By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
While the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is without a doubt the top level of basketball in Europe, you can argue that 7DAYS EuroCup is not that far behind.
The 24 teams that are part of the competition are ready to dazzle and make a case for a EuroLeague spot. After all, that’s the ultimate prize that goes along with the EuroCup trophy. And that’s a good reason for Eurohoops to present its first EuroCup Power Rankings, just before the start of the season.
1 Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
They have last season’s EuroCup Coach of the Year in Sasa Obradovic and former EuroLeague players like Vitaly Fridzon, last with CSKA, Jamel McLean (Olympiacos) and Dorell Wright (Bamberg). They are the de facto favorite to go all the way this year, after a near-perfect season that, unfortunately for them, included a bitter finish in the finals against David Blatt’s Darussafaka Istanbul.
2 Unicaja Malaga
When they don’t play in the EuroLeague, they are a candidate to win the EuroCup. And this year is not an exception, thanks to a roster that includes former Olympiacos duo Kyle Wiltjer and Brian Roberts, and also former Crvena Zvezda big man Matthias Lessort.
3 Valencia Basket
They are the arch-rivals of Unicaja, especially in the EuroCup, and they have a battle-tested group that includes Bojan Dubljevic and Rafa Martinez. The addition of sharpshooter Matt Thomas and French international center Louis Labeyrie can only make things better. Plus, no other club has already won three EuroCup titles.
4 UNICS Kazan
Don’t underestimate them. The team of coach Dimitris Priftis is a project that started last season and has already turned heads. With the additions of Pierria Henry and Errick McCollum in the backcourt, it’s obvious that this is going to be a special team.
5 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
Longtime Olympiacos icon Milan Tomic joined Zvezda as the new head coach. During his playing days, Tomic was a true fighter on the court and that’s expected to be the mentality of his team. Add veteran Stratos Perperoglou, a complete roster, plus the loudest fans in the competition, and you have a contender.
6 Zenit St. Petersburg
A rising force from Russia which made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic with the addition of NBA veteran Brandon Jennings. The team of coach Vasily Karasev and his son, sharpshooter Sergey Karasev, is expected to be one of the highlights of the competition.
7 Tofas Bursa
The ambitious Turkish club lost Pierria Henry and Raymar Morgan but kept all the other members of the core that led them to the Turkish League finals. Coach Orhun Ene has a good team on his hands and Tofas simply can’t be overlooked.
8 ALBA Berlin
The traditional German powerhouse decided last year to trust veteran Spanish coach Aito Garcia Reneses. It was obviously a smart move. Reneses build a very good team, starring Payton Siva and Luke Sikma. Since the summer of 2016, Siva is playing for the Berliners and it’s a match made in heaven. The next step of this project will be making a statement in the EuroCup.
9 Cedevita Zagreb
The Croatian club made a choice quite similar to ALBA. By hiring Spaniard Sito Alonso, who has already coached Baskonia and Barcelona, they made an impression from the get-go. The rest was easy, as they created a strong roster that includes familiar names in Spain like Pablo Aguilar, Augusto Lima, and Vitor Benite. Don’t expect Cedevita to be your typical Balkan team this year.
10 AS Monaco
They are newcomers to the EuroCup, however, they were finalists in both the French League and the Basketball Champions League. This year they turned the page, signing new faces to the roster and hiring Saso Filipovski. The Slovenian coach is considered a hot commodity after his years in Turkey and he has the chance to prove why.