By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Former player Darius Songaila was recently added to the coaching staff of Manisa, alongside new head coach Kazys Maksvytis.
Songaila, 46, worked under Gregg Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs over the last six years. The start of his coaching career was attached to a stint as an assistant at Zalgiris between 2015 and 2018. Fellow Lithuanian Maksvytis took over Manisa amid a battle for a ticket to the Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League. On the favorable end of a tie with UCAM Murcia at 3-1, the Turkish club leads Group H of the Regular Season with two outings remaining in the six-game schedule.
In a similar situation in Group E, AEK Betsson is on the unfavorable side of a tie with Telekom Baskets Bonn at 3-1, two games ahead of Maccabi Ramat Gan and VEF Riga. In a roster move, the Queen extended the contract of 23-year-old former NCAA champion Nahiem Alleyne until the end of the 2025-26 season and loaned him to Trefl Sopot for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Following the departures of 29-year-old Niv Misgav and 24-year-old Marcus Bingham Jr., fellow BCL outfit Hapoel Netanel Holon is in the market for suitable replacements. On a related note, Bingham moved his talents to Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, VEF Riga announced the addition of 28-year-old guard Illya Sydorov, following the conclusion of the short-term contract of 23-year-old Rati Andronikashvili. The Latvian club also parted ways with 28-year-old Gage Davis.