Lietkabelis Panevezys reached a new agreement with head coach Nenad Canak to keep working together next season

Lietkabelis, Coach Canak agree again

Canak, age 45, joined the club in November 2018 and helped Lietkabelis reach the Lithuanian League semifinals in 2019 and 2021. He also led Lietkabelis to the Lithuanian Cup championship game last season. A former player, Canak has also coached Spartak Subotica and Partizan NIS Belgrade of Serbia. He helped Partizan win the Serbian Cup title in 2018. Canal has a 3-13 EuroCup coaching record (18.8% wins) with Partizan and Lietkabelis. The club also announced that five of its players - Marius Valinskas, Tadas Vaiciūnas, Vytenis Lipkevicius, Gabrielius Maldunas, and Margiris Normantas - are under contract for next season.

Lietkabelis Panevezys reached a new agreement with head coach Nenad Canak to keep working together next season.

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Hamburg Towers extended a contract with guard Osaro Juergen Rich Igbineweka for another season, the club announced on Wednesday

Hamburg keeps homegrown guard Rich

Rich (1.90 meters, 22 years old) has joined Hamburg been with Hamburg since 2014, first as a member of the club's youth program Hamburg Pirates, and then with the senior team since 2017. Last season he split time between Hamburg Towers, where he averaged 2.0 points in limited German League action, and playing on-loan in German third division side Wedel where he posted 19.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals. Rich is now set to make his 7DAYS EuroCup debut.

Hamburg Towers extended a contract with guard Osaro Juergen Rich Igbineweka for another season, the club announced on Wednesday.

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Turk Telekom Ankara strengthened its frontcourt by signing big man Berk Demir, the club announced Saturday

Turk Telekom lands big man Demir

Demir (2.04 meters, 26 years old) arrives from Darussafaka Istanbul, where he averaged 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 31 Turkish League games last season. He started his career with Pertevniyal Istanbul and also played for Anadolu Efes Istanbul before joining Darussafaka in 2018. Demir helped Efes win the Turkish Cup title in 2018, and has been a member of the Turkish national team. He helped Turkey win respective gold medals at the 2013 U18 European Championships and the 2014 U20 European Championships. Demir also won a bronze medal at the 2015 U20 European Championships with Turkey. He played the 2019-20 EuroCup with Darussafaka, averaging 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12 games.


Turk Telekom Ankara strengthened its frontcourt by signing big man Berk Demir, the club announced Saturday.

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Frutti Extra Bursaspor bolstered its frontcourt by inking big man Egemen Guven, the club announced Friday

Bursaspor adds size with Guven

Guven (2.10 meters, 24 years old) arrives from HDI Sigorta Afyon Belediyespor, where he averaged 10.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 28 Turkish League games last season. He started his career with Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir, making his 7DAYS EuroCup debut in the 2013-14 season. Guven also played for Turk Telekom Ankara before joining Afyon. Guven has also been a member of the Turkish national team. He helped Turkey get respective gold medals at the U16 European Championships in 2012, and the U18 European Championships in 2013 and 2014. Guven also helped Turkey reach bronze medals at the 2015 U19 World Championships and the 2016 U20 European Championships. He helped Karsiyaka win the Turkish Cup title in 2014 and lift the Turkish League trophy in 2015. In 13 EuroCup career games with Karsiyaka, Guven averaged 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor bolstered its frontcourt by inking big man Egemen Guven, the club announced Friday.

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Frutti Extra Bursaspor kept strengthening its roster by signing Omer Al, the club announced Tuesday

Bursaspor adds playmaker Al

Al (1.81 meters, 23 years old) arrives from Demir Insaat Buyukcemece Basket, where he averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 assists in 30 Turkish League games last season. He started his career with Besiktas Istanbul and also played for Yesilgiresun Belediye before joining Buyukcemece in 2020. Al helped the Turkish U18 national team get a silver medal at the 2015 European Championships.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor kept strengthening its roster by signing Omer Al, the club announced Tuesday.

Slask Wroclaw found a new coach in Petar Mijovic, who signed a three-year contract with the Polish powerhouse on Wednesday

Slask chooses Mijovic as head coach

Mijovic, age 39, arrives from Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, which he left in January 2021. He helped Buducnost win the Montenegrin League title in 2019 and lifted the Montenegrin Cup trophy in 2020. He started his head coaching career with Podgorica and Buducnost's U17 squad. After a season as Chorale Roanne's assistant coach, Mijovic coached Zeta 2011 Golubovci of Montenegro, Bashkimi Prizren and Sigal Prishtina of Kosovo, and Buducnost's U19 team before being promoted to the first team, first as an assistant coach, then to head coach. He has also coached the Albanian national team and the Iranian U18 and U18 national teams.

Slask Wroclaw found a new coach in Petar Mijovic, who signed a three-year contract with the Polish powerhouse on Wednesday.

Slask Wroclaw added versatility to its roster by inking swingmen Jakub Karolak and Michal Sitnik to respective multi-year deals, the club announced Wednesday

Slask tabs swingmen Karolak, Sitnik

Sitnik (1.95 meters, 29 years old) arrives from WKK Wroclaw, where he averaged 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 40 Polish second division games last season. He has also been a member of the Polish U20 national team, and signed a three-year contract with his new club. Karolak (1.96 meters, 27 years old) inked a two-year deal with Slask. He arrives from Legia Warszawa, where Karolak averaged 12.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 37 Polish League games. Karolak started his career with Novum Lublin and also played for Dabrowa Gornicza, PGE Turow Zgorzelec, Trefl Sopot, and Anwil Wloclawek. He helped Turow win the Polish double - league and cup titles - in 2014. Karolak was also a member of the Polish U16, U17, U18 and U20 national teams.

Slask Wroclaw added versatility to its roster by inking swingmen Jakub Karolak and Michal Sitnik to respective multi-year deals, the club announced Wednesday. 

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When coaches and commentators discuss how important rebounding is to winning games, the general understanding is that it is a task for the big guys and the guards will help out. For this season's 7DAYS EuroCup champion, at times one of the smallest men on the court became the most important rebounder.

Marcos Knight led AS Monaco with 3.8 defensive rebounds per game, set a EuroCup Finals record with 10 defensive boards in Game 2 of his team's sweep of UNICS Kazan and helped his team triumph in both finals games with decisive rebounds. 



"Rebounding is all about... wanting it more than anybody else."

Knight's rebounding mindset was instilled in him early as a player by his coaches. Just as much as rebounding is about positioning and boxing out, it's also about toughness and desire: "It is all about wanting to do it, wanting it more than anybody else... I think great guards always rebound, and it is something I definitely enjoy," he said.

That toughness came into play this season in many ways in addition to rebounding. Monaco coach Zvezdan Mitrovic credited Knight's toughness on defense as one of the keys to the team's success in a recent interview.

"Marcos is one of the MVP players in this EuroCup season. It is not only rebounds and numbers - we are an undersized team and since the quarterfinals, all teams started to play attacking us in the low post in position '3' because Marcos is a great player, but he is only 1.88 meters," Mitrovic explained. "Buducnost did that with Melvin Ejim, Gran Canaria did it with Beiran but these good post-up players could not find any advantages there, and for me, this was huge." 

"It is a blessing to being able to be a part of such a historic run."

Knight pulled down the two most decisive rebounds of the 2021 EuroCup Finals – one in each game. Monaco grabbed only 6 offensive rebounds in the first 39 minutes of Game 1, but got 3 in the final seconds. The last one settled in the hands of Knight, who was fouled, went to the line and made 2 free throws for an 88-87 lead. Monaco ended up winning 89-87 and Knight finished with a game-high 6 boards.

"I just wanted to do anything to help my teammates win and that was part of it, getting that rebound and securing that possession. That was part of us being able to be the EuroCup champions in 2021," Knight said. "After the rebound, I had to stay focused, lock in, and make 2 free throws. One second can change the game, so you have to stay focused and locked in the entire game until the clock says zero." 

In Game 2, J.J. O'Brien gave Monaco an 83-84 lead with 10 seconds left. UNICS called timeout to set up a play and Jamar Smith missed from downtown. Knight rose higher than anybody else to pull down his 10th defensive rebound, which set the EuroCup Finals record, besting JaJuan Johnson of Darussafaka Istanbul and Chuck Eidson of UNICS Kazan, who shared the previous record with 9 defensive rebounds in 2018 and 2014, respectively. His 12 boards also matched the EuroCup Finals record held by Alen Omic of Unicaja Malaga (2017) and Lazaros Papadopoulos and Antonis Fotsis of Dynamo Moscow (2006). Knight finished the EuroCup Finals with 18 rebounds. The next closest player was John Brown of UNICS with 13.

After the rebound, Knight drew a foul and made 2 free-throw attempts with as much cold blood as he showed in Game 1. When the dust settled, Monaco was the new EuroCup champion. Knight kept the game ball - a present for his son - and this time he was able to celebrate.

"It is a blessing. I always said I couldn't do anything without God, my family, and my teammates. It is a blessing to being able to be a part of such a historic run," Knight said. "It is the first time that Monaco won a EuroCup championship. I am definitely humbled and blessed. And being able to experience that, for me, it is not about winning the EuroCup title, I want more. I want to win more and that is something that is always in the back of my mind: winning more."


When coaches and commentators discuss how important rebounding is to winning games, the general understanding is that it is a task for the big guys and the guards will help out. For this season's 7DAYS EuroCup champion, at times one of the smallest men on the court became the most important rebounder.

Marcos Knight, Monaco: 'Great guards always rebound'

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