By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
While the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is without a doubt the top level of basketball in Europe, you can argue that 7DAYS EuroCup is not that far behind.
The 24 teams that are part of the competition are ready to dazzle and make a case for a EuroLeague spot. After all, that’s the ultimate prize that goes along with the EuroCup trophy. And that’s a good reason for Eurohoops to present its first EuroCup Power Rankings, just before the start of the season.
1 Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
They have last season’s EuroCup Coach of the Year in Sasa Obradovic and former EuroLeague players like Vitaly Fridzon, last with CSKA, Jamel McLean (Olympiacos) and Dorell Wright (Bamberg). They are the de facto favorite to go all the way this year, after a near-perfect season that, unfortunately for them, included a bitter finish in the finals against David Blatt’s Darussafaka Istanbul.
2 Unicaja Malaga
When they don’t play in the EuroLeague, they are a candidate to win the EuroCup. And this year is not an exception, thanks to a roster that includes former Olympiacos duo Kyle Wiltjer and Brian Roberts, and also former Crvena Zvezda big man Matthias Lessort.
3 Valencia Basket
They are the arch-rivals of Unicaja, especially in the EuroCup, and they have a battle-tested group that includes Bojan Dubljevic and Rafa Martinez. The addition of sharpshooter Matt Thomas and French international center Louis Labeyrie can only make things better. Plus, no other club has already won three EuroCup titles.
4 UNICS Kazan
Don’t underestimate them. The team of coach Dimitris Priftis is a project that started last season and has already turned heads. With the additions of Pierria Henry and Errick McCollum in the backcourt, it’s obvious that this is going to be a special team.
5 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
Longtime Olympiacos icon Milan Tomic joined Zvezda as the new head coach. During his playing days, Tomic was a true fighter on the court and that’s expected to be the mentality of his team. Add veteran Stratos Perperoglou, a complete roster, plus the loudest fans in the competition, and you have a contender.
6 Zenit St. Petersburg
A rising force from Russia which made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic with the addition of NBA veteran Brandon Jennings. The team of coach Vasily Karasev and his son, sharpshooter Sergey Karasev, is expected to be one of the highlights of the competition.
7 Tofas Bursa
The ambitious Turkish club lost Pierria Henry and Raymar Morgan but kept all the other members of the core that led them to the Turkish League finals. Coach Orhun Ene has a good team on his hands and Tofas simply can’t be overlooked.
8 ALBA Berlin
The traditional German powerhouse decided last year to trust veteran Spanish coach Aito Garcia Reneses. It was obviously a smart move. Reneses build a very good team, starring Payton Siva and Luke Sikma. Since the summer of 2016, Siva is playing for the Berliners and it’s a match made in heaven. The next step of this project will be making a statement in the EuroCup.
9 Cedevita Zagreb
The Croatian club made a choice quite similar to ALBA. By hiring Spaniard Sito Alonso, who has already coached Baskonia and Barcelona, they made an impression from the get-go. The rest was easy, as they created a strong roster that includes familiar names in Spain like Pablo Aguilar, Augusto Lima, and Vitor Benite. Don’t expect Cedevita to be your typical Balkan team this year.
10 AS Monaco
They are newcomers to the EuroCup, however, they were finalists in both the French League and the Basketball Champions League. This year they turned the page, signing new faces to the roster and hiring Saso Filipovski. The Slovenian coach is considered a hot commodity after his years in Turkey and he has the chance to prove why.
11 Dolomiti Energia Trento
If you consider yourself a “basketball connoisseur,” then you should love Trento. If you are not, then Maurizio Buscaglia is probably the best coach that you don’t know about. The Italian mastermind always finds a way to create teams that play tantalizing basketball, despite modest resources. He has already won the 7Days EuroCup Coach of the Year award in 2016 and his team will be more than competitive.
12 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
After building Monaco, coach Zvezdan Mitrovic left to restore Tony Parker’s club to its former glory. Lithuanian point guard Mantas Kalnietis and Croatian big man Miro Bilan are among the marquee names of this new project, which will be watched closely by everyone. After all, ASVEL is expected to compete via a wildcard in next season’s EuroLeague and the team wants to prove in the EuroCup that they deserve it.
13 FIAT Turin
On paper, this is by far the most interesting team of the EuroCup. It’s coached by none other than Hall of Famer Larry Brown. It has a roster that includes 36-year-old Carlos Delfino, who practically returned from retirement, former NBA player James McAdoo, whose uncle Bob McAdoo had a legendary presence in Italy. This team has amazing potential. Still, nobody can tell yet how the experiment will turn out.
14 Galatasaray Istanbul
The Turkish club has one of the most passionate fan bases in Europe. What’s more, coach Ertugrul Erdogan has a great backcourt duo in Tai Webster and Aaron Harrison. In the frontcourt, former Panathinaikos big man Zach Auguste has the physical tools to dominate the EuroCup competition, so this can be their year.
15 Morabanc Andorra
Morabanc Andorra is preparing for its second season in the EuroCup with the biggest addition being coach Ibon Navarro. The Spaniard is one of the up-and-coming names in European coaching and the perimeter of Dylan Ennis, Rafa Luz, and Michele Vitali can set any game on fire.
16 Turk Telekom Ankara
This is really intriguing. Why a team that has just been promoted from the Turkish second division is ranked in the EuroCup Top16 you ask? The answer is quite simple: They have signed Vladimir Stimac, Kenny Gabriel, Reggie Redding, and Sylven Landesberg. That’s enough in order to do damage.
17 Germani Brescia Leonessa
Solid can sometimes be enough and that’s the story of this team. With coach Andrea Diana entering his fourth season on the bench, newcomers like Awudu Abass and Jordan Hamilton need to mix with veterans like Luca Vitali and David Moss. If this happens, then watch out.
18 Limoges CSP
They have trusty veterans like Samardo Samuels – who is already punished by the way – and Dwight Hardy, so they can be trouble. However, this is the team of Sekou Doumbouya. Not many EuroCup teams have a projected lottery pick for the upcoming NBA draft and his performance in the competition will be watched. Plus, he has a great extra motivation to do well and help his team.
19 Rytas Vilnius
No more Lietuvos, just Rytas. The arch-rival of Zalgiris Kaunas changed its name and will try to make a splash under coach Dainius Adomaitis. It will not be easy, despite key imports like Dominique Sutton, Chris Kramer, and DJ Seeley.
20 Ratiopharm Ulm
That’s tricky. Coach Thorsten Leibanath has a core that includes players like Per Guenther, Ryan Thompson, and Isaac Fotu. He added gifted scorer Patrick Miller. However, this is the team that after a 2-1 start last season, lost seven straight games and missed any Top 16 chances. They should do better, but the question is if they can.
21 Partizan NIS Belgrade
With the notable exception of captain Novica Velickovic, this is almost a junior team. Rade Zagorac, who is just 23 years old, is expected to emerge as the leader of a young group, which just doesn’t seem ready yet. Of course, this means that they may surprise everyone…
22 Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt
Canadian coach Gordon Herbert is respected around Europe and he found his ideal home in Frankfurt. He’s been sitting on the same bench since 2013 and is leading the club back to the EuroCup for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Half of his roster is 20 years old or younger, so they will just try to get the most of the experience.
23 Mornar Bar
On the 30th of May, 2018, Mornar Bar made history by beating the ABA League champion Buducnost and winning its first ever championship title in Montenegro. Can they also surprise their EuroCup competition? If they do, this will be an amazing Cinderella story.
24 Arka Gdynia
The team formerly known as Prokom was a EuroLeague regular. But this happened before 2012. This is a new era and Arka Gdynia will have to fight to make some noise in the EuroCup. In any case, a team which has 38 years old Filip Dylewicz in its roster, deserves respect.
Photo credit: EuroCup