BC Kyiv vs. PGE Turow

Marko Maravic, BC Kyiv

His finalist appearance in the debut ULEB Cup season of 2002-03 with Krka Novo Mesto of his native Slovenia is among the highlights of a career that has brought BC Kyiv forward Marko Maravic to four countries to do the hard-nosed scoring and rebounding he's known for. His solid numbers still don't say as much as the fact that Kyiv is 6-1 with Markovic healthy this season, and he's more than ready now to guide a new team as far as it can go.

"It's difficult to compare this year to that one. We finished second in our group this year, behind Benetton, with the same record, but a worse points difference. Yes, we are trying to get to play in Torino, trying to go step by step. It's a long way still, and we have Turow waiting for us. So we have to win that series before we can think about doing anything like Krka did." 
 

"Sure, I keep an eye on my ex-teammates and coaches all season. Turow is a tough team. The definitely have one of the best defenses in the whole ULEB Cup competition, letting up only around 65 points per game. Besides Dragisa, they've got other experienced guys I know from Slovenia, like Andres Rodriguez and Vjekoslav Petrovic. Coach Filipovic's teams play with pressure and aggressive defense. We know something about them, and we will know more and prepare more, but it will be a tough series. Both teams are good on defense, so maybe it will not be a beautiful series to watch, but these are playoff games: defense decides."

""We had a big battle with Oostende. They are an experienced team, second in their group, who beat Dynamo Moscow at home, plus a good, experienced coach who won the ULEB Cup before. The key part came after we fell down by 12 points in the third quarter of the first game in Oostende, but did a good job of coming back in the fourth. That was the main point in the whole battle, coming back to win by four points. The second match was also tight, but we liked our chances at 50-50 in front of our own fans, and we won with their help. There were almost 5,000 people in the gym supporting us. That made us happy, because for a Ukranian League game, there are not so many. We hope it will be the same against Turow."

"Being a finalist with Krka in 2003 was a long time ago, but I have good memories. We were surprised to be there after playing against more famous Spanish teams with bigger budgets and history, but somehow we made it through a tough group first, then beat Joventut and Lleida in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Unfortunately we lost in the final, but it was a big success for Krka to be there. We were proud, but it was a long time ago."

Dragisa Drobnjak, PGE Turow

The last time he played in the ULEB Cup, he lifted the runners-up trophy as captain for Krka Novo Mesto of Slovenia in the 2003 final, the competition's first. PGE Turow forward Dragisa Drobnjak's return is looking auspicious, too, after he shot 82.5% on two-pointers during his team's victory in the Last 16. That's to say nothing of his role in this season's third-ranked defense as Drobnjak tries to lead another underdog far in the ULEB Cup.

"I knew we would meet each other if both teams were able to advance from the first round. When the bracket came out, Marko called and said we could meet each other. I think both teams have the quality to advance, with similar talent and great coaches. A lot depends on focus, shooting and preparation. The team's that in better shape will make it."



"To me, seeing Kyiv come this far is not a surprise. We met each other in preseason practice games in Slovenia. Back then, I knew they had really good team, from point guard to center. Of course, I knew Marko, but also some other players like Markoishvili, so I know they were capable of a high level, and not just in ULEB Cup. For us, I wouldn't say I had doubts, but I am glad we came so far. If at the beginning of the season you had asked me, I would have said I'd be happy reaching the first elimination round. Now that we won that, yes, we could make the Final Eight, but now we are meeting a quality team with a good coach and great individual players. It will be a tough series. This will not just be a fight between players to prove who is better. The coaches are rivals between themselves, which makes it even more interesting. I consider both great young coaches with good futures in front of them. It's going to be great to see how they prepare both teams tactically."

"Our first series was like playing two games on the road. In the first 'away' game, we played better than the second, but with both games in front of Nymburk's crowd, so it didn't matter the court. It was not easy at all. Nymburk plays run-and-gun basketball and under Coach Filipovski, we are more a controlled, five-on-five team. But we were ready for everything. Our coaching staff scouted great."

 

""Making the final with Krka was great. Nobody was expecting us. Not even our fans in Slovenia were counting on us as capable of reaching so high. We were surprised. And if I look more, that year we won the Slovenian championship in the finals against Olimpija, where Tomo Mahoric was head coach and his assistant was Saso Filipovski."