By Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
Until now – actually until last year when Lottomatica Roma didn’t manage to qualify at Italy’s play offs and lost their A License – at least we knew which were the teams we definitely were going to see at next season’s Euroleague: those who had A licenses (we remind these licenses are granted via a formula that factor each team’s performance in its domestic league and the Euroleague; the television revenues Euroleague collects from its home country; and the team’s home attendance).
Last season Asseco Prokom Gdynia became the 14th team with an A license and Milano played in Euroleague by receiving Lottomatica’s spot. This year the spot of Roma is again a wild card. So the question is which team is going to get the open spot?
This is something we will learn, after the General Assembly – at the beginning of July – when the ECA shareholders executive board will decide if the substitution is going to be a) permanent to the highest-ranked club without an A License b) by a B License, temporarily or permanently and c) by a wild card, which will be granted to the club that the ECA executive board considers appropriate at its own discretion and for the period that it deems necessary, after the General Assembly proposal.
It must be noted that there will be one more wildcard for the next season, because BC Khimki Moscow Region is Eurocup’s Champion AND the runner up of the PBL (Russian League). That means that he is entitled both to a C and a B License, so one more spot is open. Let’s see now that is certain until now.
EUROLEAGUE 2012-2013
TEAMS WITH A LICENCE
Anadolu Efes Istanbul Turkey
Asseco Prokom Gdynia Poland
Caja Laboral Spain
CSKA Moscow Russia
FC Barcelona Regal Spain
Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul Turkey
Lottomatica Roma* Italy*
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv Israel
Montepaschi Siena Italy
Olympiacos Piraeus Greece
Panathinaikos Athens Greece
Real Madrid Spain
Unicaja Spain
Zalgiris Kaunas Lithuania
PLUS
BC Khimki Moscow Region Russia (as Eurocup winners they get a C licence)
PLUS
The winner of Euroleague Qualifying Round (this year 8 teams will compete for one spot)
TOTAL: *15 teams and not 16, cause don’t forget there is no Lottomatica Roma -but there is a wild card
TEAMS WITH B LICENCE
We need nine more teams in order to reach the fixed number of 24 for the regular season. Let’s see how it works. To understand the system, we have to take everything from point zero. From Euroleague’s country Ranking. And here it is:
- 1. Spain Champion (Valencia is the only team at the semi finals, without an A license in Euroleague, so if they win the title they will play in Euroleague, with a B license)
- 2. Russia Champion (CSKA Moscow, A license)
- 3. Greece Champion (Olympiacos Piraeus or Panathinaikos Athens, both A licenses)
- 4. Italy Champion (Montepaschi Siena have an A license, so if an other team wins the title, they will get a B License)
- 5. Turkey Champion (Anadolu Efes or Besiktas. If it’s Anadolu, they have an A license. If it’s Besiktas, they will get a B license)
- 6. France Champion (Nobody until now has any license)
- 7. Germany Champion (Brose Baskets or Ratiopharm Ulm)
- 8. Lithuania Champion (Zalgiris Kaunas, A license)
- 9.* Adriatic League 1st Serbia (Partizan)
- 10.* Adriatic League 1st Croatia (Cedevita Zagreb)
- 11.* Adriatic League 1st Slovenia (Union Olimpija Ljubljana)
- 12. Spain Runner up (Valencia is the only team at the semi finals, without an A license in Euroleague, so if they become finalists they will get a B license)
- 13. Russia Runner up (BC Khimki Moscow Region-but they already have a C license, as Eurocup winners and No13 of the Euroleague rankings will be a wild card)
- 14. Greece Runner up (Olympiacos Piraeus or Panathinaikos Athens, both A license)
- 15. Italy Runner Up (whoever will be a finalist -other than Siena, which has a A license-, they will have their B’ license)
- 16. Lithuania Runner up (Lietuvos Rytas)
*The criteria for Adriatic League includes also the results of the teams in their domestic leagues. This is going to change from 2013-2014 season, when the teams that will reach Adriatic league’s final will gain a spot in Euroleague and the winner of the 3rd place game will play in the qualifying round.
We didn’t stop to Lietuvos Rytas by accident. This might be the last team which will see it’s name directly at the regular season groups, without the need of the qualification round. Why is that? If Barcelona beats Valencia (then, Spain’s finalists will have an A’ Licence and they won’t… upset the balance) and in the same time Anadolu Efes won’t let Besiktas take the Turkish crown, then Lietuvos Rytas will be in.
THE QUALIFICATION ROUND
The last part of our… investigation is the qualifying round and as you see the rankings, the teams from No17 to No28..
- 17. Turkey Runner-up (actually, if Besiktas wins the domestic championship, due to the fact Anadolu Efes has an A license, it’s like this place doesn’t exist)
- 18. France Runner-up
- 19. Germany Runner-up (Brose Baskets or Ratiopharm Ulm)
- 20. Adriatic League next best team without B licence (Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, which has an A’ licence)
- 21. Belgium Champion (Telenet BC Oostende or Belgacom Spirou Charleroi)
- 22. Czech Republic Champion (CEZ Basketball Nymburk)
- 23. Ukraine Champion (BC Donetsk)
- 24. Israel Champion (Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv -which again has an A license)
- 25. Poland Champion (Asseco Prokom Gdynia or Trefl Sopot -it applies only for Trefl, cause Prokom has an A license)
- 26. Bulgaria Champion (PBC Lukoil Academic)
- 27. Netherlands Champion (Eiffeltowers Den Bosch)
- 28. Latvia Champion (VEF Riga)
If Trefl Sopot doesn’t win the Polish championship, then No18, No19, No21, No22 (Nymburk), No23 (Donetsk), No 26 (Academic), No27 (Den Bosh) and No28 (Riga) will participate at the qualification round. Keed in mind, thought, that according to Euroleague by-laws the competition maintains the right to give wildcards for the qualification round.