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There are several examples of European basketball players who were tagged stars-in-the-making at a very early age - Arvydas Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic and Ricky Rubio come to mind - and were even famous by the tender age of 16. Until he was that age, Kalise Gran Canaria big man Joel Freeland had never even played organized basketball. In just five years since then, however, he has become one of the brightest hopes of British basketball. By taking firm steps forward with a patient club, Freeland has now become a key part of Gran Canaria's best start ever in the Spanish League, where it shares first place, and its high hopes in the Eurocup.
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 As the second qualifying round of the Eurocup begins next week, one team aspiring to reach the regular season will take extra care to make sure that wet spots don't collect on the court.
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 If there has even been a babyfaced superstar in Belgrade suburb Zeleznik, everybody knows that it has to be non other than FMP top prospect Andreja Milutinovic.
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 The road to European basketball prominence is rarely easy. A few players might get fast-tracked to fame, but many need to climb a step at a time. Jan-Hendrick Jagla of DKV Joventut falls into the latter category.
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 If there is a player for whom the ULEB Cup experience remains incomplete, it has to be Fred House of Pamesa Valencia. House was a star guard for Lietuvos Rytas when the Lithuanian powerhouse won the ULEB Cup title in 2005 - but he missed out on that celebration.
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 He may already be the oldest veteran playing in the ULEB Cup Final Eight, but Darryl Middleton of Akasvayu Girona may never stop competing. Middleton, who will turn 42 this summer, has a special relationship with the city of Girona.
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 If any player has raised himself to superstar status during the ULEB Cup this season, it has to be Lukoil Academic forward Pero Antic.
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