by:
Javier Gancedo, Eurocupbasketball.com
January 30, 2012
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It has been a great season for Russian teams in the Eurocup thus far. Spartak St. Petersburg, BC Khimki and Lokomotiv-Kuban leads their respective Last 16 groups with 2-0 records, and the first two teams are still undefeated in the Eurocup after eight games. Spartak grabbed back-to-back wins against Buducnost and Banvit to lead difficult Group K, and one of the main reasons for that has been playmaker Patrick Beverley, whose stellar performance allowed him to earn Last 16, Game 1 MVP honors. Beverley leads the Last 16 in performance index ranking (21.5) and scoring (19 ppg.). He is making the most out of the chance of having former Euroleague winner and European basketball legend Jure Zdovc as his head coach. In his fourth season in Europe at age 23, Beverley has taken his game to the next level and is ready to be one of the best playmakers in the continent, as he told us in this Eurocupbasketball.com interview. "As a team, our main goal is to win the Eurocup and play in the Euroleague next year," Beverley told Eurocupbasketball.com. "I want to become one of the best point guards in the Eurocup and in European basketball and lead Spartak to the Euroleague next season."
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by:
Frank Lawlor, Eurocupbasketball.com
January 23, 2012
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A fixture on some of Europe's greatest clubs for more than a decade, Sani Becirovic has seen it all in basketball. As a teenager, he was already one of the Euroleague's top scorers, but lost a continental final the next year and saw his career stopped cold by a knee injury before making a long, hard personal comeback to lift the trophy in 2007 with Panathinaikos. This season, for the first since 2006, he is back in the Eurocup, coming off the bench to help Benetton Basket fight for survival in one tough group after the next. Among the things inspiring Becirovic, now 30, is the opportunity to play under a legendary guard from the generation before his, Benetton head coach Sasha Djordjevic. "It's not easy to find people who can still teach you a lot at my age or this stage of my career," Becirovic told Euroleague.net. "When I was growing up, Sasha was like an icon to me. It's a great honor just to play for him. I am pleased to know that in every second of every game, he can give a crucial tip or some advice that can be decisive."
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by:
Javier Gancedo - Eurocupbasketball.com
January 16, 2012
As one of the three undefeated teams left in the competition – not to mention being a two-time Eurocup champion –Lietuvos Rytas has proved itself to be a top candidate to challenge for the title again. Despite having a good number of newcomers, L. Rytas completed its team early, which allowed for buildinggood team chemistry from the very beginning of the season. None of its new faces was more familiar to Lithuanian fans than shooting guard Ronnie Seibutis, who returned to his home country after six years abroad. At age 26, Seibutis has been to the Eurocup semifinals twice – with Bilbao Basket in 2009 and 2010 – and hopes to use that experience to go all the way with L. Rytas to the Finals in Khimki, Russia. Seibutis leads L. Rytas in scoring (14.3 ppg.) and performance index ranking (15.8) so far. He knows that the Last 16 won't be easy. "Small details will be decisive to see who gets to the next round," Seibutis told Eurocupbasketball.com.
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by:
Javier Gancedo - Eurocupbasketball.com
December 12, 2011
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As expected, Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia has not been the average Eurocup newcomer. Despite an initial loss against Gran Canaria 2014, Lokomotiv has won its last three games and is now in a very good position to make it to the Last 16. Its next two games against Gran Canaria and Banvit BK will be decisive, as only two of those three powerhouses can survive their group. One of Lokomotiv's pillars so far has been center Ali Traore, who arrived in Krasnodar this summer and has immediately delivered in his second Eurocup season. In less than 23 minutes per night coming off the bench, Traore averages 12.8 points on 62.9% two-pointers and 7.8 rebounds. He ranks sixth in performance index ranking per minute (0.71) among all Eurocup players. He is also second in offensive rebounds (3.5 orpg.), trailing only teammate Jeremiah Massey. Traore and Lokomotiv want to go step by step, as he told us in this Eurocupbasketball.com interview. "I think we are in a good position to qualify to the next round," Traore said. "But we need to take one game at the time and only think about the next game against Gran Canaria."
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