By Rigas Dardalis/ dardalis@eurohoops.net
The proposed list of Eurocup teams for next season, which of course is expected to be confirmed next week, is an interesting illustration of the new balance of basketball power in the old continent.
Germany and Russia – or VTB if your prefer – have four teams each in the competition while Greece and Serbia just one. To be exact in the upcoming Eurocup Artland Dragons, Brose Baskets, EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Bonn are representing Germany. There’s also Khimki, Krasny Oktyabr, Lokomotiv Kuban, Triumph and potentially Unics Kazan (Euroleague qualifying round) from Russia. Three teams, Banvit Bandirma, Besiktas, Karsiyaka, come from Turkey, CAI Zaragoza, Cajasol Seville and Gran Canaria from Spain. Reggio Emilia, Cantu and Virtus Rome from Italy, while there’s also JDA Dijon, Paris Levallois and Nancy from France.
France can also end up having five Eurocup teams in total, because seven teams from the Euroleague qualifying round will continue their season in Eurocup. That’s how ASVEL and Strasbourg may also play in Eurocup. We already wrote about Unics Kazan – which is considered the favorite to get the last open Euroleague spot – and also Nymburk from Czech Republic, Hapoel Jerusalem from Israel, Levski Sofia from Bulgaria, Zielona Gora from Poland and Ostend from Belgium can end up in Eurocup. In that case, Belgium will have two teams in Eurocup, as Spirou Charleroi is also included in the list.
Bisons Loimaa represents Finland, Buducnost is the champion of Montenegro, Asesoft Ploiesti the champion of Romania, Lietuvos Rytas the Lithuanian semifinalist and Ventspils the Latvian champion – both are also VTB teams – while Greece is represented only by semifinalist PAOK, Partizan is the only Serbian team in the competition and Union Olimpija the only Slovenian via a wild card.
It’s a very interesting landscape, confirming that BBL, TBL and VTB are the emerging domestic leagues in Europe and also that there’s a renewed interest in the sport in France, after the triumph in Eurobasket 2013.