By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The related announcement is as follows:
In a season that has had plenty of firsts, the 2016-17 All-7DAYS EuroCup Second Team is keeping up the trend, as four of the five players are first-time selections for the honor. In another first, their selection was impacted by the voting of fans in combination with Euroleague Basketball’s panel of experts. The All-7DAYS EuroCup Second Team has two players still fighting for the title, newcomer Kyle Fogg of Unicaja Malaga and veteran Fernando San Emeterio of Valencia Basket; the survivor of brain tumor just a year ago, Kyle Kuric of Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas; one of the top young global talents among big men, Maxi Kleber of FC Bayern Munich; and a world-renowned veteran who is playing in Europe for the first time, Amar’e Stoudamire of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem. Earlier in the week, Rolands Smits of Montakit Fuenlabrada was announced as the winner of this season’s 7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star Trophy and Pedro Martinez of Valencia Basket was named 7DAYS EuroCup Coach of the Year. Still to be revealed are the identities of the 2016-17 All-7DAYS EuroCup First Team and the season’s 7DAYS EuroCup MVP.
Kyle Fogg, Unicaja Malaga
Kyle Fogg has made his and Unicaja Malaga’s debut season in the 7DAYS EuroCup one to remember. The 27-year-old guard is leading his team in scoring with 12.9 points on average, and his contribution throughout the season has everything to do with Unicaja making the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals. Fogg scored in double figures in seven of Unicaja’s last eight games, averaging 14.6 points over that span. Moreover, while no team has made more triples this season than Unicaja, Fogg leads the team with 36 of them, connecting on 43.9% of his attempts. Add in his 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and Fogg proved to be a major key as to why Unicaja continues fighting for the title.
Kyle Kuric, Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas
If there were an award for a comeback player of the year, too, it would belong by acclamation to Kyle Kuric of Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas. He recovered from brain tumor surgery last season to deliver on an extremely high level in the EuroCup once again. Mostly coming off the bench, the 27-year-old led Gran Canaria in points (15.1), performance index rating (15.4) and minutes played (23:23), all while serving as arguably the best three-point shooter in the EuroCup. His 49 three-pointers made were the second-most in the competition this season and his an incredible 50% accuracy from behind the arc was higher than any player who made more than 25 triples. Kuric earned back-to-back weekly MVP awards to start the season, and has now earned his second All-Eurocup Second Team selection.
Fernando San Emeterio, Valencia Basket
An experienced veteran swingman who was once an All-EuroLeague selection, Fernando San Emeterio stepped up exactly when Valencia Basket needed him most. For the season, San Emeterio ranked second on the team in points (10.3), and in assists (2.7), but his performances during the playoffs, when Valencia had many injuries, proved vital. The 33-year-old opened the quarterfinals series against Khimki as Game 1 MVP and then earned the same award in Game 1 and Game 3 of the semifinals, when Valencia needed his leadership as it dealt with multiple injuries. San Emeterio’s average PIR of 20.3 topped all players in the three-game semifinals phase. As such, San Emeterio is one of the main reasons that Valencia has progressed and keeps contending for its fourth EuroCup crown.
Amar’e Stoudamire, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem
In his first season ever outside of the NBA, big man Amar’e Stoudamire was an irreplaceable piece of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem’s journey to the EuroCup semifinals. Without missing a start this season, and playing more than 25 minutes per contest, Stoudemire ranked second among all EuroCup players in blocked shots (1.2 bpg) and fifth in the competition in rebounds (6.6 rpg). He also ranked second on Jerusalem with averages of 12.8 points and 15.4 in performance index rating. In his first season with the club, Stoudamire helped lead Jerusalem further than it had gone in the EuroCup since 2006, two years after its only trophy in the competition. In addition to being chosen to All-NBA teams four times earlier in his career, the 34-year-old Stoudemire now has an All-EuroCup selection in his debut season in the competition.
Maxi Kleber, FC Bayern Munich
Despite being in just his second EuroCup season, Maxi Kleber of FC Bayern Munich showed why he is considered one of the best young power forwards in Europe. Kleber was the fourth-best rebounder in the competition at 6.6 per night and shot the ball really well from downtown (22-of-50, 44%) while averaging 9.4 points. His performance index rating of 13.9 per game was second-best on Bayern, which made its second consecutive run to the quarterfinals on the strength of 10 consecutive victories in the middle of the season. The 25-year-old did great in critical moments, too, getting 20 points and 10 rebounds in a go-ahead regular season win against UCAM Murcia, as well as amassing 21 points and 10 rebounds in a road win against Khimki Moscow Region that gave Bayern first place in the Top 16.