SKOPJE (North Macedonia) - Tofas Bursa were inches away from eliminating Lenovo Tenerife last season, and the Spanish squad went on to claim the title in the BCL. The Turkish side wants more of the same, but needs to win the Qualification Rounds tournament in Skopje first.

Leicester Riders will try to do what the London Lions failed to achieve last season as the first British team in the BCL. CSO Voluntari want to feed off of U-BT Cluj Napoca's successful campaign last season, Niners Chemnitz are set to make their big international step, while Fribourg Olympic hope they have another successful tournament in them.

Hosting all of them are the youngsters from North Macedonia, an ambitious team named TFT Skopje.

Leicester Riders

Who are they?

The oldest basketball club in the British Basketball League, Leicester Riders are also one of the most successful clubs in Great Britain, having won six national championships. Only Newcastle Eagles have more (7), but when you consider the fact that the Riders lifted the trophy in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022, it's safe to assume they are the dominant force in the country right now. This is their second attempt to reach the BCL Regular Season, they fell to the hands of the Bakken Bears back in the Qualifiers in 2018.

 

Who to watch?

They lost back-to-back BBL MVP Geno Crandall after BG Gottingen paid the buy out to have the star guard in Germany this season, but the Riders still have a lot of interesting names on their roster. The most important piece is the captain in the middle, Darien Nelson-Henry. The 28-year-old center spent the last three seasons in Leicester, specializing in trophy lifting as the season concludes.

What do they need to reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season?

They need to show what they learned in their first attempt in the BCL, and to show if there is an improvement from their FIBA Europe Cup days. It starts with a Quarter-Finals battle against CSO Voluntari, the winner will take on Tofas Bursa in the Semi-Finals.

CSO Voluntari

Who are they?

One of the up and coming clubs in Romania since they were founded in 2005. They keep on building with each passing season, and they are coming into the BCL Qualifiers as the runners-up in the Romanian championship, but also as the back-to-back Romanian Cup winners. In a League dominated by U-BT Cluj Napoca recently, those results are a warning sign that the tide could change any minute.

 

Who to watch?

Tekele Cotton played in the BCL Final Four in Bilbao with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, Toddrick Gotcher averaged double figures while with Besiktas in the BCL, and Rasheed Moore seems to be the biggest incoming signing, after a couple of impressive seasons with the Fraport Skyliners in Germany. Coach Sasa Ocokoljic will rely on Darko Planinic's experience and strength under the rims.

What do they need to reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season?

They need to cope with the unbeaten-in-preseason Leicester Riders in the Quarter-Finals, then Tofas Bursa awaits in the Semis.

Tofas Bursa

Who are they?

Two-time Turkish champions, team with three Turkish Cups to their name, FIBA Korac Cup finalist in 1997, EuroCup Quarter-Finalist in 2020, Round of 16 team in their first BCL campaign in 2021, and a Quarter-Finalist just half a year ago in the BCL. They lost their two games to Lenovo Tenerife by a combined 2 points... Since returning to the top division in Turkey in 2016, they were never lower than 9th.

 

Who to watch?

They are known for their local player development, seeing plenty of U-21 kids will be no surprise all season long. But they need somebody to lead them on the court, and that's where Tyler Ennis and Suleiman Braimoh step up. Ennis was there already last season, drawing oohs and ahhs with his impressive finishing around the rim and off the dribble, while Braimoh was the leader of Hapoel Jerusalem in their deep BCL runs.

What do they need to reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season?

They need to do the talking on the court. On paper, it seems that they have the biggest names, and joining the competition from the Semi-Finals could help them, too. They will face the winner of Leicester Riders v CSO Voluntari there.

TFT Skopje

Who are they?

The youngest team in North Macedonia, founded just four years ago, but already with a big piece of silverware in their collection. TFT won the North Macedonian Cup in 2022, in only their second season in the top division in the country. They already tried their European luck by playing the FIBA Europe Cup Qualifiers last season, but failed to advance from the first Qualifying Round.

 

Who to watch?

It's yet to be seen what kind of impact could Trent Buttrick, Lachlan Anderson and Donovan Donaldson have at this level, but TFT have a lot of domestic firepower to get them going. Aleksandar Kostoski is in charge of that part, the 34-year-old point guard could go off for points-assists double-doubles on any given night.

What do they need to reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season?

Take care of business in their hometown. They are still a young club, but if they manage to defeat the Niners Chemnitz in the Quarter-Finals and Fribourg Olympic in the Semi-Finals, a full house could lead them to BCL Regular Season in the Final on Sunday.

Niners Chemnitz

Who are they?

The newest feel-good squad from Germany. Niners have been on the rise for a long time, but they only got promoted to Bundesliga in 2020, and they aren't about to settle for being a first division team. They finished sixth in the standings last season, with an impressive 22-12 record, just a game behind fourth placed MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg.

 

Who to watch?

The new kids on the block are one of the youngest teams in all European competitions this season, with Shonn Miller being the oldest player at 29. Dominic Lockhart and Matt Mooney are familiar with the BCL, but expect great things from the Lithuanian point guard Arnas Velicka, the 22-year-old who already has four years of scoring big and dishing out assists all over Europe, including a 13-point, 6-assist per game season in Braunschweig in Germany.

What do they need to reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season?

Stay calm under Rodrigo Pastore's guidance. The Argentine coach has been with the club since 2015 and knows what it takes to earn promotion, he'll need to shut down the hosts in the Quarter-Finals and climb over Fribourg Olympic in the Semis if he wants a shot at the Final.

Fribourg Olympic

Who are they?

Perennial Swiss champions, they've pulled a Nymburk or an Oostende within the country's borders, adding the 2022 title to the trophy collection, making it four in a row in Switzerland, and 18 overall. They shocked Avtodor Saratov, Donar Groningen and Sakarya in 2018 to reach the BCL Regular Season, picking up three Group B wins along the way.

 

Who to watch?

There are the usual suspects such as Boris Mbala, Natan Jurkovitz, Arnaud Cotture, and now there are the new faces such as rookies Coryon Mason and Justin Roberts, but it's hard to expect one player to stand out. Mbala, Milos Jankovic, Paul Gravet all averaged double figures last season, and it will be interesting to see what the return of Jonathan Kazadi after six years abroad could do for this team.

What do they need to reach the Basketball Champions League Regular Season?

The same that they did in 2018. They will learn the name of their Semi-Finals opponent when TFT Skopje and Niners Chemnitz are done with their Quarter-Finals, they are just two wins away from another BCL Regular Season.

The full schedule of the tournament in Skopje is available here. The winner of this group will advance to the BCL Regular Season Group A, alongside SIG Strasbourg, Falco Vulcano Szombathely and UCAM Murcia.