Copy of EC Report -295 U2013 (Last32)

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2021-03-10T16:30:00.000Z)

EC Report - LOKOMOTIV KRASNODAR vs DOLOMITI ENERGIA TRENTO

Experience is precious, which is why several 7DAYS EuroCup teams made sure to add veteran players over the summer who do not bring just years of playing at the highest level, but know how to win, too. Seven former EuroCup champions returned to the competition this summer, and another changed clubs, showing just how valuable experience is for teams striving for EuroCup glory.
### Vladimir Micov, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

Micov has played only one EuroCup season in the past decade, but it was a memorable one in which he averaged 12.9 points in helping lead Galatasaray Istanbul to the 2016 crown. Micov's career started ascending in his two seasons with Buducnost, back from 2007 to 2009. More than a decade later, he is down for a third stint with Buducnost. In the meantime, he played in three EuroLeague Final Fours and returns as one of the biggest stars in the competition.
### Errick McCollum, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar

Always a candidate to be the top scorer in any competition he plays, Errick McCollum returns to the EuroCup where he ranks as the fourth-best scorer of all time. McCollum has averaged 17.0 points and 3.0 assists over his 72 career EuroCup appearances, which speaks volumes about the scoring threat he presents. He was also the EuroCup MVP when he led Galatasaray to the title in 2016. McCollum is a two-time All-EuroCup selection and he will be a central piece for Lokomotiv as the team seeks to contend for a title.
### Victor Claver, Valencia Basket

Claver not only returned to the EuroCup this summer, but came back home. Claver started his career with Valencia, his hometown club, and helped the team win the EuroCup in 2010, when he was also chosen as the EuroCup Rising Star. Claver also reached the EuroCup title game in 2012, which was the last game he played in the competition. Throughout his career, Claver has made his presence count on both ends of the floor and the 32-year old forward is hyped to make an impact in his return to the EuroCup.
### JaJuan Johnson, Turk Telekom Ankara

Johnson has not been away from the EuroCup for long. Johnson was huge for Darussafaka Istanbul in its 2017-18 campaign on the way to the title and he helped Lokomotiv reach the quarterfinals a year later. Johnson has 62 appearances in the EuroCup and career averages of 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Johnson has joined Turk Telekom intending to be a force to be reckoned with once again.
### Jeff Brooks, Umana Reyer Venice

Brooks played at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four last season with AX Armani Exchange Milan. It was his third season in the fashion capital and fourth consecutive in the EuroLeague. Before Milan, he was with Unicaja Malaga, which he helped win the EuroCup in 2017. That was also the last time the 32-year old forward played in the EuroCup, where he now returns as a former champ and a player who will add plenty of toughness into Reyer's frontcourt.


### Stanton Kidd, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar

Kidd returns to the EuroCup where he previously played only one season, but in that one, he helped Darussafaka win the 2018 crown. In the EuroCup Finals that year, Kidd and Darussafaka beat Lokomotiv. Kidd is a valuable cog for any team on both ends of the floor and could be just what the doctor ordered for Lokomotiv, which has plenty of offensive firepower, but needs the presence and experience of Kidd to give the team more balance.
### Will Cummings, Boulogne Metropolitans 92

The only player in this select company who changed EuroCup clubs this summer, Cummings is three years removed from winning the EuroCup crown, which he lifted with Darussafaka in 2018 when he had an immense contribution in that title-winning run. Cummings is now ready to take the reins of the offense at Metropolitans, where he arrives after spending the last two seasons with Lokomotiv. Last season he posted 12.0 points and 2.5 assists while helping Lokomotiv reach the quarterfinals.
### Guillem Vives, Joventut Badalona

Vives returns home to the club where he grew up after spending seven seasons with Valencia Basket. During his time with Valencia, Vives helped the team win the 2019 EuroCup and reach the competition finals in 2017. He has 64 appearances in the EuroCup, but despite modest averages of 4.9 points and 2.9 assists, Vives is a 28-year-old point guard entering his prime who has been playing at the elite level essentially since turning pro and is poised to be a difference-maker for Joventut.


Experience is precious, which is why several 7DAYS EuroCup teams made sure to add former champions to their rosters this summer.

EuroCup signings: Former champs

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There is great excitement in the Serbian capital this season with Coach Zeljko Obradovic back at the helm of his beloved Partizan NIS Belgrade. Though the club has reached the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 three years running, the goals this season are higher than ever.

Founded in 1945, Partizan started to make noise in European competitions in the late 1970s, when Dragan Kicanovic and Drazen Dalipagic led the club to Korac Cup titles in 1978 and 1979. Vlade Divac and Zarko Paspalj helped the club reach the 1988 EuroLeague Final Four and lift the 1989 Korac Cup. In 1992, Partizan won the club's first – and to date only – EuroLeague crown by downing DKV Joventut 70-71 on a miraculous buzzer-beater by Sasha Djordjevic, which ranks among the most amazing shots in basketball history. At home, Partizan remained a dominant force by winning trophies at a steady clip and it returned to the EuroLeague Final Four in 1998, but lost in the semifinals against eventual champion Kinder Bologna.

From the turn of the century, Partizan managed to remain fully competitive while developing players, including some of the best big men in European basketball, such as Nikola Pekovic, Aleks Maric, Kosta Perovic, Jan Vesely, Novica Velickovic and Milan Macvan. Before them, Dejan Tomasevic, Nenad Krstic and Predrag Drobnjak all played for Partizan, too. With a fan base that treats the club and basketball like a religion, success turned the club from contender to EuroLeague giant. Partizan registered three consecutive EuroLeague Playoff appearances between 2008 and 2010, with the latter being the year in which the club once again reached the EuroLeague Final Four. Maric, Bo McCalebb and Vesely helped Partizan top Maccabi Tel Aviv in the playoffs to get to the big event, where it was stopped in the semifinals by Olympiacos Piraeus only after overtime.

Partizan dominated domestically with a run of 13 consecutive Serbian League crowns, five consecutive Serbian Cups from 2008 through 2012, and ruling the Adriatic League with five trophies from 2007 through 2011 and another one in 2013. After it topped archrival Crvena Zvezda 3-1 in the 2014 Serbian League final to win the title, Partizan hit a dry spell. It made its EuroCup debut in 2014-15, but failed to leave a mark and suffered its first title-free season in 14 years. Partizan ended that drought by lifting the Serbian Cup in 2018, '19 and '20. With an army of basketball die-hards behind the players and a coaching legend on the sidelines, Partizan hopes to recapture glory this season.


There is great excitement in the Serbian capital this season with Coach Zeljko Obradovic back at the helm of his beloved Partizan NIS Belgrade.

Club profile: Partizan NIS Belgrade

ratiopharm Ulm has emerged as one of Germany's best-known clubs as it prepares for its seventh straight 7DAYS EuroCup campaign. Ulm is not the first elite basketball team in the city; predecessor SSV Ulm 1846 was competitive for decades and won the German Cup in 1996. SSV folded in 2001 and ratiopharm Ulm was founded shortly thereafter.

Thomas Stoll and Andreas Oettel bought SSV's license to start competing in the German second division. The team, which has always been sponsored by pharmaceutical giant ratiopharm, was promoted to the German elite in 2006 after a 29-1 season. By 2008, Ulm made it to the German League playoffs. Robin Benzing became its signature player in 2009-10, but Ulm finished in the bottom half of the league. Everything changed for the better when Coach Thorsten Leibenath and center John Bryant came together and took Ulm to a second-place finish in the 2011-12 regular season. Ulm swept New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig and s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg in the playoffs to reach the finals against Brose Baskets. Alas, the fairytale run finished with Bamberg winning the title.

Ulm enjoyed a great EuroCup debut season, in which it reached the quarterfinals, the German League semifinals and German Cup final. Bryant was chosen to the 2012-13 All-EuroCup First Team, too. The club returned to the elimination rounds in the 2013-14 EuroCup before losing to Hapoel Jerusalem in the eighthfinals. Ulm reached the German League semifinals in 2014-15 and advanced past the regular season in the EuroCup in each of the next two campaigns. After reaching the 2016 German League finals, Ulm's 30-2 record the following season saw it finish the German League regular season in first place for the first time before falling 3-2 to EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the playoff semifinals. After missing the German League playoffs and the EuroCup Top 16 in 2018, Ulm bounced back in the 2018-19 season. The team collected eight wins in the EuroCup and was one victory away from reaching the playoffs. Ulm returned to the German playoffs, but ALBA Berlin stood in its way in the quarterfinals.

Ulm started a new era in 2019 with Jaka Lakovic replacing Thorsten Liebenath as head coach after eight seasons. It reached the German League semifinals in each of the past two seasons, but failed to advance past the regular season in the EuroCup, which is something Ulm will seek to change this time around.


ratiopharm Ulm has emerged as one of Germany's best-known clubs as it prepares for its seventh straight 7DAYS EuroCup campaign. 

Club profile: ratiopharm Ulm

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana added another weapon to its frontcourt with the signing of big man Zach Auguste, the club announced late Monday. Auguste (2.08 meters, 28 years old) returns to the EuroCup after playing a key role for Galatasaray Istanbul for two seasons from 2018 through 2020. He averaged 13.4 points on 69.4% two-point shooting and 7.1 rebounds in 16 EuroCup games in the second of those seasons. Auguste played for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens last season and posted 4.6 points on 67.8% shooting and 2.3 boards in 21 EuroLeague games. He helped the Greens win the Greek championship, as he did in his first season with Panathinaikos in 2017-18. Auguste played college basketball at the University of Notre Dame and started his professional basketball career with Usak of Turkey before his first season with Panathinaikos.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We have a new reinforcment on the center position!<a href="https://twitter.com/ZachEliAuguste?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZachEliAuguste</a>, welcome to Ljubljana! 💚🧡 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevoSrce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevoSrce</a><br><br>🔗: <a href="https://t.co/OkdonxzBCU">https://t.co/OkdonxzBCU</a> <a href="https://t.co/PA2z9QM4AB">pic.twitter.com/PA2z9QM4AB</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana - English (@KKCedOL_EN) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL_EN/status/1429887917611171840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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Cedevita signs big man Auguste

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 has added scoring punch with the recruitment of former NBA champion Jordan McRae.

Former NBA champ McRae heads to Metropolitans

The swingman (1.96 meters, 30 years old) has spent the majority of his career in his native United States, including 54 appearances for Cleveland Cavaliers which saw him win the NBA title in 2016. His only prior experience of European basketball came with three games for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the 2017-18 season, and he spent the last year with Beijing Ducks in China.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🚨[OFFICIEL] <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Recrutement?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Recrutement</a> <br>L&#39;ailier scoreur Américain Jordan McRae (poste2/3, 30 ans, 1,95m) s&#39;engage avec les Metropolitans 92 et complète l&#39;effectif pour la saison 2021-2022 !🔥🏀<br>Welcome <a href="https://twitter.com/JordyMac52?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JordyMac52</a> ! 🤝<br>➕d&#39;infos➡️<a href="https://t.co/F8Kfrsi4Ze">https://t.co/F8Kfrsi4Ze</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoMets92?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoMets92</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Metropolitans92?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Metropolitans92</a> <a href="https://t.co/9NNMQoTVWP">pic.twitter.com/9NNMQoTVWP</a></p>&mdash; Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 (@Metropolitans92) <a href="https://twitter.com/Metropolitans92/status/1429366887578800128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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Dolomiti Energia Trento has added size to its roster with the acquisition of powerful center Johnathan Williams, the Italian club announced on Saturday.

Williams brings size to Trento

Williams (2.06 meters, 26 years old) started his professional career by making 23 NBA appearances with LA Lakers, before heading to European basketball by starting the 2019-20 season at Maccabi Rishon LeZion where he averaged an impressive 11.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in 9 EuroCup appearances. Last season Williams had with brief spells at Washington Wizards, Galatasaray Istanbul and Niners Chemnitz. Trento Coach Emanuele Molin said: "Williams is a big man we have followed all summer, an athletic center and an excellent rebounder. He is a team player and has all the characteristics we think fit well with the team we are building."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">⚡ Ecco a voi il nuovo centro della Dolomiti Energia Trentino, Johnathan Williams! 💥🖤🦅<br><br>📰 Il comunicato ufficiale ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/ZQgv1w4geD">https://t.co/ZQgv1w4geD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeDieHard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeDieHard</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZPk7oKsTsD">pic.twitter.com/ZPk7oKsTsD</a></p>&mdash; Dolomiti Energia Trento (@AquilaBasketTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AquilaBasketTN/status/1429035625349591045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Promitheas Patras added scoring punch to its lineup with the signing of small forward Isaiah Miles, the club announced Friday

Promitheas inks scorer Miles

Miles (2.01 meters, 27 years old) returns to the 7DAYS EuroCup after playing for Limoges CSP in 2018-19, when he averaged 10.3 points on 51.9% three-point shooting in 14 games. He arrives from Israeli side Hapoel Holon, where Miles posted 12.1 points on 42.9 three-point shooting and 4.1 rebounds in 22 games last season. He raised those numbers to 15.1 points on 55.3% three-point shooting in the Basketball Champions League. Miles has also played for Dijon in France, Usak Sportiff in Turkey and Delaware in the G-League during his professional career.


<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">Παίκτης του Προμηθέα ο Isaiah Miles!<br>Διαβάστε περισσότερα: <a href="https://t.co/uAJEysYN60">https://t.co/uAJEysYN60</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/promitheaspatras?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#promitheaspatras</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/promitheasbc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#promitheasbc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ourpowerfulfamily?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ourpowerfulfamily</a> <a href="https://t.co/G2xHWzUnFM">pic.twitter.com/G2xHWzUnFM</a></p>&mdash; Promitheas Patras BC (@promitheasbc) <a href="https://twitter.com/promitheasbc/status/1428657843905994755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Promitheas Patras added scoring punch to its lineup with the signing of small forward Isaiah Miles, the club announced Friday. 

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