. He spent last year with SC Derby Podgorica, where he averaged 14.3 points and a competition-best 8.4 rebounds in 26 Adriatic League games.
PLAYER TO WATCH
After shining so brightly in Turkey with Gaziantep last season, it will be fascinating to see how Alpha Kaba gets on upon his return to the EuroCup. To date, he has played a total of three seasons in the EuroCup. The first two came with LCLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns, while the third was with Nanterre 92 in 2020-21. In each of those three seasons, Kaba increased his scoring and rebounding averages, so he will hope he can continue that trajectory when the action gets underway in mid-October. If everything goes to plan for Kaba in a Buducnost jersey this season, the team is going to benefit from having one of the best big men in the competition.
OUTLOOK
Buducnost managed to secure the fifth seed from Group B heading into the EuroCup Playoffs last year, yet it failed to get past the first elimination round. This season, with head coach Vlada Jovanovic, who guided Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar to a 10-4 record in the 2018-19 season before falling at the quarterfinal stage, and a series of new players, there is a lot of hope that the team can make some noise in the postseason. The supporters at Moraca Sports Center are known for the way in which they help spur Buducnost on, and the team will be eager to repay them with good performances and results on the court.