By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
In the 13th of April in Charleroi two teams will try to get their first ever title, but things are not always what they seem to be. Yes, it’s strange that two clubs with no other title in their history will fight for a European trophy, without having won a domestic distinction.
However, the players and the coaches of those two teams have won in total 105 trophies, with the members of Lokomotiv Kuban edging Bilbao by five (55-50). So here is the list of their accomplishment without taking into account the medals that they have won as national team members. We catalog only their titles in club level with Nikos Zisis of Bilbao being on the top of the list with 17 titles, followed by veteran center Aleksey Savrasenko with 15.
Uxue Bilbao Basket: 50 titles
ZISIS: 17
He has the most decorated career compared with any other player of the final. The Greek guard has won 12 titles in Italy with two different teams. Three championships (2010, 11, 12), three cups (2010, 11, 12) and three super cups (2009, 10, 11) with Siena and also three more titles with Benetton Treviso, the championship of 2006, the cup of 2007 and the supercup of 2006. In Greece he has won as a member of AEK the championship (2002) and one domestic cup (2001). In Russia he was a player of CSKA Moscow winning two championships (2008, 09) and the 2008 Euroleague. If he gets also the Eurocup in his hands, he will be a member of a very exquisite club.
RAKOVIC: 6
The Serbian center has won six title so far, all of them the last two season. In Italy as a player of Siena he won the championship, the cup of 2011 and also the supercup of 2010. Last season, he also won the double (championship and cup) in Lithuania as a member of Zalgiris and also won the Baltic league.
PIPELIC: 3
The 24 years old Croatian guard has already won 3 titles in Bosnia as a member of Siroki, the double of 2011 and also the cup of last season.
MUBRU: 3
The experienced Spaniard has also won 3 titles, two as a member of Real Madrid and one with Juventut Badalona. In 2007 he was the Spanish champion with Real and also won the Uleb Cup, which evolved into the Eurocup. In 2006 he has won the FIBA Eurocup with Juventut.
HERVELLE: 3
He would love to win a continental trophy in his home country. He has won 3 titles, all of them with Real Madrid. Champion in ACB in 2005 and 2007 and winner of Uleb Cup in 2007.
MOERMAN: 4
The French forward has 4 titles under his belt. He got the French championship with Roanne (2007), the French cup of 2010 with Orleans, the French super cup of 2011 with Nancy and also the “Semaine d’ As” of 2007 also with Roanne.
LOPEZ: 3
The experienced Spanish guard has won 3 titles. The Uleb Cup in 2007 with Real Madrid and also the Spanish championship and in 2011 he has won the VTB United league as a member of Khimki.
VASILEIADIS: 1
Kostas Vasileiadis has won so far only one title, the ACB championship back in 2006 with Unicaja Malaga.
GRIMAU: 10
The most decorated player of Bilbao behind Zisis, as he has won 10 titles, all of them with Barcelona. One Euroleague in 2010, three Spanish championships (2004, 2009, 2011), three cups (2007, 10, 11) and three supercups (2004, 2009, 2010).
LOKOMOTIV KUBAN: 55
HENDRIX: 5
As a player of Maccabi Tel Aviv, he has five domestic championships. Two cups and two league titles in Israel (2011, 2012) and also last season Adriatic league’s title.
SAVRASENKO: 15
He has also a Greek passport, he was a player of Olympiacos back in the nineties and also for many years a member of CSKA Moscow. He is not used much by Lokomotiv, but his experience can be valuable. The veteran center has been a part of three Euroleague winning teams in 1997 (Olympiacos), 2006 and 2008 (CSKA) and has also won nine domestic titles with the Russian “Army team”, six straight championships between 2003 and 2008 and three cups in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
KALNIETIS: 12
He is 27 years old and has 12 titles in his resume, all of them as a player of Zalgiris Kaunas. Four Lithuanian championships (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012), four Lithuanian cups (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012) and four Baltic leagues trophies (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012).
BYKOV: 2
He has two titles and one of them was won also in Charleroi, the ULEB Cup of 2006 as a player of coach Ivkovic in Dinamo Moscow and the Russian championship of 2011 with CSKA Moscow.
LIKHODEY: 1
He has won the FIBA Eurochallenge with Samara in 2007.
JASAITIS: 7
In 2005 he won the Uleb Cup with Lietuvos Rytas and with the same team he has won the Lithuanian championship (2002), the NEBL (2002) and the Baltic league (2006). In Israel he has won the championship (2007) with Maccabi T.A. and in Spain the Copa Del Rey with Tau Ceramica (2008).
MARIC: 6
Since 2010 he always wins title with the most illustrious being the 2011 Euroleague with Panathinaikos. The same year he won the Greek championship with the Greens and in 2012 the Greek cup. In 2010 he have won three titles with Partizan, the Serbian double (championship and cup) and also the Adriatic league.
CALATHES: 4
The leader of Lokomotiv has won four titles with Panathinaikos. One of them is also the 2011 Euroleague, two Greek championships (2010, 2011) and one Greek cup (2012).
PASHUTIN: 3
Coach Katsikaris of Bilbao would love to get his first trophy, but Evgeny Pashutin has already won three. The Russian double of 2010 with CSKA Moscow and the Eurocup with Unics Kazan in 2011.
The two clubs are more than eager for the final and their first trophy, but for many of their members it will not be their maiden triumph. This list explains why those two teams reached the final, since they decided to sign proven winners and build on them in order to create something really great.