Familiar foes ready to do battle again in Group D
MIES (Basketball Champions League) – If Group C is the group of new faces, then Group D is the cast of well-known protagonists, all returning return to write more stories and create more memories.
Six of the eight teams in group D have been in the Basketball Champions League before and four of those six have played both seasons since the competition started; Besiktas Sompo Japan, SIG Strasbourg, Netunas Klaipeda and Filou Oostende. And to make things even more cozy, Besiktas Sompo Japan, SIG Strasbourg, Neptunas Klaipeda and medi Bayreuth all met in the knockout stages last season, with medi Bayreuth upsetting Besiktas and SIG Strasbourg coming from as much a 20 Points down in the tie, to knock out Neptunas.
Even when you look through the rosters of Virtus Bologna and Promitheas - our two new teams in Group D - you see names like Kevin Punter and Rion Brown. High calibre players that have already made their mark in the BCL.
Besiktas Sompo Japan
Both seasons so far the Turkish giants have looked like real contenders for the title and both seasons they have met a surprising end in the Play-offs. There may be a new coach in Dusko Ivanovic and an almost entirely new roster but make no mistake, Besiktas are a very real title contender again. Out the door are the likes of Kyle Weems, Jon Diebler and DJ Strawberry. In their place stand a new crew, led by the likes of Joe Alexander, Phil Pressey, and Robin Benzing. With Kyle Gibson coming in from Budocnost, Ivan Buva from IBB and then the continuity brought by the returning Kenan Sipahi and Erkan Veyseloglu, the Eagles look very strong on paper again.
Kenan Sipahi scanning the floor against medi Bayreuth .
Last Season BCL Record: 10-4, Round of 16.
Key Additions: Joe Alexander, Phil Pressey, Ivan Buva, Kyle Gibson, Robin Benzing
Key Departures: DJ Strawberry, Ryan Boatright, Kyle Weems, Earl Clark, Sertac Sanli, Jon Diebler, Josh Adams, Semih Erden.
**Fun Fact - Dusko Ivanovic started his coaching career with none other than Fribourg Olympic, our 2018/19 Cinderella story.
SIG Strasbourg
The SIG Army are back again under Vincent Collet and will be hoping to go better than the Quarter-Finals they reached last year. There is no shame in losing to the tournament's eventual winners AEK. But for a team that led the Basketball Champions League in fast break points at 15.4 per game and boasted the likes of Louis Labeyrie, Dee Bost, Levi Randolph and Miro Bilan, there was also a palpable sense of disappointment in missing out on the Final Four at least. AEK's Final Four MVP Mike Green has clearly been brought in to provide know-how when it comes to winning and Ali Traore has wasted no time in showing why he was so excited to come back and play for Coach Collet : 30, 6 and 6 against Antibes, isn't a bad start at all!
Youssoupha Fall is a 7'3" (221cm) lob catching, giant in the paint and Jeremy Nzuelie proved himself to be an effective scorer for Elan Chalon in the Basketball Champions League last term. Mardy Collins coming in from Lokomotiv Kuban also brings some veteran leadership and Nicolas Lang, who shot 44% from behind the arc in limited minutes for ASVEL last season could be an under the radar signing to look out for.
This group will no doubt be playing with a point to prove and if they gel, expect them to be challenging for the top of Group D and making another deep run in the Play-Offs. Also don't be surprised to see SIG Strasbourg and Vincent Collet add to this roster later in the season.
Last Season BCL Record: 9-5, Quarter-Finals.
Key Additions: Mike Green, Youssoupha Fall, Ali Traore, Mardy Collins, Jeremy Nzuelie
Key Departures: Louis Labeyrie, Dee Bost, Zack Wright, Miro Bilan, Damien Inglis, Levi Randolph, Jeremy Leloup, Darion Atkins.
Neptunas Klaipeda
The Lithuanians from the Baltic coast are back and ready to compete again. Coach Maksvytis and his coaching team were so close to making the Quarter-finals last season and you would be hard pressed to see past them finding a path out of the Regular Season again this term. The squad has some recognisable names from last season and a very similar feel.
Last year the roster was packed with domestic players and two US imports adding some firepower. This time around, there is one extra US import and host of domestic talent again.
Simas Galdikas is back to deliver some more hulk-smash stylings. Tomas Delininkaitis shot over 40% from three last season - we might be wrong but he'll probably do the same again this year.
Renaldas Siebutis has moved on but incoming and up-and-coming Gytis Masiulis is one to watch for sure - the 206cm, 20 year old, has scored 11PPG in four games, for Neptunas in the LKL so far and shot 60% from the field to boot. American Jerai Grant also has experience for Neptunas in the Basketball Champions League during the competition's inaugural season. Kyle Weaver suited up for for Aris last term and PG Lorenzo Williams moving across from Lithuanian rivals Lietkabalis, has averaged close to 5APG for his career. Look for him to be setting the table for this year's, Neptunas.
View this post on InstagramJerai Grant is back in the house 🙌 #bcneptunas #betsafelkl #basketball #game #dunk #jerai #grant
As with last season, we know this team will play team-ball and give up good shots to get great ones - only AS Monaco scored more points in the paint in 2017/18. Also the same as last season, managing their physicality could be the key to their success - no team gave up more Free Throws than Neptunas last term and Simas Galdikas fouled out of eight games. The club is yet to miss out of the knock-out stages, look out for the Neptunas limiting it's charity stripe giveaways and keeping everyone on the floor if they are to challenge again.
Last Season BCL Record: 7-7, Round of 16.
Key Additions: Gytis Masiulis, Jerai Grant, Kyle Weaver, Lorenzo Williams. Osvaldas Olisevicius
Key Departures: Renaldas Siebutis, Brandon Fields, Edgaras Zielonis, Jerry Johnson.
medi Bayreuth
Raoul Korner's "Heroes of Tomorrow" caught everyone off-guard last season. Especially when they handled Besiktas and executed their way into the Quarter-Finals. They may have come through the qualifiers this season but there will be no surprise attacks this time. Gabe York, James Robinson and Assem Marei were unstoppable at times last season but all three have moved on. No matter though, this year's group have already shown they can handle business with their professional dispatching of a very dangerous Polski Cukier Torun in the Qualifiers.
Welcome back to the #BasketballCL Regular Season @mediBayreuth! The 🇩🇪 team eliminate @TwardePierniki in Qualification Round 3!
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) October 4, 2018
📊 https://t.co/EkSNaSGKVI pic.twitter.com/fFIdy6g6Wv
De'Mon Brooks, Bastian Doreth, Steve Wachalski and Andy Seiferth were key pieces last season and will be back to bring that vital continuity again. Incoming Adonis Thomas and Gregor Hrovat were both major players for Banvit and Olimpija respectively in the BCL. The two wings have already shown that they are ready to pick up exactly where they left off in the Qualifiers.
Newcomers Kassius Robertson and David Stockton will handle playmaking duties. Stockton had a contract with the Utah jazz last season and is the second Stockton brother to play in the Basketball Champions League. Hassan Martin is playing his first season in Europe and fits the bill perfectly for the club's "Heroes of Tomorrow" moniker. Giga Dimec is another player with sharp upward career trajectory. Raoul Korner said that last year's iteration of this team was much more offensively focused than his teams tend to be. It should be a fun ride watching the direction this roster takes.
Last Season BCL Record: 8-6, Quarter-Finals.
Key Additions: Adonis Thomas, Gregor Hrovat, David Stockton, Kassisus Robertson, Hassan Martin, Giga Dimec.
Key Departures: Gabe York, Any Seiferth, James Robinson, Assem Marei, Robin Amaize, Nate Linhart.
Petrol Olimpija
It's a new season, with a new direction for the Slovenian Champs. An average age of 24 makes them the joint youngest roster in the Basketball Champions League and Head Coach Zoran Martic has a task ahead of him finding a way to balance youth with winning.
Two things this team won't be short of are energy and excitement. Issuf Sanon was drafted by the Wizards in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. The 18 year old will draw a lot of attention this season, as everyone will be watching to see flashes of potential from one of the Ukraine's brightest talents. Luka Samanic is another 18 year old that should see the scout seats packed in every stadium of Olimpija's road trips. The 208cm (6'10") Croatian has long been touted as a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. If you watched him play in this summer's FIBA U18 European Championships, you'd have seen a player that looks like he can do it all. How quickly that translates to playing against battle-hardened pro's should make for fascinating viewing.
213cm big man Marvin Jones will be playing his second season in Europe after his rookie season at Kolossos in Greece. 10.3 PPG on 58% from the field looks like extremely promising numbers and perhaps even more intriguing is the 42% from behind the arc, albeit on very limited attempts. Even the leaders on this team are still green. Roko Badzim (21 years old) took a leap in his career last season and can be expected to have the ball in his hands a lot more in the guard spot this season. Blaz Mesicek (24 years old) returning to the club is now a regular for the Slovenian NT and will be relied upon for wing scoring.
It will probably be a huge ask for this team to make it out of the Regular Season as youth and consistency almost never go hand in hand. What we can be sure of, is the moments of excitement and unpredictability. For those alone, Petrol Olimpija will be must-watch basketball this season.
Last Season BCL Record: 4-10, Regular Season.
Key Additions: Luka Samanic, Blaz Mesicek, Marvin Jones.
Key Departures: Devin Oliver, Jordan Morgan, Gregor Hrovat, Domen Lorbek
Filou Oostende
Oostende are back in the BCL and they are back in Group D. Last season was a case of so near and yet so far as Oostende were one of three teams that finished with a 6-8 record. With two of the three knocked out and falling into the FIBA Europe Cup. Oostende were one of those teams. Most of that squad - under the excellent guidance of Dario Gjerdja - has returned to try and exorcise the ghosts of Group D.
The squad has lost a versatile wing in Jean Salumu, a center in Mike Myers and a defensive force in Tonye Jekiri. Chase Fieler is back though, as is Dusan Djordjevic and with them, almost all of the team's important role players have also returned.
Nemanja Djurisic coming in from Telekom Baskets Bonn will be tasked to replace the scoring production left behind by Salumu. TJ Williams has come in from Charlotte's Vegas Summer League team and will cover both guard spots. Williams had 14 Points and 4 Assists, whilst shooting 50% from the field in his first game for Oostende and already looks like he's going to be a hard-to-guard, two-way weapon for the Belgians.
Oostende are accustomed to winning in Belgium and have already started winning again this season after picking up their fourth Supercup and will be aiming for the eighth strait Belgian League championship. They were oh so close to making the Play-Offs in the 2017/18 Basketball Champions League and will be pushing hard again this time.
Last Season BCL Record: 6-8, Regular Season.
Key Additions: Nemanja Djurisic, TJ Williams, Marin Maric.
Key Departures: Jean Salumu, Tonye Jekiri, Mike Myers.
Promitheas BC
Finally we get to the first of our new teams to the Basketball Champions League. Promitheas BC have very cool name and very cool story. Their journey up through the ranks of the Greek leagues and incredible fourth placed finish in the A1, is certainly something to pay attention to. They have some players to pay attention to as well. Nikos Gikas runs point for the men from Patras and was a feature for the Greece NT in the summer World Cup Qualifiers. Octavius Ellis has BCL experience with KK Mornar and Enisey Krasnoyarsk. And Rion Brown is certainly a name that Basketball Champions League fans will be pleased to see returning to our highlight reels. Brown can score in every way you could want to see and loves to live his life above the rim.
🙌 @PromitheasBC welcome Rion Brown! #BasketballCL pic.twitter.com/9O3T7ushJq
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) July 20, 2018
Promitheas is a club built around it's youth development program and when you see them name four players under the age of 20 in their roster, you can be sure they aren't only on the bench to wave towels. Coach Giatras has every intention of putting these young bucks on the floor. None of these young names jump off the page any more than that of Lefteris Mantzoukas. At 15 years of age, the 204cm (6'8") teenager became the youngest ever player to score in the Greek A1 last year - doing so against Olympiacos of all teams. He's still 15 and has a very good chance of becoming the youngest ever player to score in the Basketball Champions League too. If that happens, we are probably going to witness a record that could stand for a very long time.
It's very hard to predict how Promitheas will fair in their maiden voyage into European competition but write them off at your peril. These guys finished above AEK in the A1 last season and if anything their squad is stronger and a full season further ahead than most other teams in terms of chemistry.
Segafredo Virtus Bologna
Last but far from least, we come to our conclusive new team of 2018/19. It's been ten, long years since Virtus Bologna graced a European competition and when you look at the passion of their loyal supporters and then read through some of the names that have worn the jersey in previous seasons, its glorious to see the "Black V" back in business in a continental championship. Lest we forget, this was the club that won the Euroleague in 2001 with Ettore Messina at the helm, Hall of Famer Antione Rigadeau on the floor and the one and only Manu Ginobili, just starting to show the world how special he is. Perhaps it's somehow fitting then, that Virtus Bologna return to Europe in the same season that Ginobili bows out.
Moving onto this year's storytellers, there is no better place to start than Kevin Punter. Champion with AEK and Regular Season scoring champ with Rosa Radom in the same season - the 25 year old American is without doubt one of the best scorers we have seen in the Basketball Champions League. And he's wasted very little time letting the fans in Basket City know what he's all about. 29 Points, on 9/9 shooting, in 22 minutes of his debut performance. If you are tasked with guarding Kevin Punter this season....good luck.
KP isn't the only scorer on the roster. Pietro Aradori makes up the other half of the team's wing unit and as we saw with the Italian NT this summer, he can fill it up from anywhere. Kelvin Martin is no stranger to the Basketball Champions League either. Expect a steady diet of defensive hustle and poster dunks from "Air Martin". Amath M'Baye has moved over from Milano and Brian Qvale was a monster for EWE Baskets during his last stint in the Basketball Champions League. Coach Sacripanti placed a huge emphasis on his Point Guards at Avellino last season and in Tony Taylor he has a steady hand that has the smarts required. At 28 years old, Taylor is just hitting his prime as a playmaker. 12.6 PPG and 4APG for Banvit in the Basketball Champions League last term, is exactly what what this team in Bologna will need him to replicate, if they are make a deep run in the Play-Offs.
Then there is the fans.... There is passion for basketball and then there is Basket City! over 4000 have already signed up for every home game of the season. Expect it to get pretty loud in the Land Rover Arena.
