ALBA Berlin promoted Israel Gonzalez to head coach this summer in place of Aito Garcia Reneses who took a sabbatical. Gonzalez inherits a young and talented team that he knows well and has a few new weapons to help ALBA make a run at the playoffs.

BACKCOURT

There is no shortage of point guard options for ALBA. Native Berliner Maodo Lo comes off his best season yet. He is a team leader and his five years of EuroLeague experience help him in all situations. Tamir Blatt is new to the EuroLeague, but is the son of a former EuroLeague champion head coach, David Blatt, and his smooth passing skills and off-the-charts basketball IQ help make those around him better. After missing most of the 2019-20 season to injury, Stefan Peno returned to form last season on loan at fellow German side Rasta Vechta and is now back with ALBA. His size and athleticism have made Peno dangerous as both ends of the floor and his playmaking skills continue to improve. Shooting guard Jaleen Smith is a complete player and was the German League MVP last season with Ludwigsburg. He can score or serve as a secondary ball-handler, while also impacting games through his defense. In Marcus Eriksson, ALBA has one of the premier three-point aces in the game. No defense can rest when he has the ball. Jonas Mattisseck is following in Eriksson's footsteps as an elite shooter and figures to be a key reserve if not more; he started nine games last season. Malte Delow cracked the ALBA rotation last season as a teenager and will try to increase his role this season. The long arms and defensive intensity of Yovel Zoosman made him a fixture at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv the last four seasons and now he will look to take on a bigger role with ALBA. Only 23 years old, his brand of basketball should fit perfectly in Coach Gonzalez's plans.



FRONTCOURT

As Luke Sikma enters his fifth season with ALBA, he has become the team's signature player. A unique talent, he can be the club's playmaker from the post, score both in the paint and from the perimeter and affect the game with his rebounding, too. Louis Olinde is a modern stretch-4 who boats great size and feel for the game. Still 23 years old, Olinde's best basketball is in front of him. Another Berlin native, big man Tim Schneider does most of his damage from the three-point line, too. Ben Lammers turned lots of heads as a EuroLeague rookie last season with his dunks and blocked shots. There is every reason to expect Year 2 to be even better. Rugged center Johannes Thiemann does most of his work in the paint and is a strong rebounder, but can also stretch defenses with his shooting. At 2.23 meters, Christ Koumadje is a force to be reckoned with and an ideal rim protector. He joined ALBA late last season and now with a full training camp under his belt should be ready for a bigger role. Injuries limited Kresimir Nikic both in games played and effectiveness last season. There is every reason to believe that when healthy, he can be a dominant interior presence, too.

PLAYER TO WATCH

ALBA Berlin management has had an eye on Tamir Blatt for some time. In fact, they signed him in the summer of 2020 and loaned him back to Hapoel Jerusalem for another season. All Blatt did was lead the Israeli League in assists with 7.9 per game while setting career-highs in scoring (12.1 ppg.), rebounds (2.6 rpg.) and steals (0.9 spg.). The son of EuroLeague championship-winning head coach David Blatt, Tamir grew up around high-level basketball and absorbed the game smarts and on-court leadership from an early age. Those traits mixed with great passing and good shooting have seen Blatt develop into a EuroLeague-caliber point guard. This season he gets the chance to show his skills on that bright stage and if he adjusts seamlessly, ALBA will be a much more dangerous – and fun to watch – basketball team.

OUTLOOK

After an opening night date on the road with last season's runner-up, ALBA plays three straight games at home and an early winning streak could work wonders for the team's confidence. Though this is a young team with a head coach debuting in the EuroLeague too, many on the players have several seasons of EuroLeague experience and those that don't seem to be ready for the challenge. ALBA has the depth necessary to play hard for 40 minutes and a mix of team-first players, great passers and excellent shooters. Defense has been an Achilles heel for ALBA in recent seasons and if some of the new additions can help in that area, the outlook for ALBA will be bright.

Roster rundown: ALBA Berlin

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade added a familiar face to its frontcourt with the signing of Maik Zirbes, which the club announced on Wednesday. The contract is through the end of the calendar year with an option to extend it for the rest of the season. Zirbes (2.09 meters, 31 years old) returns for a third stint with the club where he has had some of his greatest success. He led Zvezda to the EuroLeague Playoffs in 2016 after averaging 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. That was his second consecutive season with Zvezda, which he later returned to in 2018-19. Zirbes has also played for Trier, Brose Bamberg and FC Bayern Munich in his native Germany, Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenia, Guangxi Weizhuang in China and most recently with Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE. He has amassed 99 appearances over five seasons in the EuroLeague and 54 games in five EuroCup campaigns.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Nemački centar Maik Cirbes vraća se u Crvenu zvezdu sa kojom je potpisao ugovor do kraja 2021. godine uz opciju produžetka do kraja sezone!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeCan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeCan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://t.co/aU4u0Kycx7">https://t.co/aU4u0Kycx7</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1438068721470394369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zvezda, Zirbes reunite

After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, Zalgiris Kaunas’s goal is to play more than 34 EuroLeague games. Coach Martin Schiller is back and has several new and some old-new faces around him as the Lithuanian champs aim high once again.

### BACKCOURT

Zalgiris signed three first-class playmakers this summer. One of them, Mantas Kalnietis, knows the club inside out; he was born in Kaunas and this will be his third stint with the club. Kalnietis was named to the 2020-21 All-EuroCup Second Team after leading that competition in assists (7.1 apg.). Janis Strelnieks is in his eighth EuroLeague season and Zalgiris is his fifth team in the competition. He is a great three-point shooter with a high basketball IQ who is never afraid to step up in crunch time. Emmanuel Mudiay missed the entire 2020-21 season and is set to make his EuroLeague debut under Coach Schiller's guidance. Mudiay is a great athlete with top-notch scoring skills. Lukas Lekavicius and Arturas Milaknis are back to provide the fireworks from downtown. Lekavicius is a combo-guard with outstanding one-on-one skills and unlimited shooting range. Milaknis is a three-point specialist able to change any game with his high accuracy. Zalgiris added another great three-point shooter in Niels Giffey, who is also an energy player that contributes at both ends. Up-and-coming talent Mantas Rubstavicius and sharpshooter Karolis Lukosiunas give Coach Schiller even more versatility.

### FRONTCOURT

Edgaras Ulanovas is back in Kaunas to serve as Zalgiris's first option at small forward. Ulanovas is an all-around player with very good post skills for a player his size, which allows him to find many advantages on offense. Team legend Paulius Jankunas and Tyler Cavanaugh are set to split minutes at power forward. Jankunas is a smart player, a rock-solid rebounder and a deadly mid-range shooter in his 19th EuroLeague season. Cavanaugh is a more mobile forward who can open the floor from beyond the arc. Joffrey Lauvergne and Josh Nebo should see most of the playing time at center, but because they are very different players, they will likely play together on court, too. Lauvergne is a dynamic big man who runs the floor well, plays above the rim and is a solid rebounder at both ends. Nebo is an incredible athlete, an energy player who can get the crowd going with his blocked shots and outstanding dunks. He is also a very effective scorer (66.8% 2FG in Israel last season). Marek Blazevic offers post skills and hustle off the bench. He is also an excellent offensive rebounder.

### PLAYER TO WATCH

Emmanuel Mudiay arrives in the EuroLeague at age 25 eager to fulfill his potential as an elite playmaker. He is a very physical, athletic and explosive player and knows how to maximize those strengths in one-on-one situations due to his great ballhandling and extremely quick first step. He is also a good pick-and-roll player with good court vision. Mudiay, however, is an up-and-down shooter, both from three-point range and from the free-throw line. He is in the right environment to improve his shooting skills and if he does, Mudiay has all it takes to dominate, as he is a smart player who knows how to use his big body and all-around skills to find advantages.

### OUTLOOK

Zalgiris lost some important backcourt players but, as always, moved well in the off-season market to find the right pieces. Having experienced point guards like Kalnietis and Strelnieks should make Mudiay even more dangerous in transition and one-on-one situations. With Mudiay and Nebo, Zalgiris has a more physical roster than last season and should use that to its advantage. As always, Zalgiris has a core of Lithuanian players surrounded by outstanding foreign talent. Coach Schiller did an excellent job last season and with Zalgiris fans back in the stands, the Lithuanian powerhouse should be more powerful than ever at Zalgirio Arena. If Zalgiris finds consistency, the sky is the limit.

Roster rundown: Zalgiris Kaunas

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Turkish Airlines EuroLeague newcomer AS Monaco, brought in some experience just a couple of weeks before the start of the 2021-22 season with the addition of big man Will Thomas to a two-year deal. Thomas (2.03 meters, 35 years old) arrives from Zenit St Petersburg, where last season he averaged 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 39 EuroLeague appearances, all of them as a starter. He was one of the key players that led Zenit to its first playoffs appearance ever, only to fall in Game 5 to eventual runner-up, FC Barcelona.

This will be Thomas's sixth EuroLeague season overall. He has already played with Unicaja Malaga, Valencia Basket and Zenit for a total 144 games and 1,186 points in the top continental competition. He also played in two 7DAYS EuroCup seasons with Valencia, winning the 2018-19 title and being named Finals MVP that same year.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">✍️ 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 rejoint l’ASM ! 💥 L’ailier-fort expérimenté 🇺🇸 (2,03 m, 35 ans) sort de deux saisons accomplies avec le <a href="https://twitter.com/zenitbasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZenitBasket</a> en <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> 💪 La <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> densifie sa raquette avec un intérieur impactant 👊<br>👋 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 🇲🇨 <a href="https://t.co/uPUbZt2KvM">pic.twitter.com/uPUbZt2KvM</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1437363908734558208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Monaco brings in Will Thomas

Last season, its first full campaign in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Zenit St Petersburg made history by reaching the playoffs before getting ousted in the maximum five games by eventual runner-up FC Barcelona. Now, the bar gets a little higher and the task gets a bit more difficult, as coach Xavi Pascual aims for more success.

### BACKCOURT

Zenit has a new man to run the offense in Shabazz Napier, an explosive playmaker who can score plenty himself and will have a lot of scoring punch around him. The team loaded up on players who can score in bunches, starting with Jordan Loyd, who ranked third in the league last season with 17.3 points per game. Zenit also added shooting ace Conner Frankamp and reunited with scoring guard Sergey Karasev, while swingman Dmitry Kulagin gives Zenit another capable scorer and versatile option on the wings. That is all in addition to sharpshooter Billy Baron, who enters this season with a streak of 29 games with at least one three-point shot made. Denis Zakharov gives this team depth on the perimeter, while young playmaker Andrey Toptunov and swingman Igor Volkhin will be looking to maximize their likely limited opportunities.

### FRONTCOURT

Zenit has one of the deepest frontcourts headlined by a trio of big men in Alex Poythress, Arturas Gudaitis and summer addition Jordan Mickey. Poythress and Gudaitis have been a productive pair of centers and now are joined by Mickey, who ranked seventh in scoring, sixth in rebounding and was the third-best shot-blocker last season. Anton Pushkov makes this a quartet of experienced options inside, surrounded by versatile forwards in Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Mateusz Ponitka. Both players are capable of going on scoring runs and are big contributors on the glass. Andrey Zubkov is a classic power forward who is entering his seventh EuroLeague season.

### PLAYER TO WATCH

In addition to a half-dozen veteran signings and players with EuroLeague experience, Conner Frankamp is neither. The 25-year old scoring guard is in his third professional season, but first in the EuroLeague and is itching to prove himself on the elite level after conquering domestic competitions. In the past two seasons, Frankamp averaged 20.9 points in the Greek League and 15.7 points in the Spanish League. Though he boasts unlimited shooting range, Frankamp is also adept at getting to the basket and with all eyes on his backcourt mates Loyd and Napier, it will be interesting to see how Frankamp punishes any opposing defense foolish enough to leave him alone.

### OUTLOOK

Judging by the summer signing activities, Zenit looks determined to get back to playoff contention and avoid being dubbed as a one-year wonder. The club not only addressed its depth both inside and on the perimeter, but added a half-dozen very capable scorers, including Loyd and Mickey - two of the top seven from last season's scoring rankings. Guided by Coach Pascual, who has won it all and has a knack for leading teams to the playoffs, expect Zenit to be a significant factor and a serious contender once again this season.

Roster rundown: Zenit St Petersburg

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul added a top Turkish talent for the long term as it signed Sehmus Hazer to a three-year contract, the club announced Sunday. Hazer (1.90 meter, 22 years old) comes to Fenerbahce after playing last season with Besiktas Istanbul, where he averaged 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 33 Turkish League games. Hazer grew up in the Bandirma system and played four seasons in the top division in Turkey before moving to Besiktas in 2020. He also has played a number of years for the Turkish national team, appearing in the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017 as well as the FIBA U20 European Championship in 2018 and 2019 before making his senior national team debut in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers. Hazer also played for Turkey in the FIBA 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournamentin Victoria, Canada. 

Fenerbahce adds guard talent Hazer

Competing among the basketball elite for the eighth time in nine years, Serbian powerhouse Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade brought back several familiar faces and turned to some proven Turkish Airlines EuroLeague veterans. With all that talent in tow, the club aspires to compete for a spot in the EuroLeague Playoffs this season.

### BACKCOURT

Zvezda will have many new faces on the perimeter and that starts with experienced playmakers Nate Wolters and Nikola Ivanovic. Both have played under Coach Dejan Radonjic in the past. Wolters returns to the club where he made his EuroLeague debut. The two will complement each other nicely, with Ivanovic likely coming off the bench, a role the 27-year-old guard has strived in for the majority of his career. Aleksa Uskokovic ran the Zvezda offense last season and gives the team plenty of depth at the point guard position. Expect a lot of scoring to come from guard Austin Hollins, who arrives after two seasons with Zenit St Petersburg. Hollins is a player who also does a lot of work defensively. Branko Lazic, the team captain and the man who has played more games in a Zvezda jersey than anyone in club history, is one of the league's best perimeter defenders. Dejan Davidovac, a 2.02-meter guard who plays any position from '1' to '4' and played the second-most minutes of any Zvezda player last season, gives this group a great dose of versatility. Swingman Stefan Lazarevic provides the team with more depth in his first full season in the competition.

### FRONTCOURT

Zvezda is stacked at the forward position. The name that sticks out is Nikola Kalinic, a former EuroLeague champion with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul who has 200 career games under his belt. Kalinic returns to the club after six seasons away. He excels on defense and can provide an offensive spark at either forward spot. Energetic and athletic forward Ognjen Dobric grew into one of the leaders of this team, while veteran Marko Simonovic, a 2.03-meter sharpshooter, is a matchup nightmare once he starts knocking down long-distance shots. Power forward Aaron White brings the group even more high-level EuroLeague experience as well as athleticism and the ability to play above the rim. Power forward Luka Mitrovic is another returnee. He was one of the youngest Zvezda team captains in club history and brings on-court toughness and a strong locker room presence. The only true center on the squad is veteran Ognjen Kuzmic who is among the best rebounders in the competition.

### PLAYER TO WATCH

Few players provide their respective teams with more energy than what Ognjen Dobric gives Zvezda. The homegrown small forward is in his fifth season in the competition and has great athletic abilities, which he uses on both ends of the floor. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is coming off his best season, one in which he knocked down 45.6% of three-point shots and averaged 10.8 points over the final 18 games of the EuroLeague regular season. With his hustle, energy and toughness – traits any coach would love on his team, Dobric seeks to build on last season's performances and grab an even bigger role on this team.

### OUTLOOK

Few squads have as much muscle and athleticism as Zvezda, which Coach Dejan Radonjic plans to use as his team's primary strengths. Zvezda traditionally has played hard-nosed defense and this team packed with tough forwards and aggressive guards looks to be one that will be hard to score against. The roster is built to battle on defense and then run transition offense, which will give headaches to all EuroLeague rivals. Zvezda has bigger ambitions this season and is backed by the army of die-hards who itch to get back into the arena and support their beloved team. The Serbian powerhouse should have plenty to say this season.

Roster rundown: Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

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Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce that ELEVEN Sports has joined the Euroleague Basketball family by becoming the OTT platform broadcaster for its competitions in Italy, thereby ensuring that all Italian fans will enjoy elite broadcast coverage of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup.

ELEVEN Sports will broadcast all Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games once those seasons begin on September 30 and October 19, respectively, bringing more than 500 fixtures to all Italian fans. The agreement will run until the end of the 2024-25 season, which will mark the 25th anniversary of Euroleague Basketball. All games with AX Armani Exchange Milan, Dolomiti Energia Trento, Umana Reyer Venice and Virtus Segafredo Bologna – plus other selected games – will have Italian commentators calling all the action of the two top pan-European basketball club competitions on ELEVEN Sports.

The new agreement with ELEVEN Sports will increase the choice of elite basketball sources being offered to Italian fans following the recent announcement that SKY Italy will broadcast EuroLeague and EuroCup games in the country until 2023-24 on an exclusive basis for linear rights and a non-exclusive basis for digital rights.

ELEVEN Sports was founded in 2015 as a multinational group operating sports television channels and OTT services with a combination of linear and digital channels that now reach millions of fans wherever they are and generate billions of views every month.

"We are very proud to welcome ELEVEN Sports to the Euroleague Basketball broadcasters family, widening the options for our Italian fans to watch all our games," Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball Marketing and Communication Senior Director said, said. "Italy, a traditional basketball market, has experienced renewed interest in our sport over the last years, and it is our intention to bring our games as close as possible to all our tifosi."

Euroleague Basketball's importance in Italy has shown solid and continuous growth in recent years, with fan interest jumping 36% and TV audience growing an outstanding 390% over the last three seasons.

"EuroLeague and EuroCup represent the excellence of European Basketball" stated Giovanni Zurleni, Delegate Administrator of Eleven Sports Italy. "We are very proud of broadcasting these two top competitions and this is a demonstration of the growth of Eleven while becoming a big media destination for both local and international sports; we have a big focus on premium rights, maintaining an important space for lower level championships. We want to involve, satisfy and entertain all the fans on a global sports community".

ELEVEN Sports to broadcast all EuroLeague and EuroCup games in Italy

Olympiacos Piraeus starts the 2021-22 season with a few new additions who know the competition well. With those fresh faces joining a talented cast, the Reds will target their first playoff appearance since 2018.

### BACKCOURT

Newcomer Thomas Walkup and EuroLeague star Kostas Sloukas are set to share the point guard duties now that club legend Vassilis Spanoulis has retired. Walkup is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the competition due to his size, anticipation and high basketball IQ. Sloukas is deadly in clutch time as well as from the free-throw line and gets his teammates involved with his passing skills. He is also dangerous as a spot-up shooter. Shaquielle McKissic is a force of nature, an explosive player with great physicality and outstanding energy. He can change any game with his fast-break dunks, steals and penetration skills. Tyler Dorsey joins the Reds to open the floor with his outside shooting. Adding him gives Olympiacos an extra scoring punch and makes the Reds more unpredictable on offense. Giannoulis Larentzakis is tough on defense and effective on offense. Top prospect Alexandros Nikolaidis and combo guard Michalis Lountzis are in the fight for playing time, too.

### FRONTCOURT

Olympiacos opted to keep its core of big men, led by new team captain and EuroLeague superstar Georgios Printezis. As always, Printezis provides mid-range shooting, highlighted by his trademark floater - with either hand, hustle and a world of basketball smarts. Expect him to be on the court when the game is on the line. Hassan Martin is an athletic player best-known for finishing around the rim and powering the offensive glass for second-chance opportunities. Moustapha Fall has a rare combination of size, coordination and quickness and should make Olympiacos stronger at both ends. Martin ranked second in two-point shooting (72.0%) in the EuroLeague last season and Fall was fifth (70.1%). Kostas Papanikolaou only played 14 EuroLeague games last season but is back serving as the ultimate team player: experienced, committed and able to do many things on the court. Sasha Vezenkov led the team in scoring last season (11.5 ppg.) thanks to his supreme inside-outside skills. Livio Jean-Charles is a solid rebounder who can pull the trigger from deep range. Vasileios Christidis, eager to make his EuroLeague debut, completes a deep frontcourt.

### PLAYER TO WATCH

Sasha Vezenkov comes off a career-best season in which he showcased his many skills. Vezenkov uses his versatility to beat his defenders; he's too big for most small forwards and too quick for most power forwards. Coach Georgios Bartzokas knows him better than anyone and can rely on him to play a major role. That confidence is translated into numbers, too: Vezenkov made 43.0% of his three-point shots, taking 4.4 per game, and sank 88.7% of his free throw attempts. He helped on the boards (5.4 rpg.) and ranked seventh in defensive rebounds per 40 minutes (7.0), proving that he is much more than just a sharpshooter. At age 26, Vezenkov is about to enter the prime of his career and does it in a perfect environment, in a club where he feels comfortable and with a coach who fully trusts him.

### OUTLOOK

Olympiacos had a promising start to the 2020-21 season when it won five of its opening eight games and finished strong with a 5-2 record in its last seven contests. A seven-game losing streak from late January to early March, however, terminated the Reds' chances to lock down a playoffs spot. Finding more consistency is a primary goal and to that end, Olympiacos has looked for experienced players to avoid such problems. Walkup, Dorsey and Fall know the competition well and adjusting to a core of players – Sloukas, Papanikolaou, Printezis, Vezenkov – who have worked together nicely for the best part of the last decade is critical for Olympiacos's success.

Roster rundown: Olympiacos Piraeus

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