Euroleague 2014-15: Group A preview

14/Oct/14 10:03

The new season is about to start in Euroleague and this time group phase counts. Want to know why? Well you will be surprised with the names of the teams which may end up staying out of Top16. Even if in Group A the situation seems quite clear

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

It’s time for basketball again. And while nobody denies the fact that under the new format for many people the “real start” of Euroleague comes around the Top16, this time the group phase seems more interesting than ever.

It may be just a “warm up” stage for the bigs but is some cases it’s obvious that upsets are right around the corner and some very ambitious teams may have to settle really soon for Eurocup. So here’s Eurohoops preview of the group phase. We remind you that the four best teams of each groups will advance to Euroleague’s Top16, while the last two in each group’s final standings will continue their season in Eurocup.

Group A: Welcome to Real world

You can divide the teams of Group A into two different categories. In the first one, teams with loaded roster like Real Madrid, Unics Kazan and Anadolu Efes seem to be a lock for the Top16.

Madrid is even more complete this year, compared to last season, by adding Gustavo Ayon and Andres Nocioni, after losing Mirotic. Anadolu Efes with coach Ivkovic on the bench and a deep roster, headlined by “wonderkid” Dario Saric, is much stronger than last year and the same applies to Unics Kazan and a roster which include last season Euroleague’s top scorer Keith Langford.

On the other side, Sassari, Zalgiris Kaunas and Nizhny are expected to fight for the fourth place and the last open ticket to Top16. Sassari is the absolute run and gun team courtesy of coach Meo Sacchetti and his old school approach, Nizhny has a good enough roster to get through, headlined by former Partizan stand out Tarence Kinsey, but Zalgiris with a strong tradition, a great crowd, former NBAer James Anderson on the court and Saras Jasikevivius as an assistant seems to be the most likely candidate.

ANADOLU EFES

No.	Player	Country	Pos.	Height	Born
4	BALBAY, DOGUS	Turkey	Guard	1.85	1989
6	OSMAN, CEDI	Turkey	Forward	2.04	1995
7	PERPEROGLOU, STRATOS	Greece	Forward	2.03	1984
9	SARIC, DARIO	Croatia	Forward	2.07	1994
10	DRAPER, DONTAYE	USA	Guard	1.81	1984
12	KRSTIC, NENAD	Serbia	Center	2.12	1983
13	LASME, STEPHANE	Gabon	Forward	2.03	1982
18	COSAR, EFEKAN	Turkey	Guard	1.93	1994
21	ULUBAY, OKBEN	Turkey	Forward	2.00	1997
22	KORKMAZ, FURKAN	Turkey	Guard	1.97	1997
23	JANNING, MATTHEW	USA	Guard	1.93	1988
32	KILICLI, DENIZ	Turkey	Forward	2.06	1990
41	KOSUT, EMIRCAN	Turkey	Center	2.16	1995
51	BJELICA, MILKO	Montenegro	Forward	2.07	1984

	Head Coach
	IVKOVIC, DUSAN	Serbia

DINAMO BANCO DI SARGEGNA SASSARI

No.	Player	Country	Pos.	Height	Born
3	LOGAN, DAVID	USA	Guard	1.84	1982
4	SOSA, EDGAR	USA	Guard	1.90	1988
7	SANDERS, RAKIM	USA	Forward	1.93	1989
8	DEVECCHI, GIACOMO	Italy	Guard	1.96	1985
9	LAWAL, SHANE	Nigeria	Center	2.08	1986
10	CHESSA, MASSIMO	Italy	Guard	1.88	1988
11	DYSON, JEROME	USA	Guard	1.91	1987
14	SACCHETTI, BRIAN	Italy	Forward	2.00	1986
18	VANUZZO, MANUEL	Italy	Forward	2.03	1975
21	BROOKS, JEFF	USA	Forward	2.03	1989
22	TODIC, MIROSLAV	Bosnia – Herzegovina	Forward	2.03	1985
28	CUSIN, MARCO	Italy	Center	2.11	1985
32	TESSITORI, AMEDEO	Italy	Forward	2.08	1994

	Head Coach
	SACCHETTI, ROMEO	Italy

NIZHNY NOVGOROD

No.	Player	Country	Pos.	Height	Born
4	BABURIN, EVGENY	Russia	Guard	1.90	1987
7	VIKTOROV, IVAN	Russia	Forward	1.96	1995
9	PARAKHOUSKI, ARTSIOM	Belarus	Center	2.11	1987
10	IVLEV, VLADIMIR	Russia	Forward	2.07	1990
11	ANTONOV, SEMEN	Russia	Forward	2.02	1989
13	KHVOSTOV, DIMITRIY	Russia	Guard	1.90	1989
20	POPOV, ILYA	Russia	Center	2.07	1995
21	KINSEY, TARENCE	USA	Forward	2.00	1984
22	ROCHESTIE, TAYLOR	USA	Guard	1.85	1985
23	SAVELYEV, IVAN	Russia	Guard	1.90	1987
31	KRIVOSHEEV, MAKSIM	Russia	Forward	2.02	1988
33	THOMPKINS, TREY	USA	Forward	2.08	1990
40	DANIELS, WILL	USA	Forward	2.03	1986
55	GOLOVIN, DMITRY	Russia	Guard	1.92	1988

	Head Coach
	BAGATSKIS, AINARS	Latvia

REAL MADRID

No.	Player	Country	Pos.	Height	Born
4	RIVERS, KELVIN	USA	Forward	1.96	1987
5	FERNANDEZ, RUDY	Spain	Guard	1.96	1985
6	NOCIONI, ANDRES	Italy	Forward	2.03	1979
7	CAMPAZZO, FACUNDO	Argentina	Guard	1.79	1991
8	MACIULIS, JONAS	Lithuania	Forward	1.98	1985
9	REYES, FELIPE	Spain	Forward	2.04	1980
13	RODRIGUEZ, SERGIO	Spain	Guard	1.89	1986
14	AYON, GUSTAVO	Mexico	Center	2.08	1985
20	CARROLL, JAYCEE	USA	Guard	1.88	1983
23	LLULL, SERGIO	Spain	Guard	1.90	1987
30	BOUROUSIS, IOANNIS	Greece	Center	2.10	1983
44	SLAUGHTER, MARCUS	USA	Forward	2.04	1985
50	MEJRI, SALAH	Tunisia	Center	2.17	1986

	Head Coach
	LASO, PABLO	Spain

UNICS KAZAN

No.	Player	Country	Pos.	Height	Born
4	WHITE, JAMES	USA	Guard	2.01	1982
5	LANGFORD, KEITH	USA	Guard	1.93	1983
6	ZISIS, NIKOS	Greece	Guard	1.95	1983
10	BYKOV, SERGEY	Russia	Guard	1.90	1983
11	LIKHODEY, VALERIY	Russia	Forward	2.03	1986
12	PANIN, VADIM	Russia	Guard	2.03	1984
13	SANIKIDZE, VIKTOR	Georgia	Forward	2.03	1986
15	GUBANOV, PETR	Russia	Forward	2.06	1987
20	SOKOLOV, DMITRY	Russia	Center	2.14	1985
21	KAIMAKOGLOU, KOSTAS	Greece	Forward	2.04	1983
22	ANTIPOV, PAVEL	Russia	Forward	2.02	1991
33	KHABIROV, RUSLAN	Russia	Guard	1.92	1991
40	FISCHER, D’OR	USA	Center	2.11	1981
41	VELISHAEV, KEMAL	Russia	Guard	2.03	1993
55	JERRELLS, CURTIS	USA	Guard	1.85	1987

	Head Coach
	PEDOULAKIS, ARGIRIS	Greece

ZALGIRIS KAUNAS

No.	Player	Country	Pos.	Height	Born
4	LEKAVICIUS, LUKAS	Lithuania	Guard	1.80	1994
5	VENE, SIIM-SANDER	Estonia	Forward	2.03	1990
7	GUDAITIS, ARTURAS	Lithuania	Center	2.08	1993
8	KARINIAUSKAS, VAIDAS	Lithuania	Guard	1.98	1993
9	SONGAILA, DARIUS	Lithuania	Forward	2.06	1978
10	LIPKEVICIUS, VYTENIS	Lithuania	Forward	1.95	1989
13	JANKUNAS, PAULIUS	Lithuania	Forward	2.03	1984
15	JAVTOKAS, ROBERTAS	Lithuania	Center	2.10	1980
20	VECVAGARS, KASPARS	Latvia	Guard	1.93	1993
21	MILAKNIS, ARTURAS	Lithuania	Guard	1.95	1986
23	ANDERSON, JAMES	USA	Forward	1.98	1988
27	TAROLIS, DONATAS	Lithuania	Forward	2.02	1994
33	DIMSA, TOMAS	Lithuania	Guard	1.95	1994
92	ULANOVAS, EDGARAS	Lithuania	Forward	1.97	1992

	Head Coach
	KRAPIKAS, GINTARAS	Lithuania