Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Round 13 of the 2025-26 EuroCup season
Round 13: Pregame quotes
Straipsnis
7 Minutė skaityti
Wednesday, January 7
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (17:00 CET)
Fabio Bongi, Trento assistant coach
"We are facing Ankara, a team with one of the highest levels of physicality, technique and talent in the EuroCup, and one that will most likely be a contender until the very end of the competition. We know their strength very well, also considering the first-leg game in which we were defeated: that is exactly where we want to restart from, learning from that experience, correcting our mistakes and continuing our growth process. We are working to find greater consistency over the full 40 minutes, which is a key aspect at this level. Ankara can rely on top-level players such as Allman, Smith and Simonovic, as well as two extremely athletic and physical big men like Bankston and Alexander. It will be a very demanding challenge, one that must be approached with great focus and attention: we cannot afford to start at a disadvantage in such a hot arena and against a team of this caliber if we want to give ourselves the best chance to compete until the end."
Andrej Jakimovski, Trento forward
"On Wednesday we will face Ankara, and in the first leg we struggled a lot against their physicality, so we will need to be ready and bring a lot of energy from the start. Our main focus has to be on defense, and we must sustain it for all 40 minutes, because Ankara plays at a very high level, especially at home. We know that in the game we played at the home we lost by a large margin, but we are a different team now and that should give us confidence. The comeback win against Trieste gave us a big boost in confidence, and we believe we can perform well in Turkey as well, in a game that is very important for the EuroCup playoff race."
Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (18:00 CET)
Frederic Fauthoux, Bourg head coach
"We expect a tough game. Lietkabelis is an experienced team, unpredictable at times, with a wide range of play and a solid frontcourt. With a tight schedule and little time to recover, we'll need to be at our best, stay focused, and play quickly to have a good result."
Both Gach, Bourg forward
"Tomorrow's game will be an intense and physical game, they will be looking to get a win at home and we have to come out with a lot of energy and focus from the start and play our brand of basketball."
Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (18:30 CET)
Nenad Markovic, Panionios head coach
"For sure it’s a hard game for us at this moment. Buducnost is a very physical team, very aggressive. We need to match their aggressiveness and physicality and see if we can make a better job protecting our rim and our rebounding. It’s a tough challenge, we will face the team which is second in our group and probably one of the favorite to win the BKT Eurocup. We need to be focus on ourselves, show improvement and continue to fight. We had few practices together and this game can help us for the next game of the Greek League."
Alexandros Nikolaidis, Panionios guard
"It’s the first game of the new year, we have a new coach and a new player on the roster, and what we want is to play well, get the win, and give joy to our fans, hoping that 2026 will be much better for all of us."
Andrej Zakelj, Buducnost head coach
"Panionios are still trying to find the right formula for this season. They have changed the head coach again, added new players, and we expect a certain reaction from their side. A tough game is ahead of us — in the previous round against Bourg, they played at a very high level and nearly surprised them on the road. We have to be fully focused and approach the game in the right way. We had time to train and recover. There are some injury issues, but we must continue in the rhythm in which we finished last year. The key will be to exploit their weaknesses while neutralizing their strengths as much as possible."
Andrija Slavkovic, Buducnost forward
"A tough road game in Greece awaits us. We are facing a respectable team that has changed its head coach, and I believe there will be a certain reaction from their side. We have already started preparing for this game, and I have no doubt that we will be fully ready. I expect a demanding matchup. I don’t think their current position in the standings truly reflects their quality, as they are a solid team that plays at a high pace, runs the floor well, and has a large number of guards. Because of that, a very challenging task is ahead of us."
Slask Wroclaw vs. Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem (19:00 CET)
Anthony Lamb, Jerusalem forward
“We need to focus on what makes us good – our defensive intensity. When we share the ball and play within our system, and when we make sure that we are on the same page, not only with our coverages, but what we are trying to do offensively, that communication piece is what puts us over the edge in a lot of these games and I think as long as we are locked in to that, we have a really good opportunity to get a good win and keep the momentum moving.”
Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Neptunas Kleipeda (19:45 CET)
Benka Barloschky, Hamburg head coach
"The fact that we still have six more games to play in international competition despite being fully focused on the battle to stay in the league and having already been eliminated from the EuroCup group stage has, as is so often the case, advantages and disadvantages. Basically, it's a conscious decision to compete in the EuroCup. So we're focusing on the advantages. Playing against the best is what everyone here has always dreamed of. I would find it inconsistent to complain about it now. So we won't be resting any players because of the competition or the standings – only when it's necessary. With Osaro, Zsombor, and Niklas out, we are currently missing too many important players in training."
Devon Daniels, Hamburg guard
"I see no reason why we should let ourselves down. I am grateful for every opportunity to improve. We have to fight for every possession on Wednesday. I think we have definitely seen progress in recent weeks. And we want to build on that. Every week in training, we work on the areas that still need improvement, as revealed by our games. We're on the right track and we'll continue on it together."
Umana Reyer Venice vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (20:00 CET)
Reyer's Jordan Parks and Ky Bowman are ruled out for this game.
Neven Spahija, Reyer head coach
We are looking ahead to the EuroCup challenge; the past is behind us now. We will face this game with a shorter rotation as well, but we want to continue on our path and maintain continuity in our work. Against a strong team like Cluj-Napoca, we need to play an excellent defensive game. We are working with the entire staff to prepare for the match in the best way possible: we have experience in situations like this and we know that physical and mental recovery is the most important aspect. Cluj is a team that plays at a high pace with many possessions: they are ranked first in pace, points, and assists. They produce a lot on offense, perhaps conceding a bit more on defense. It’s not the first team with these characteristics that we have faced."
Kyle Wiltjer, Reyer forward
"The EuroCup is a fast-paced tournament that never stops: we are back on the court against Cluj-Napoca less than 48 hours after the game against Treviso. We have to be smart about managing these hours with the utmost attention. The staff, as always, prepares and assists us to put us in the best possible conditions: I have a lot of respect for our working group. It’s not just about resting to recover energy, but also studying our opponents and working with the athletic trainers, physiotherapists, and all members of our organization, which I am happy to be a part of. Now it’s up to us players: we must be ready, turn the page immediately after the derby, and give everything we have to bring home the win."
Mihai Silvasan, Cluj head coach
"We are facing a difficult trip, against an extremely physical team, a team that scores a lot of points in offensive transition, being first in the competition in this regard. The many points scored on transition come after precise defense, because they have many fast breaks that turn into scored baskets following aggressive defense. It is a very important game for the final standings of this group. In fact, all games are extremely important from now on. We are going there with a lot of optimism, and we really want to win. We come after some good performances, but this certainly does not guarantee us victory. We will have to be extremely focused and have the right mentality in order to succeed in winning."
Patrick Richard, Cluj guard
"Obviously, this is our first away game after six home games, so we are definitely excited. We have another important EuroCup game coming up, and if we manage to secure the victory, we will put ourselves in a very good position for qualifying for the playoffs, among the top four teams. We take things step by step and hope to go out on the court and win. I hope the fans continue to support us. Now, as we play away, we need their support more than ever."
London Lions vs. NINERS Chemnitz (20:30 CET)
Tautvydas Sabonis, London Lions head coach
"They are very aggressive offensively. They run in transition, they push the ball, they’re a threat defensively, they the put a lot of pressure. We’ve got to be mental tough, very strong physically and do what we are supposed to do defensively."
Tarik Phillip, London Lions guard
"It’s a very important game. We all know what’s at stake, we win this, we have the aggregate over Chemnitz, it’s a must win for us."
Tuesday, January 6
Besiktas GAIN Istanbul vs. ratiopharm ulm (18:00 CET)
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BAXI Manresa vs. Aris Thessaloniki Betsson (19:00 CET)
Igor Milicic, Aris head coach
"We have a crucial game ahead, against a very good team. We left the bad performance against Cedevita behind, we showed an improvement against Olympiacos and we want to keep on the right track tomorrow, despite the fact that we miss some key players. Manresa has quality and a deep roster and we have to give our best and be consistent, to get the result we want."
Stelios Poulianitis, Aris guard
"Reaching the final part of the regular season in BKT EuroCup, every game is very important. We are facing Manresa, that is in the same place as us in the standings and this proves the importance of tomorrow’s battle. We have to be focused, determined and to follow our coaches’ plan. It’s crucial to control the rhythm of the game and the rebounds as well."
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (19:00 CET)
Zvezdan Mitrovic, Cedevita Olimpija head coach
"For some time now we have been playing with a shortened rotation, and we are facing a team whose budget is at the EuroLeague level, not the EuroCup level. Along with Besiktas and Hapoel, Bahcesehir is one of the three teams that truly stand out in the EuroCup. Compared to our first head-to-head game this season, our opponents have strengthened their roster even further. We will try to relieve the players of the pressure of the game. Both teams will have one day to prepare for the match. We are welcoming an opponent that is imposing, not only at our level but also at a higher one. Bahçeşehir are playing excellently, as evidenced by their most recent win in the Turkish domestic league, where they recorded a victory by a 40-point margin. Our opponent has a lot of offensive potential, which they have further reinforced. We can expect an attractive game, and anyone who misses it may regret it. I hope the fans join us in as large numbers as possible—not only because of the game itself, but also because of the support from the stands that we need and that we also deserve with our performances."
DJ Stewart, Cedevita Olimpija guard
"A very important game is ahead of us. We are focused on securing the win we need. That way we can move up to second place in the standings, which we strongly desire. I hope there will be as many fans as possible in Stožice to fill the arena and help us get the win."
Umoja Gibson, Cedevita Olimpija guard
"I am very motivated ahead of the game against Bahcesehir. It is a very high-quality team with a lot of weapons at all playing positions. We need to stay true to ourselves and continue playing the way we have been throughout the entire season. If we maintain that rhythm, we can hope for a good performance."
