Virtus Segafredo Bologna is one of the three teams that remains undefeated in the 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup, along with Dolimiti Energia Trento and Joventut Badalona. In Round 4, Virtus downed previously undefeated AS Monaco 94-85 to claim first place in Group C. The Italian powerhouse has managed to keep a core of players that did really well last season. One of its new players is a member of a big basketball family, forward Amar Alibegovic. His father, Teo Alibegovic, played professional basketball in Europe for over a decade, leading ALBA Berlin to the Korac Cup title in 1995 by scoring 34 points against Olimpia Milan in the second leg of the finals. His brothers Mirza and Denis also play basketball and so does his cousin, Luka Garza, one of the best players in the NCAA right now. Amar is averaging 10.0 points on excellent shooting percentages (62.5% 2FG, 50.0% 3FG) and 4.3 rebounds in under 18 minutes per night. Alibegovic has been surrounded by talent throughout his short, promising career and plans to keep his feet on the ground. "I have a lot to learn and am very lucky to have all these people around me that I can learn from," he told EuroCupBasketball.com. "So I'm just like a sponge and I'm just trying to take in everything I can get from all of my teammates."

**Hello, Amar. Congratulations on beating Monaco. What allowed you to make that final push down the stretch?**

"I think that throughout the whole game, we were able to do what our coach told us. And our main thing was to change our energy as a team, to go out and share the ball, because that's the type of team we are. And I think from beginning to the finish, we were able to keep that same mindset and that consistency where maybe towards the end of the game, where you can get tired and start making some bad decisions, instead we were able to keep going with our goals and with what we had established before the game. So I think keeping our head in the game and keeping our head on the game plan was the key of the win."

**What has allowed you to adjust so well to your first EuroCup season?**

"I started from the Italian second division, you know, and I struggled over there because it was my first year here. And then I worked my way up to the first division last year. And then once again, I made this other step, which is the EuroCup, my first European cup at all, you know? Maybe the first game, I had to adjust a little, but at the end of the day, it is just the game, it's always basketball, so you just have to stick to what you know. And I think one of my best things I do is bring energy whenever I come in. Playing these games away with no fans, I think energy is a really, really big part of all of these games that are being played. So, I just come in and give 100 percent, but I still know that this is just the beginning. And then I'm trying to learn from Teo [Milos Teodosic] and from all these guys that already have European experience. And hopefully it can only go up from here." 

**Virtus is working on a 4-0 start. How important has it been to show this team's strength from the very beginning?**

"It was important because we wanted to come out strong and play as a team. So it was very important for us to be able to bring home these games that were tough, as well. Especially Monaco and Loko were really, really close games and it felt really good to be able to pull them out at the end. Every game we play, we play to win, so I don't see why we wouldn't put 100 percent in any game we play."

**You are part of a distinguished basketball family. How does it feel to be part of a family to which basketball means so much?**

"It's been great. Maybe when I was when I was little, if I needed some extra motivation, I had someone to look after, having my dad always close to me and him practically playing the same position I do, it really helped me a lot. He taught me a lot of things that I know now, and I definitely wouldn't be here with without his teaching. Also having my older brother, who I could look up to. And then when he started playing professional, I would always watch his games and it would motivate me even more to practice and work more. And then when I went overseas, I got a lot closer to my cousin Luka again, and we worked out together. I'm very happy for the success he's having. I think for him, really, the sky's the limit because he really works as hard as anyone. For my younger brother, you know, I try and set a good example, just like my father and my brother did. And hopefully, after him signing his first real professional contract this year, he will keep going up from there, and we will see him at this level soon!" 

**Your father was also a coach. Does he talk to you a lot about basketball and how to improve?**

"He always tries to mentor me and, of course, he doesn't put any pressure on me. He always keeps it real: if I didn't play good, he tells me. But if I did, he also tells me. He is always able to look at the situation like he was a third party. He has helped me adjust very well in this period. This is the first time I have ever played two times a week since I started playing professional basketball. After a bad game, you have to bounce back right away because you play three days later. So, all these little things were unique for me, and he definitely has had a big hand in helping me adjust to this new situation."

**You played at St. John's University, coached by legendary shooter Chris Mullin. How was that experience?**

"The whole experience in New York was amazing since I got there, since I first visited and they showed me Madison Square Garden. I was really thrilled to go over there. And when I got there, with my first coach, Steve Lavin, who actually recruited me, things are going smoothly. We went to the NCAA tournament and actually there are a bunch of players from that team who are playing here overseas. But after Coach Mullin came, things were so good. Coach was amazing, coaching me and showing me some individual things that maybe I didn't know because I was still younger. And Coach Mitch Richmond actually was there, too. That duo was incredible just to learn from and try and take in everything I could get in that short amount of time. Those three years definitely were a little hard for me, you know, because I didn't maybe get as much playing time, but it was a great experience and I have learned a lot from it. It has taught me to be a lot more hungry and coming to Italy, I kept that hunger and stayed humble. I think that's why I have been making steps forward. New York is, of course, an amazing city, and the life experience over was unreal from start to finish, and I feel very lucky that I was able to go there." 

**Back to the present and the EuroCup, what do you like the most about this competition?**

"The thing I like the most about it is that it is very physical, very intense, and I think I can adjust very well as a player to the level of physicality and intensity. The more physical and the more intense it is, the more charged up I get. And then from there, I think I can only keep doing better. The hardest thing maybe was that the talent level just keeps going up. And also me being in my first year there, you know, sometimes maybe I get outplayed. But I am here and willing to work. So it will definitely get better. And I will just keep learning from my mistakes and hopefully not make the same ones again."

**What is it like being coached by Sasha Djordjevic and working with Milos Teodosic and Stefan Markovic, three of the top European point guards ever?**

"It is amazing because we had a tough time at the beginning of the season in our [Italian League] games, and having people of that caliber that are leading this team definitely has helped us. Whenever there's a dark moment, the first one to step up is, of course, Sasha as a coach. But I have to say that Teo is our biggest leader on the court, a leader in everything from start to finish. He is definitely someone that I look up to and he is an amazing talent, both as a person and as a player. I have a lot to learn and am very lucky to have all these people around me that I can learn from. So I'm just like a sponge and I'm just trying to take in everything I can get from all of my teammates."

7DAYS EuroCup newcomer Amar Alibegovic, a member of a big basketball family, has been a key part of Virtus Segafredo Bologna being among just three teams to reach a 4-0 record so far in the competition.

Amar Alibegovic, Virtus: 'This is just the beginning'

Telenet Giants Antwerp has returned to the 7DAYS EuroCup looking to further establish its name in Europe after becoming a real force in its native Belgium.

The journey to its second EuroCup season started back in 1995 when Sobabee merged with Racing Mechelen to bring a top-division Belgian League team to Antwerp for the first time in years. Belgium's second-largest city, located in the north of the country, has seen other basketball clubs call it home, including eight-time league champion Antwerpse, Zaziko, Brabo, Oxaco and Tunnel.

Racing Mechelen dominated Belgian basketball for large portions of four decades. Founded in 1940, it captured seven Belgian League titles between 1965 and 1976 and was runner-up in the 1973 Korac Cup. Mechelen's glory days came in the late 1980s when it became a EuroLeague regular. The club won its eighth domestic title in 1987 and then added six consecutive trophies from 1989 to 1994. The team's biggest stars included Bill Varner, Eric Struelens, Martin Haws, Daniel Herman, Jacques Stas, Kurt Portmann, Dirk Snyders and Marc Deheneffe. Those players guided the club to EuroLeague victories over big names such as FC Barcelona, Aris Thessaloniki, Partizan Belgrade, Benetton Treviso and Real Madrid, among others.

Racing Basket Antwerpen was born ahead of the 1995-96 season and reached Belgium's first division in 1998 under the guidance of future long-time Belgian national team coach Eddy Casteels. Arguably the club's greatest season came in 1999-2000 with the quintet of Michael Huger, Louis Rowe, Roger Huggins, Yves Dupont and Herbert Baert winning the Belgian League and Belgian Cup.

Casteels left the club after that season – as did all five of those players – and the momentum that had been built up faded. Antwerp failed to reach the Belgian League semifinals for six consecutive years until a new era started in 2006. Current club president Roger Roels became club chairman that year, when the team's name was changed Antwerp Giants. In its second season with Arik Shivek as head coach, Antwerp finally returned to the Belgian League semifinals and also won the 2007 Belgian Cup, earning its debut in the EuroCup (then, the ULEB Cup). The team, which also won the 2007 Belgian Supercup, featured Len Matela, Ed Norvell, David Toya, Gur Shelef, David Toya and returnee Dupont.

Casteels returned to the Antwerp sidelines as coach in 2008 and brought the club to the Belgian League semifinals in 2009, 2010 and 2012, as well as to the 2012 Belgian Cup final and the EuroChallenge quarterfinals in 2010. Helping Casteels were players such as Roel Moors, Jean-Marc Mwema, Tim Black, Bryan Hopkins, Darnell Wilson, Salah Mejri and Christophe Beghin.

Casteels departed in 2013 with Paul Vervaeck taking over and guiding Antwerp to the 2014 Belgian League semifinals and Belgian Cup final. Roel Moors retired following the 2014-15 season, ending his storied history as he played with the club from 2000 to 2002 and 2009 to 2015. Antwerp retired Moors' No. 4 jersey in October 2015 and Moors stayed on with the club as Vervaeck's assistant coach starting in the 2015-16 season.

Vervaeck was released in November 2015 with Moors taking over as head coach. Antwerp reached the Belgian Cup final as well as the FIBA Europe Cup quarterfinals and won the 2016 Belgian Supercup, earning Moors Belgian Coach of the Year honors.

Antwerp returned to the Belgian League semifinals in 2017 and saw Jason Clark win the league MVP award. A year later, Antwerp advanced to the Belgian League finals for the first time since winning the crown in 2000, but lost to Oostende. Hans Vanwijn was the runner up for the Player of the Year in Belgium and Thomas Akyazili took home the country's Rising Star of the Year award.

If the 1999-2000 season wasn't the best in the Antwerp Giants history then the 2018-19 campaign would be the choice. In March 2019, Antwerp defeated Oostende to win the Belgian Cup title, ending Oostende's run of six straight crowns. In mid-May, Antwerp locked up first place in the Belgian League regular season. And in between, Antwerp reached the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League and was named as host club. At the Sportpaleis, Antwerp lost in the semifinals but ended up collecting third place. Back in the Belgian League finals, Antwerp was again unable to beat Oostende, which won its eighth straight title. Antwerp guard Paris Lee was named league MVP while Ismael Bako was Belgian Player of the Year and Moors once again won the Coach of the Year award.

After that magical season, Moors was hired away by Brose Bamberg in Germany and was replaced by former long-time Belgian national team player Christophe Beghin, who played with Antwerp from 2008 to 2010 and 2016-17 before retiring and joining Moors as assistant coach in 2017. The club also saw a number of its star players depart after the 2018-19 season, leaving management the task of reforming the team also with a first-time head coach for the 2019-20 season. Still, Antwerp defended its Belgian Cup title, defeating Spirou for the 2020 trophy. Antwerp slumped to a 4-10 record in the Basketball Champions League group stage and managed only an 11-6 record in the Belgian League for third place when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the season to be canceled.

The 2020-21 season now brings Antwerp back to the EuroCup for the first time since 2007-08 with the hopes of finding European success similar to what it achieved two years ago.

Telenet Giants Antwerp has returned to the 7DAYS EuroCup looking to further establish its name in Europe after becoming a real force in its native Belgium.

The Club Scene: Telenet Giants Antwerp 

**Beqa Burjanadze of Herbalife Gran Canaria was born in Georgia and moved to Seville, Spain, in his early teens. He made his EuroCup debut in the 2011 semifinals and also played the 2012-13 season with Cajasol Sevilla, but did not return to the competition until this season. In that time, Burjanadze battled injuries and missed the 2017-18 EuroCup season with MoraBanc Andorra, but he bounced back and at age 26 is an experienced power forward ready to take Gran Canaria deep in the competition. Burjanadze will share his take on this season all the way from the Canary Islands through his new blog on EuroCupBasketball.com.**

First of all, it is great to be back in the EuroCup. I last played it in 2013, when I was a kid. It is exciting to be back, mainly because I was supposed to play it with MoraBanc Andorra a few years ago, but I was injured for the entire season, so I couldn't be a part of it. I played five seconds in 2011, that was my debut, but we will talk about that later. The last time I played in the EuroCup was with Sevilla in 2013, coached by Aito Garcia Reneses. And I had not been back until now, so I am really looking forward to this season. We had a good start in the EuroCup and I hope we can advance to the Top 16 and keep playing at a good level after that.

So, my EuroCup debut was in 2011. I played 5 seconds in the EuroCup semifinal in which my team, Cajasol, beat Benetton Treviso and advanced to the championship game. It was probably the biggest win in European competition for the club and the city of Sevilla. It was historic and I am very proud to have been a part of it; it is still remembered by fans. It meant a lot to me, too. I was 17 years old and Coach Joan Plaza gave me the chance to play in a EuroCup semifinal. We lost against UNICS Kazan in the final. Marko Popovic was at his prime and Maciej Lampe also had a great game. The best two teams reached the final and we gave our best, but didn't win. 

We already won a couple of games on the road this season, in Patras and Bursa, and rank second in our group with a 3-1 record. We are going step by step, focused on both competitions, the EuroCup and the Liga Endesa, in which we are trying to bounce back after a slow start. But we are doing well in the EuroCup and playing with confidence. We will do everything we can to make it to the Top 16 and try to keep building in every practice, in every game, to be better and reach as high as possible.

I followed the EuroCup a lot while I was away. It is a very tough, very physical competition, and it only gets better every year. All the teams play with a lot of energy and it is a great competition. I like to play physical, but also very focused. Playing physical is great, but you have to keep your head cool at all times. What I learned during my career, with the great coaches that I had, is that you have to play hard but also stay focused on the game. If you combine both, you can help your team with whatever it needs. 

It is also great for Gran Canaria to be back in the EuroCup. It reached the semifinals a couple of times and even went to the finals in 2015. It is a special competition for the club. We couldn't play it last season, but are back now and everyone on the team is motivated to play well and reach as high as possible. It would be great to return to the semifinals and even make it to the finals again, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. It is a long season and there is a long way to go. We are working hard every day to do that. 

We play against Trento this week. Trento is undefeated and has the best defense in the EuroCup. I think it is a great opportunity for us, a great game to play. It is like an exam for us which will tell us where we stand in the EuroCup. They are great on defense and really organized on offense, so it is a challenge and we will give everything we can to try to protect our home court. We have to worry about playing our game, with good defense, rebounding and a lot of transitions. On defense, we must make them miss shots so that we can play our game. If they score a lot, it is difficult to play as fast as we can. We have to worry about that: limit them as much as we can with good defense, and that will give us the chance to play our way on offense.

I've had the luck to live in some of the best cities in Spain, such as Sevilla, San Sebastian and La Coruña. And now, it is great to live in Gran Canaria; the weather is great and it is always sunny. It is hot in here! My family and I are trying to enjoy every moment and every day we spend here. Sometimes I spend entire weeks away; when we play on the road in both the Spanish League and the EuroCup, we don't come back to the island. When we play EuroCup road games, we usually fly to Madrid or Barcelona, and then to the final destination. For instance, we had a long trip to Bursa, but ended up winning the game, so traveling is not an excuse.

And before I forget, the food is great - you have to try Gofio when you are here! Until the next time...

Hear from Beqa Burjanadze of Herbalife Gran Canaria, who returned to play in the 7DAYS EuroCup this season after seven away, in his new EuroCupBasketball.com blog.

Beqa Burjanadze: 'The team is really motivated'

**Tomer Ginat of Boulogne Metropolitans 92 has acquitted himself very nicely to the 7DAYS EuroCup in his first season in the competition. Playing abroad for the first time in his career, the Israeli big man is one of only two players to start each of his team’s first four games this season and he's the only one to score in double figures in all of them. Even though the adjustment to life in France wasn't easy at first, Ginat is happy with his decision to join Metropolitans and he will periodically during the season share what’s it’s been like for him so far in this EuroCupBasketball.com blog.**

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Tomer Ginat and I am 25 years old. I was born in Nahariya, which is the north-most city on the coast in Israel. Four years ago I moved to the center of Israel to play for Hapoel Tel Aviv. I had four wonderful years there, but then I felt I was ready for the next step in my career.

When I received an offer to play for Metropolitans, I had no doubt that this was the right place for me. I saw the growth that this club has had in the past few years and I was also attracted by the fact that we will play in two competitions this season - the French League and the EuroCup. I already feel that I made the right choice; I'm enjoying every moment here and I feel that I am growing as a player. 

"To get better as a player, sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone." 

When I first came here two and a half months ago, it wasn't so easy. After all, this was the first time that I would be living outside of Israel. I left everything important to me behind. I missed my family, I missed my friends, I missed my mother's home cooking. I was a stranger in a foreign land. I came into a new apartment that should be my home for at least the next 10 months. It wasn't easy for me.

Everyone here at the club did everything they could to make me feel that I was at home, whether it was the coaching staff, management or my teammates. Today I already feel that I am at home. I'm having fun, enjoying myself and we have a great team with great people and I'm making great friends. It's a lot of fun to be here.

I think that adjusting to living in a new place is a difficulty that every player who goes to play abroad has to deal with. To get better as a player, sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone. And I'm glad I did it.

Paris is an amazing city and it’s been fun for me to be here, despite all the limitations that there are right now because of the Coronavirus. I hope that soon the virus will be under control and I can enjoy more of the city and its unbelievable lifestyle. There's also a large Jewish community in Paris which has helped me feel a little bit more at home. So far, the weather has been great and there are a lot of places to hang out and new places for me to discover. There's no doubt that living in Paris is a huge bonus.

I think our team had a great connection from the beginning. It's a bunch of great guys and everyone came here to work hard. That's one of the most important things on a basketball team: that everybody comes to play for his teammate, one for the other, so that we will all be successful together. It was important for me to feel that connection in the beginning and to feel that I was a central part of the team. I enjoyed getting to know every one of my teammates and I feel that we're a family. There are guys here who I know I will be in contact with for the rest of my life.

"I feel like it's a test for me every game I play." 

I have been playing a lot of time at the center position because Miralem Halilovic suffered an injury during the preseason. We hope he'll be back on the court with us as soon as possible. I know that he's supposed to start trying to practice with us soon. Until then, I will try to do my best to make up for his absence. Everyone on the team has to chip in to make up for him being out. He's a very important player for us and we need him to get back healthy as soon as possible.

Our first two games in the EuroCup were quite similar. We didn't start well in either of them and then we had to chase our opponents, Malaga and Buducnost, to make up the difference and close the gap. Then against Ulm and this week against Mornar Bar, which were games that we had to win to keep a realistic chance of advancing to the Top 16, we were a lot more determined from the opening tip. I think you could see that we are more aggressive and wanted it more than the first two games, both as a club and as individual players. These two wins have given us a lot more confidence. I think we look better as a team now and we've been able to make the adjustments that we needed, which was very important for our team. 

But even though we're happy now, we still have six more games in the regular season and every one of them will be a battle. We have to play our best to get as many wins as possible to have a good chance of advancing to the Top 16.

Playing in the EuroCup at first was a very big challenge for me. The opponents presented a step up both in the level of the players and the teams compared to the Israeli League where I played my entire life until then. I still feel like it's a test for me every game I play. I'm working very hard to keep improving and to prove myself at this level.

As a team, we know that we have to put in the maximum effort both on offense and defense to win more games and put ourselves in a position to reach the Top 16. I have no doubt that if we work hard together, fight on the court and play the way we did in the past two games, we can do it.

Until the next time, Stay safe out there!

Tomer Ginat of Boulogne Metropolitans 92 has acquitted himself very nicely to the 7DAYS EuroCup in his first season in the competition. Read more about it in the first edition of the big man's EuroCupBasketball.com blog.

Tomer Ginat, Metropolitans: 'We're a family'

After reaching the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals last season, Promitheas Patras made a lot of changes to its roster over the summer. No one has adjusted to his new surroundings better than combo guard Ian Miller, who had a fantastic game in leading Promitheas to its first won of the season last week, in which it rallied from an early double-digit deficit to defeat Frutti Extra Bursaspor 84-93. Miller finished the game with 27 points, including 10-of-10 free-throw shooting, plus 3 rebounds and 3 assists for a PIR of 25. Miller is averaging 19.3 points in three games and leads the competition in free throws made (16 for 16). A EuroCup newcomer, Miller spoke to EuroCupBasketball.com about the thrill of playing in a new competition, his friendship with the late Michael Ojo and how good can Promitheas be with the new players that recently came to this family-oriented organization. "They are really professional. I like the respect level that they have for their players," Miller told said. "Everything here is like a family, you know? They really treat everybody like family and care about your personal life."

**Hello, Ian. Congratulations on the big win against Bursaspor. You had a bad start, but recovered and grabbed your first win. What allowed you to bounce back?**

"Thanks. We were focused, but you know, in the first 6 minutes, we were trying to get ourselves together, find our flow, find our rhythm in the game. I missed a few easy shots that I usually make, too. But defensively, we were focused right after the beginning. We got our stuff together and found a way to get stops on defense, which led to our offense."

**How much did you need that win, especially after a heavy road loss in Trento?**

"It was important for us to get this win because, in Trento, we struggled to find our rhythm, to find like a rotation. We were tired. And it feels good to get this win on because now we have a rotation. We are playing better. We are playing together, but it's important because we want to stay alive in the EuroCup and now, we give ourselves a chance." 

"For our team right now, I have to score." 

**Promitheas signed a couple of experienced playmakers in Vangelis Mantzaris and Nikola Radicevic. How important is this move?**

"It's very important to have them because they understand moments of the game. They understand how to play the game, they won on big levels, you know? So they can help lead the team and teach a lot of us something, and the young guys, help them along the way to grow up a little faster. But I like the way they control the pace of the game. I let them do their job. I don't really have to say anything to them. I like the leadership that they bring to the table and the control of the game."

**Do you feel more comfortable playing point guard or shooting guard?**

"I am comfortable in whatever position my coach needs me to play, but for our team right now, I have to score. I mean, I just generate offense, whether it is scoring or creating a hockey pass or a hockey assist to another teammate... It is just creating open shots for us and creating good looks for us on offense. So whether it is at the point guard or at '2' I just look at myself as a guard. I don't look at myself as a point guard or a shooting guard, I just look at myself as somebody that creates and generates offense. But when I am at the point, it is more so in the big decisions of the game, you know, when it's time to close up: if I have a close out a quarter or at the end of the game, so I don't give teams a chance to set up a defense or do anything like that." 

**This is your first EuroCup season. How do you like the competition so far?**

The EuroCup competition is cool to me. I mean, if you look at my track record when I have been on other teams and I have played against EuroCup and EuroLeague teams, these stats aren't anything new. Beating EuroCup teams isn't anything new either. So I sort of know how to play and I feel like I can play on any level of basketball. That's where my confidence has been since I was young and it will remain that way. It's just now I'm in a great situation with a great coach that is putting me on the stage. But basically everything. And to be a part of a program where we are trying to build something here."

**You played in five countries before playing in the EuroCup. Does that make you appreciate this opportunity even more?**

"Yes, it's all about earning your respect. You got to see me once a week, now you get to see me twice a week and this is what everybody talks about. They say this is some of the best basketball stuff and it is something I want to be a part of. My road to get here was great, you know? I took advantage of every opportunity. It was just about the perfect time in the perfect situations. I have had teams that showed interest before this season, but it just wasn't the right situation. So, you know, I took advantage of this one, and I am going to keep taking advantage of it and keep working to better myself, to better my teammates." 

**Promitheas is on the rise, a well-organized club with up-and-coming talents and great facilities. How does it feel to be part of a club that is growing?**

"It is one of the most professional clubs I have been a part of in Europe, by far. From the home living to the payments, just being organized and telling us ahead of time what we need to do and expect, and stuff like that. They are really professional. I like the respect level that they have for their players. Everything here is like a family, you know? They really treat everybody like family, and care about your personal life." 

**You are a great free throw shooter, reaching close to 90% most seasons. You are 16 of 16 in the EuroCup now. What does it take to be such a reliable free throw shooter?**

"Stepping up to the line knowing that you are not supposed to miss these. In EuroCup games, you can be up 12-13 points and at the end of the game, you maybe lose by 1 or 2, or winning by 1 or 2. So every time I get a free opportunity to strike, I'm going to strike and that's just my mindset. That's just how I think because you practice it so much and it means so much in the game to where I just want to make sure I don't leave anything on the floor."

**You played with the late Michael Ojo at Florida State for two years. How close were you and how difficult was to hear the terrible news?**

"It was unexpected and definitely terrible. It still shocks me to this day. It was sad news because you meet people like Michael Ojo once in a lifetime, do you know what I am saying? You don't get everybody that has a great heart like him, a positive mindset, always wants everybody to win. You meet some people who say they love you, but they're really jealous. But Michael Ojo, he was a guy I never sensed any negativity. It was always love. He checked on my family. He asked about my mom all the time. My dad passed and he was one of the first people to reach out to me, my rookie season. So he was definitely an important person. He was a little brother to me, you know? His first day on a college campus, he came out and we laughed and joked all day. He was getting better at English, but he still was sort of hesitant with speaking it and stuff like that. He touched many people and I was just privileged and thankful that I had the privilege to have him a part of my life. And I just wish he was still here, for sure. I wrote his name on one of my shoes, long live 50, because his spirit is going to be with me forever. And I always try to treat people how he treated people with the utmost respect and love and care. So that's what I learned from him."

**A final basketball question: the new players, including Mo Faye, have adjusted to the team very well. How dangerous can Promitheas be from now on?**

"I feel like we can be one of the better teams. Faye is a great player. He understands high-level basketball and is an unselfish player. He works hard and does all the little things that we were missing. His communication is great because he is used to playing at a higher level, so he understands that talking is key in basketball. I am excited; he is going to find his game rhythm soon and then we can be a scary team after that."

Promitheas Patras guard Ian Miller, who has made a successful adjustment to playing in the 7DAYS EuroCup, scored 27 points in Round 3. Miller is this week's EuroCup interview.

Ian Miller, Patras: 'We are playing better'

Combo guard Andres "Toto" Forray has just started is 10th consecutive season with Dolomiti Energia Trento, a claim that few players anywhere get to make. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Forray moved to Italy in 2003, then slowly but steadily worked his way up in domestic competitions before joining Trento in 2011. Forray and Trento reached the semifinals in their first 7DAYS EuroCup season, 2015-16, and are now starting their fifth together. Follow Toto's blog all season long to know everything about Trento and what is going on in the competition!

We've had a great start to the EuroCup, three consecutive wins. Maybe it is to compensate for the bad performances we are having in the Italian League. We are playing much better in the EuroCup, bouncing back from the mistakes we made in the Italian League, playing with a lot of more confidence. Let's say we are angrier before a EuroCup game, and maybe this is what we are doing so well. I hope we can be consistent in both competitions soon. I believe playing the Italian Supercup in preseason helped us, too. We started the EuroCup season with a good rhythm.

Although, I must add that didn't start well in the EuroCup right away. We went to Bursa in Round 1 and were losing by 10 at the end of the first quarter. Still, we rallied in the second half and won the game. It was tough early in that game because a lot of our guys were playing in the EuroCup for the first time. They were a bit anxious early in that game but shook that anxiety off in the second half. We played a good second half, like a team, and that comeback helped us understand how we need to play in the EuroCup, especially on the road. 

"The club tries to keep a core of players, which is good" 

After so many years in Trento, I am the go-to guy when it comes to newcomers asking stuff: what to do, where to go, where to eat and all that. Fortunately, I am not the only one, since Davide Pascolo, Andrea Mezzanote and Luca Lechthaler have been in Trento for a while. The club tries to keep a core of players, which is good. I get asked a lot, since I am the oldest player on the team... and if they want to do other kinds of things, they can ask the younger players. I am out of some things at my age!

I guess you already noticed that JaCorey Williams is one of the most interesting players in the EuroCup this season, and we are lucky to have him. I did an interview with local media in Trento before the start of the season and they asked me which new player surprised me the most, and I named him. He is really strong and fast, and you can tell by the way he is playing. He is taking advantage of the fact that he is an unknown player at this level, having spent most of his career in South Korea and China. Still, he knows what he is doing and has been practicing hard since the day he arrived in Trento. It is not a surprise that he is doing so well; he has been doing that in every practice. He is a good rebounder, plays defense, is not selfish on offense, and his energy in contagious. 

"Having so many great teams only makes the competition better" 

Gary Browne is also playing well, but we knew him already. In fact, he played against Trento last season with Darussafaka. He is a very good point guard who plays for the team. He had a really, really good game against us in Trento last season. We knew everything about him already, and what he is capable of, and he is proving it. Gary steps up every time the team is in trouble. He is our leader on offense. It happens a lot that when someone plays well against your team, you sign him for the following season. It is better to know a player before he arrives! Off the court, Gary is a quiet guy. I try to help him as much as I can, in terms of guiding the team where our coach wants it to be. He practices hard and that is a big push for the team, too. He is very competitive and that is always good to have in practices. 

We face Cedevita Olimpija at home next week and then we play on the road against Gran Canaria. Having such a great start in the EuroCup makes us play with more confidence. I believe Olimpija and Gran Canaria are the toughest opponents in our group. Olimpija has very experienced guards and that helps a lot. They are excellent players, too. We will try to make things hard for them. Experience in European competition and how you recover from your domestic league game before playing in the EuroCup is always critical.

There is a great playing level in the EuroCup this season. It is very hard to say who will win it. It is even more balanced than last season, with so many high-quality teams. Also, it is too early to see if a team is ahead of everyone else. Having so many great teams only makes the competition better, more attractive. Nobody knows what will happen! Having great stars doesn't mean anything because there are many good clubs and good players out there. You need to earn everything on the court. Players are not machines and nothing can be taken for granted before the games! 

Combo guard Andres "Toto" Forray, who has just started is 10th consecutive season with Dolomiti Energia Trento, blogs about the team's strong 3-0 start.

Toto Forray, Trento: 'You need to earn everything'

**Mornar Bar point guard Derek Needham has tied himself to his adopted homeland ever since he received a Montenegrin passport and began playing for its national team in 2017. He first played for Mornar in 2017-18 before moving north to play for AS Monaco the next season during which he made his 7DAYS EuroCup debut. Needham returned to Bar in 2019 and now feels at home in the coastal city as one of the team's leaders. This season, he'll share his thoughts on Mornar's journey in the EuroCup as they aim to make history.**

Hello, basketball fans. My name is Derek Needham and I’m in my third season playing for Mornar Bar. Allow me to introduce myself and tell you a little about our team and our city.

This team was built in the summer for the EuroCup without even knowing if we were gonna get in or not. We kind of felt like we were supposed to be in and we built it that way. So we were really excited when we got that last call that another team had dropped about and we were offered a last-minute entry.

Every year this team gets better and better. They've tried to keep the core and bring new guys to help boost the team. I think management does a good job each year bringing us higher and higher.

I've been here for a while now, so Bar is basically home now. I already received a Montenegrin passport before I got here. Once I joined the national team, those guys took me in like family right away. 

"Every year this team gets better and better." 

Bar is on the coast of Montenegro, so we're right by the water. I'm 5 minutes away from the water where I live. It's a very small city. Very relaxed and that's what I like most about it. It's not too busy with nightlife or anything. It's more kid-friendly, so it's really good for me.

I’m like a Montenegrin on the team, so once I come back after the summer, I don't have to readjust or get to know any domestic players because I've been around them at least a few years. Usually, when new guys are considering coming to come to the team, they call me in the summertime. I tell them about the team. I tell them about the city so that there aren’t any surprises for them. And when they come here and get adjusted, if they need anything, they call me and I can tell them local spots where they need to get stuff for their apartments. It's basically like I'm like the main connection for the American guys.

I love living here. It's relaxing, it's cool. Now my kids are used to it now so I know a lot of places to go to. For me, it's almost like home. The seaside is always very busy in the summertime. Right now, it's kind of dying down a little bit. Not as many people came for the tourist season and now that season is kind of over so it's more relaxed. I love it.

There's a great restaurant by the beach. Our team owner owns that as well. I think it’s closed down right now because winter is coming, but I would go there the first couple of weeks I was here to sit out there after practice, relax, get in the water a little bit, stretch out. Now I basically head to the playground with the kids and let them run around with some of their friends from over the years.

We have a bunch of scorers on this team as well as a bunch of unselfish guys. Everybody can score and I think that's what makes us dangerous because you really can't focus on one guy each night because we all could put the ball in the basket. If you focus on one player, we have other guys and other shooters who can get hot as well. It's kind of like pick your poison: who do you want to score that night? 

"No matter who comes here, we try to defend our home court." 

We try to always defend our home-court no matter who we play. Playing Unicaja was a great challenge for us knowing their history in the ACB and EuroCup. They presented a real good test, but I like to say that there's a lot of pride for us, so we always try that. No matter who comes here, we try to defend our home court.

We've been really focused in practice and film sessions recently, so we kind of know our game plan coming into these games. I know our good start is kind of surprising to some because we are the new team to the EuroCup. But it's not surprising to us. 

Our focus has been on defense the past couple of games. Even if we're not scoring the ball or someone has an off night, we want to make sure we can hang our hats on defense. We’ll make sure we have at least two guys that can fly around the court at all times. Our main goal for each game is to come in and defend. Especially going on the road, you're gonna have to play defense. You can't just outscore people on the road.

In two games, we will face our local rival, Buducnost. Any time we play them, it's a big game no matter what league or competition it's in, so that should be a good one. And they’re playing really well right now as well. They're the historically better team, but we’re on the rise and we’ve been catching their attention the past couple of years to let them know that we're a serious club.

Getting to the Top 16 is our goal this season. It would be another historic step for the club to make it to the next round. That's our focus right now, trying to get closer and closer to advancing to the next round.


Mornar Bar has enjoyed a strong start to the season and the club from the Montenegrin coast is hungry for more. Learn more about the team through the eyes of its point guard and EuroCupBasketball.com blogger Derek Needham.

Derek Needham: 'We're on the rise'

**One of the pillars of the recent success of the Serbian powerhouse Partizan NIS Belgrade has been its forward Rade Zagorac. The 25-year old, who is in his third season with the club and in the competition, has been known to step up in big games and clutch moments. He is no stranger to big performances, scoring bursts and MVP of the Round performances, but he generally stands out as a do-it-all player who helps out wherever his team needs. The position on the floor he most often occupies, small forward, is the topic of his first blog for EuroCupBasketball.com.**

Hello everyone, it's Rade Zagorac from Partizan NIS Belgrade. First of all, I hope that everyone who reads this blog is well in these awkward times we are in and that you are managing to follow basketball with at least a similar level of passion as you have in previous years.

It is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts with fans of European basketball and my club in this blog on EuroCupBasketball.com. I have been thinking for a while about topics that could be interesting to cover from someone who is participating in this competition for the third year in a row and I decided to write about the role of the small forward in modern basketball. 

"A small forward must be at a very high level physically and ready to play a lot of minutes." 

Our sport changes from year to year, like everything does in various spheres of life. Teams and coaches adapt to each other and these changes are reflected in many ways, like the different selection of players in the creation of the team, or a different style and way of playing, in the physical characteristics of the players, also marketing, off-court activities, and many others. One of the changes that has become a trend in recent years, and which I will focus on, is the job, duties, and requirements asked from the players at the position of small forward.

At 2.06 meters, I belong to this group of players and even though I was often developed in four different positions during my time in youth selections, naturally, most coaches see me in positions '3' and '4'. Some of the players who have successfully competed in the EuroCup in that position in recent years, and against whom I had the opportunity to play, are Charles Kahudi, Sammy Mejia, Sam Dekker and Kyle Weems. Some of the players playing in the Euroleague at this position are Nikola Kalinic, Shavon Shields, Will Clyburn and Vladimir Micov.

I believe that fans who watch games in a bit of a superficial way, or in a fan-like way, tend to underestimate this role and this position. For sure, a small forward will rarely be the best scorer, have the most assists or lead his team in rebounds. If we talk about the stats, however, a small forward will likely be present in all these categories, but even more importantly, he will have an invaluable contribution to both his team's offense and defense.

Today's basketball (I know that generalization is not the smartest thing to do and there are always exceptions, but I will talk about most cases) does not require too much ball-handling or an excessive number of shots and possessions. Those are the jobs of playmakers and combo guards. It does not require a constant threat from the low post; that job belongs to power forwards and centers. And yet we find all of the players mentioned above in all of these situations, often as creators, often as low-post threats.

A small forward must be at a very high level physically and ready to play a lot of minutes while being very active in transition and in many cases the leader of his team in that area. Spacing in today's game also requires him to be able to shoot from behind the three-point stripe at a high percentage and more often than not he must be able to help his team both as a secondary ball-handler and as a low-post threat.

As a part of the above-mentioned change in the style of play, one of the main roles and demands of a small forward comes in the increasingly popular switching defense, the kind that Fenerbahce has developed to perfection in the EuroLeague in recent years. 

"A small forward must possess leadership skills because he is the link between his backcourt and frontcourt teammates." 

In particular, if we take those fantastic clashes we had against Virtus Segafredo Bologna last season. Playing under Coach Andrea Trinchieri, I often found myself in a situation where I defended point guards Milos Teodosic or Stefan Markovic, all with the idea that when Virtus plays pick-and-roll, I am the one switching to their big man, in this case, Julian Gamble.

An interesting comparison for a small forward would be with the goalkeeper in soccer; if a small forward successfully defends the low-post game of the opposing center, he will not receive credit equal to the critique which comes if he unsuccessfully defends that same center. Unsurprisingly, it makes being a small forward quite delicate. 

Another important element that a small forward must possess is leadership skills because he is practically the link between his backcourt and frontcourt teammates. All the players I mentioned above are guys with enviable leadership characteristics and very often a psychological backbone of their teams because they do not depend on any specific things, not even a bad shooting day at work. A small forward must also always be active on the offensive glass and thus largely the first defense against the opposing team's transition.

In the end, I think the players who play the small forward position in a way represent the driving force of their respective teams, its strength, engagement and commitment. It is difficult to grade the performance of these players solely through the box score because they bring intangibles that show why it is no wonder that all the successful coaches have been spending a significant part of their budgets and resources on this specific type of a player.

That's it for this first blog. I wish everyone good health, and here's to this season to be as exciting as any of the previous seasons and wishing to see basketball fans back in the arenas to create fiery atmospheres throughout Europe.

Partizan NIS Belgrade's small forward Rade Zagorac uses the first post on his EuroCupBasketball.com blog to discuss what is needed to be successful at his position, small forward, in modern basketball.

Blog: Rade Zagorac on playing small forward

Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, Paulius Valinskas is one of the many Lithuanian players to come out of Zalgiris's legendary youth system. A late bloomer, Valinskas took a step forwards in his career at age 19 while playing for Zalgiris's second squad and was promoted to Zalgiris's first team for the start of the 2016-17 season. He played there for two seasons and took part in 30 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games before joining Lietkabelis Panevezys. After a brief stint with French side Entente Orleans 45, Valinskas returned to Lietkabelis to play alongside his brother Marius. The Valinskas brothers are making their 7DAYS EuroCup debut this season and wearing unusual uniform numbers, 66 and 99, too. Paulius will share his experiences right here all season long with his EuroCupBasketball.com blog.

What's up, EuroCup fans? First of all, I can say that I am excited to play in this very high-level competition for the first time. The EuroCup has very good teams, especially in our group, and in every game, we have to be 100% focused. But that is what we practice for, to play against great teams and all that stuff. We're happy to compete here but, you know, we didn't play basketball for six months, so it has been a tough start for me and my team, Lietkabelis Panevezys. We will bounce back fast and try to play better and show better basketball. That's what we're looking for, but so far, I am happy to play in this competition and to compete against some of the best teams in Europe. 

We are 0-2 right now and in both games, we competed really well in the first half, but things were different after the break. It is the first time in my time with Lietkabelis that we played against such good teams and we fell apart in the third quarter in both games. It is unbelievable; it is hard to understand. It is hard to explain why because we are trying to play at the same level all game long, but now, we are struggling so much in the third quarter, two games in a row, after two great quarters. So that is our main problem right now and we are watching a lot of videos, trying to look at our mistakes and what we did the last time, why we struggled so much in the third quarter. And we just have to be patient. We have to be focused 120% against such good teams and just do the basic things, like our coach is saying every day: box out, stop the fast breaks and just don't make stupid mistakes. That's our main goal right now.

We will face Lokomotiv Kuban at home next week. Loko has two very famous Lithuanian players, Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Mantas Kalnietis. When I was growing up, Kalnietis was the Lithuanian national team's point guard and he is still up there. I was a teenager, a kid when I started to watch how he plays. I am from Kaunas, he is from Kaunas. I played in Zalgiris... he played in Zalgiris! So he was like my role model: I saw how we played and he is a true legend here in Lithuania, one of the best point guards of all-time. For me, playing against him is another great competition and I am looking forward to it. But we have to show our best game against Loko and we will see what happens. Still, it is always good to play against these Lithuanian guys like Kuzminskas and Kalnietis. We're not the best friends, but we played a couple of games together with the national team in February. It was a very nice experience. He is a great guy and I am happy to see him again and play against him. 

One of the great things about this team is that I get to play with my brother, Marius. When we were younger, that was our dream, to play together on a high-level team, to practice every day together, to play together, to be together on the court. That was our dream and that dream came true. Of course, we went to reach even higher goals together. Now he's missing the start of the season because of an injury, but he will try to play, I think, in a couple of weeks, so I am waiting for him. The team is waiting for him, so the feeling to play with your brother and be on the same team is unbelievable, because this is a dream come true. I think that if you have a brother and you play basketball, playing with him at this level is an unbelievable feeling. 

"I would like to reach the best version of myself."

Some people ask me about my number, 66, which is not very common, so I will tell you why I wear it! At the start of my career, I was playing with No. 6, but in my second year with Zalgiris, Axel Toupane came to the team. He was coming from the NBA, is a great guy, and asked me to give him that number. I was a young player, so I decided to give him that number. I wanted to wear a similar number, so I picked No. 66, a not-so-traditional number. And then I started to play better that season so I decided to keep 66. Now, I really like the number and there are not a lot of players wearing 66! I am happy to have it, and I will stick with it. By the way, my brother Marius used to wear No. 9 and now he changed to 99. He is not telling me why he picked 99, but it is 66 upsides down, so maybe I would say there is a connection between us when it comes to jersey numbers. 

I am in a good situation with this team. First of all, I would like to reach the best version of myself and I feel that, until now, I haven't reached that level, because I want to improve more. I want to play at a high-level, on great teams and everything. When I was younger, no-one talked about me like I was ready. People thought that I didn't have so much potential, but I had my goals, my dreams, and just kept working. I told myself I will keep working and see what happens. So I don't know, maybe some people realized that I can play basketball and I'm trying to prove to everybody that I can be a good player.

We play our next two games at home. The situation is unclear with COVID-19; every day, things are changing, so we will see if we will be playing with fans or not. It is a little bit confusing but I can tell you this: when the gym is full of fans and they support you, they cheer for you, it's the best feeling. When you play against a very good team and you have your fans cheering for you, it's great. So we are looking forward to it. Safety is first these days, but home games are the best games! 

Lietkabelis Panevezys guard Paulius Valinskas lets fans know a little bit about himself ahead of a showdown against his former role model in his debut post on his EuroCupBasketball.com blog.