By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The new and refurbished 7DAYS EuroCup season begins October 19, which means that it’s about time to evaluate the 20 participating teams in the first power rankings for 2021-22!
The competition turns a new page this season with a new format. 20 teams are separated into two groups of 10 and the best 8 teams of the regular season will compete in the knockout eighthfinals in April. Then, the winners of the eighthfinals pairs will advance to the quarterfinals.
This new format was evaluated along with the following criteria in order to rank all 20 teams: a) offseason transfers, b) roster quality, c) trajectory for the regular season, and d) experience in the competition.
On to the rankings!
#20 Slask Wroclaw
Slask returns to the EuroCup for the first time since the 2007-08 season for a chance to establish themselves back on the European stage. The addition of talented Kerem Kanter (ex-Joventut) can be proved vital for the Polish, which will face some of the traditional powers in Group A of the regular season.
#19 Lietkabelis Panavezys
The Lithuanians are entering their fourth overall EuroCup season with hopes to fight back last year’s negative record. Although he has a young and talented squad, coach Nenad Canak can always count on Gediminas Orelik and Djordje Gagic for valuable experience in a tough Group A.
#18 Hamburg Towers
The sole EuroCup debutants of this campaign enter the competition coming from a successful 2020-21 run in Germany, where they made it to the quarterfinals. Notably, Hamburg has one of the youngest squads in the competition, with just-turned-30 Christen Robin as the oldest player on the roster.
#17 JL Bourg
The French club surprised everyone when they withstood the EuroCup Regular Season to achieve a historic ticket to the Top 16 last season. Even though their luck didn’t hold in the next round, this year they will try to build on the experience in the new format. Forward Maxime Roos and French international Axel Julien will be the reference points for the team, which will also have help from big man JaCorey Williams.
#16 ratiopharm Ulm
Coach Jaka Lakovic has completed probably the biggest roster change this offseason for the German side, bidding goodbye to scoring leaders Dylan Osetowski and Demitrius Conger, among others. Despite the many new faces on board, Ulm was impressive in the preseason, beating Partizan and looking reigning continental champions Anadolu Efes right in the eye. Definitely one of the most ambitious projects of the competition.
#15 Frutti Extra Bursaspor
Another sophomore in the competition, Bursaspor had tough luck in its inaugural campaign. The arrival of coach Dusan Alimpijevic, though, signaled a new era for the club, that has landed scorers Allerik Freeman and Andrew Andrews, as well Serbian international forward Dragan Milosavljevic to level up.
#14 Promitheas Patras
The Greeks are entering their third season in EuroCup and this time, they have trusted in Luis Casimiro to take over the bench. A few key moves in the offseason, including these of Kendrick Ray and young gun Nikos Rogkavopoulos, in addition to seasoned veterans Charis Giannopoulos and Nikos Gkikas, could be useful for Casimiro’s plans.
#13 Dolomiti Energia Trento
For Trento, this will only be their fifth appearance, though they have shown consistency with their Top 16 presence in the last three seasons.
A new challenge arises for the Italians, this time with Emanuele Molin at the helm, after serving as an assistant in the team since 2017. Mind you, Molin is a three-time EuroLeague champion next to Ettore Messina, so a winning mentality is a given. Toto Forray is heading in his 10th year with the club and although he is not expected to be the one who carries the squad, his continuity for sure counts. Diego Flaccadori and Wesley Saunders have arrived to take some weight off of Forray’s shoulders.
#12 MoraBanc Andorra
Andorra will look to return to its glory days in the competition (and perhaps more) this season after ups and downs in the last two seasons. A strong backcourt was among the many changes in the roster, with the incorporation of scoring ace Codi Miller-McIntyre. Ibon Navarro is already on year four with the club and his high-paced system could wear many opponents down.
#11 Turk Telekom
Turk Telekom returns to EuroCup after two years. This return is not the only one, as former Olympiacos teammates Octavius Ellis and Aaron Harrison reunited in Ankara. Along with them, the team was reinforced with the additions of ex-Fenerbahce Tyler Ennis and Alex Perez, a promising squad under the guidance of Burak Goren.
#10 Umana Reyer Venezia
You may want to keep an eye on Venice this season. Not only are they a solid presence in the competition, but guard Stefano Tonut came into his own with the Italian national team this past summer. The 27-year-old can use this chance to shine on a team with a loaded frontcourt that includes Austin Daye, Jeff Brooks, Vassilis Charalampopoulos and Mitchell Watt.
#9 Cedevita Olimpija Llubljana
Cedevita finished in the Top 16 last season and has stuck to All-EuroCup Second Team veteran Jaka Blazic to lead the squad for one more season. This time around, the Slovenian side also brought in the 2021 VTB League scoring champion Marcus Keene and two-time Greek League champion Zach Auguste. A solid squad that could be a surprise.
#8 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
The Podgorica side was unfortunate to meet fiery AS Monaco in the quarterfinals last season. Had it been a different matchup, they could have made it even further. All-EuroCup First Team big man Willie Reed returned for Buducnost this season, along with ol’ reliable Justin Cobbs. Add Vladimir Micov to the equation and we’re talking about a squad that will put up a fight on any given night.
#7 Herbalife Gran Canaria
We’re moving south to the Canarias (mind you, Gran Canaria was among the travel champs last season) to meet again with All-EuroCup First Team guard Andrew Albicy and All-EuroCup Second Team guard Dylan Ennis.
GranCa was another victim of AS Monaco in their quest for the title and got swept in the 2021 semifinals. This time around, they count on experience and chemistry, since Albicy, Ennis, John Shurna, and Oliver Stevic were teammates in Andorra in 2018-19, a squad that reached the semifinals of the competition.
#6 Boulogne Metropolitans 92
The French were among the emerging powers of last season and made it through the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. Now, they fostered this success with more ambition. The incorporation of former NBA champ Jordan McRae, Vince Hunter and Will Cummings, as well as the arrival of Vincent Collet to the bench, really add up the expectations.
#5 Joventut Badalona
Speaking of “ol’ reliable”, there’s no team that can own up this role more than Badalona. With Ante Tomic and Pau Ribas at the helm as the team’s most experienced duo, coach Carles Duran has a mix of veterans and prospects to work with this season. To be more precise, the team has nine players in total born after 2000. Quite balanced and plenty of room for work, improvement, and the creation of roster depth in the long run.
#4 Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
Loko’s 2020-21 season was cut short as UNICS Kazan exploded in the quarterfinals. Now, Evgeny Pashutin has chosen scorers among his offseason transfers who set the mood for a spectacular season.
Errick McCollum and Darius Thompson should be one of the most reliable backcourts in EuroCup this season, and the addition of former champion Stanton Kidd at forward is the cherry on top for this traditional power. The team parted ways with Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Mantas Kalnietis, two of the pillars of last season, but the roster wasn’t weakened.
Seven years without a title are way too long for Loko, which will look to turn the tables this season.
#3 Valencia Basket
Undoubtedly, they are the most successful team in EuroCup. After getting a taste of EuroLeague for two consecutive seasons, Valencia is back and it would not be an understatement that the objective remains to win the trophy.
With a roster full of experienced players in both competitions such as Bojan Dubljevic, Mike Tobey, Klemen Prepelic and Sam Van Rossom, reaching the final wouldn’t come as a surprise. A complicated Group B awaits to toughen Valencia for the long haul.
#2 Partizan NIS Belgrade
Partizan brought Zeljko Obradovic back to action this season and if you’ve been following the club closely, their offseason moves added up to an interesting puzzle for this season, with hopes to conquer the trophy.
Kevin Punter became the richest signing in Serbian basketball history, coming from an excellent season with AX Armani Exchange Milan, and he’s locked to make this EuroCup campaign count. Adding up, Obradovic has trusted in another former Milan resident, Zach LeDay, to build on an energetic project, that includes both talent and experience. Or in other words, title contenders.
With a legendary master at the controls, once the regular season starts rolling out, expect Partizan to find the needed chemistry it takes to fight long in one of the most competitive EuroCup seasons to date.
#1 Virtus Segafredo Bologna
Virtus came close to reaching its goal last season, though the efforts fell short. Once the 18-0 competition leaders, they were eliminated in the semifinals, despite the strenuous efforts of 2020-21 MVP Milos Teodosic.
This season, they will look to pick up from where they left off with strong additions to the roster, starting on the bench. Sergio Scariolo will return to EuroCup for the first time since 2009, now as an NBA champion, and he brings an elite of players on board. Unfortunately, Ekpe Udoh remains sidelined until further notice, but once healthy, he can round out a super-talented team. There, he will meet with Teodosic and Marco Belinelli, Kevin Hervey and Allesandro Pajola, Niccolo Mannion and recent signee Isaia Cordinier – and the list goes on.
All that talent has a clear goal in mind – reaching the EuroLeague – and nothing less will be good enough.
Photos: EuroCup / ACB.com / ABA-liga.com