By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, the merged product of two historic European clubs, returned to the EuroCup for the third time this season with hopes to live up to its ambitions.
The season started with good omens, back-to-back victories in the first two rounds, before a long slumber which forced the team to a disheartening 3-7 record and their back to the wall. This could have been the end of hope for Cedevita, though they turned it all around to reach the EuroCup Eighthfinals with an impressive seven-game winning streak and it’s safe to say it can aim to advance to the later stages of the competition.
It was a long and bumpy road up to a happy end. First, the Cedevita squad completely reformed for the 2021-22 campaign, keeping onboard only Jaka Blazic, Edo Muric, Dan Duscak, Luka Scuka, Ivan Marinkovic, Ziga Dimec, and Luka Rupnik. A busy summer brought in nine new players and Coach Jurica Golemac had a lot to tackle for the most challenging EuroCup season to date.
Jacob Pullen’s return to the club, in combination with veteran Jaka Blazic, was just not enough to make it through the regular season. Mid-season moves were an obvious answer to the club’s problems, though sometimes they are quite risky in regard to a team’s chemistry.
Marcus Keene’s departure to Varese in mid-November started a domino of moves for Cedevita. They replaced him with Yogi Ferrell who had just parted ways with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens. Ferrell’s debut in the EuroCup was a relief for the Ljubljana side. The point guard stunned Virtus Bologna with 24 points, 11 assists and a PIR of 38 to enter the list of the competition’s most impressive debuts.
Prior to Ferrell’s arrival on December 1, Cedevita brought “home” big man and EuroCup veteran Alen Omic. That was not the end of moves though. Having cleared roster space by parting ways with Dimec, Rupnik, and Jackie Carmichael, they proceeded to two more additions in January. Cedevita acquired Zoran Dragic from struggling Zalgiris Kaunas, a move that in hindsight turned out to be a key one, and brought back Mirko Mulalic, who has yet to make his season debut but remains on call.
The pieces of the puzzle had been laid out and Coach Golemac would have to assemble them to save the season. February 2 was the turning point for Cedevita and its last-ditch effort to save its pride. The team scored 103 points to beat Frutti Extra Bursaspor in Round 12, followed up by a season-best 104 points in a win over ratiopharm Ulm on the road, and since then remains unbeaten.
It turns out that the mid-season additions were successful for Cedevita. The three-week break in February was the perfect time for the squad to be shaped, work out, and get together to produce positive results and it’s visible even in the team’s stats. Prior to that February 2 game, Cedevita averaged 80.7 points per game across 10 contests, while now the number has skyrocketed to 95.7 ppg for their last six games. They currently lead the standings for most points scored in EuroCup this season and the only way is up.
Regardless of the outcome in their game against Promitheas in Patras, Cedevita has sealed homecourt advantage for their one-off eighthfinal game. The biggest win of all, however, is coming back from being left behind in January all the way to a favorable position to chase after bigger goals.
Photo credit: EuroCup