After Benfica, SIG Strasbourg, and Cholet Basket found their way through the Basketball Champions League Qualification Rounds, entering the official Regular Season of the 2023-24 European competition, the BCL is ready to start.

According to FIBA’s official statement, “The 32 clubs that will participate in the 2023-24 Regular Season represent 15 different countries spread across the continent, a fact that reaffirms, for the 8th consecutive year, the truly pan-European nature of the BCL”.

Moreover, as per FIBA’s press release, “Regular Season action will tip off on October 17 following the same competition format as last season, with the 32 teams split into eight groups of four teams each”. Following it, there will be time and space for the Round of 16 stage.

“The eight group-winners will qualify directly for the Round of 16, while the second and third-placed teams in each group will do battle in the Play-Ins for the remaining eight spots. The Round of 16 will get underway in January 2024, and the competition will enter the Quarter-Finals phase in April 2024. The Final Four tournament, which will crown the Season 8 champions, is set for May 2024”, the press release ended.

The 2023-24 Basketball Champions League Regular Season

Group A
Falco Vulcano Szombathely (HUN)
Le Mans Sarthe Basket (FRA)
Peristeri bwin (GRE)
Unicaja (ESP)

Group B
BK Opava (CZE)
JDA Bourgogne Dijon (FRA)
Promitheas Patras (GRE)
Rytas Vilnius (LTU)

Group C
Darüssafaka Lassa (TUR)
Lenovo Tenerife (ESP)
VEF Riga (LAT)
Cholet Basket (FRA)

Group D
AEK (GRE)
Banco di Sardegna Sassari (ITA)
King Szczecin (POL)
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg (GER)

Group E
EWE Baskets Oldenburg (GER)
Filou Oostende (BEL)
Pinar Karsiyaka (TUR)
SIG Strasbourg (FRA)

Group F
Bursaspor Info Yatirim (TUR)
Hapoel Holon (ISR)
Rio Breogan (ESP)
Telekom Baskets Bonn (GER)

Group G
Galatasaray Nef (TUR)
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (ISR)
PAOK mateco (GRE)
SL Benfica (POR)

Group H
Bertram Derthona Tortona (ITA)
Igokea m:tel (BIH)
Tofas Bursa (TUR)
UCAM Murcia (ESP)

#BasketballCL Regular Season field confirmed pic.twitter.com/m7tJkZKFTc

— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) October 1, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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At the end of the 2022-23 season, Cholet Basket couldn’t surely celebrate after losing the opportunity to win the first-ever trophy in the French club’s history since 2010, coming up short in the 2023 FIBA Europe Cup Final against Anwil Wloclawek. However, now they have a reason to be happy.

After getting the upper hand first against Telenet Giants Antwerp and then over Pallacanestro Varese, the French side beat Happy Casa Brindisi 80-69 to officially advance to the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League Regular Season, coming back to the competition after three years.

Neal Sako led his team in scoring with 19 points and 9/12 from the field, helped by the veteran Vojtech Hruban, who added 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. On the losing end, JaJuan Johnson went close to a double-double with 13 points and 7 boards, while Jamel Morris scored 15 points.

Beating the Italian side, Cholet Basket reached Group C in the Basketball Champions League Regular Season with Darussafaka, Lenovo Tenerife, and VEF Riga. Previously in the Qualification Rounds, SIG Strasbourg and Benfica also joined the Regular Season respectively in Group E and Group G.

The groups for the 2023-2024 #BasketballCL 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙩! pic.twitter.com/ZNdwSQ3mlA

— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) July 5, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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After defeating Jonava in quarterfinals and Nes Ziona in semifinals, SIG Strasbourg defeated Obradoiro 82-78 in a decisive match and advanced to the Basketball Champions League Regular Season.

The French side will join Regular Season Group E, alongside Pinar Karsiyaka, Filou Oostende and EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Quinton Hooker led the winning side with 18 points, while Phil Bootk added 17. Paul Lacombe finished with 12, while Leo Cavalier added 11, with six rebounds for a team-high PIR of 18.

𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 🪜#BasketballCL | @sigstrasbourg x @Philb_5 pic.twitter.com/NQmnFpCM0p

— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) September 30, 2023

Tres Trinkle was the best in the Spanish team with 16 points, Thomas Scrubb added 14, while Artem Pustovyi also finished in double digits with 10 points.

Photo: fiba.basketball

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Coming off a brilliant performance in the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B, Roberts Blums signed with VEF Riga.

Blums, 17, penned a two-year contract with an option for an additional season, the team announced Friday. He joined his father and chairman of council, Janis Blums. The former player assumed the front-office duties at the Latvian club shortly after wrapping up his playing days.

The promising swingman tallied 20.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 assists per game for Latvia in the U18 tournament held in Portugal from 21 to 30 July. Leading Latvia to the gold medals and an undefeated seven-game streak, he was named MVP of the tournament. Competing in the 2021 U16 FIBA European Challengers marks previous international experience.

At the club level, Blums spent the 2022-23 season with the junior team of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. He produced 6.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 assists per game in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Patras. In France’s LNB Espoirs, he averaged 4.9 points per game.

Switching to the Basketball Champions League outfit, he was placed on the roster alongside Brendan Adams, Dairis Bertans, Roberts Berzins, Rodrigo Bumeisters, Raivo Butirins, Elijah Clarance, Maris Gulbis, Aaron Jones, Alexander Madsen, Isaiah Pineiro, Peteris Pinnis, Alberts Putans, and Marcis Vitols.

The team coached by 38-year-old Janis Gailitis will face Lenovo Tenerife and Darussafaka Lassa in Group C of the Champions League’s Regular Season. Happy Casa Brindisi or Cholet will complete the group through the Qualification Round final in Turkey on Sunday.

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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Benfica defeated Norrkoping Dolphins 83 – 73 in a knockout game to become the first team from the Basketball Champions League Qualifiers to advance to the regular season of the competition.

This is the second straight year that Benfica joins the BCL regular season. The Portuguese League champions will participate in a tough Group G that also includes 2023 runner-up Hapoel Jerusalem, contender Galatasaray and PAOK Thessaloniki.

Betinho Gomes led the way for Benfica with 20 points while Terrell Carter contributed 18 points and nine rebounds. They both also made some key plays down the stretch in the decisive fourth period that their team dominated to get the win.

The Dolphins were up 60 – 56 near the end of the third period but Benfica went on to score nine unanswered points to sit in the driver’s seat. The hosts seemed unable to connect to the basket and with the score 65 – 68, their opponents made a a 0 – 6 run, capped by a big triple courtesy of Toney Douglas for the 65 – 74 with 4:59 remaining.

Benfica made sure to retain a secure advantage, never allowing the Dolphins to approach by a shooting distance to celebrate their qualification to the regular season. This was the second attempt by the Swedish League champs to move past the Qualifiers after 2018-19.

Felix Terins (19 points, six assists) and Marcus Tyus (17 points) stood out from the Dolphins.

Photo: FIBA

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After a dominant fourth quarter, Cholet defeated Varese 96-88 in the Basketball Champions League Qualifying Tournament semifinal and moved on the verge of the BCL Regular Season.

T.J. Campbell led the winning side, scoring 23 points with eight assists, for a game-high Player Impact Rating (PIR) of 30. Gerry Blakes followed him with 13 points and seven rebounds, Vojtech Hruban and Nael Sako added 12 points each, while Enzo Guoudou Sinha and Gerald Ayayi had 10 points apiece.

Sean McDermott’s impressive outing with 27 points and nine rebounds wasn’t enough for Varese, as only Davide Moretti with 15 and Tomas Woldetensae with 13 points followed him.

The game itself was very entertaining, with the lead changing hands several times. Cholet eventually pulled away with a 10-2 run in the final period.

In the other semifinal of the same BCL qualifying tournament, Happy Casa Brindisi proved their might over Heroes Den Bosch getting a 78-63 win.

Jajuan Johnson with 12 points and five rebounds was the first among equals as the Italians proved to be too strong for the Dutch team, which started the game with a 19-13 lead in the first period, only to give up after that.

Thomas Van der Mars with 16 points and 8 rebounds was the leader of the losing side.

Cholet and Brindisi will now play for a spot in the BCL Regular Season’s Group C alongside Lenovo Tenerife, Darussafaka Lassa, and VEF Riga.

Photo: fiba.basketball

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After taking over head-coaching responsibilities at Galatasaray Nef last May, Zvezdan Mitrovic is ready to start from the top of the 2023-24 season.

He talked to Eurohoops about the upcoming campaign, including the Basketball Champions League alongside domestic Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi.

Mitrovic, 53, walked through his coaching career leading to the Lions down the stretch of the previous season. Plenty of individual and team accolades along the way, including his top achievements attached to AS Monaco at the club level and Montenegro at the international level.

Moving to his current job, he opened up about the selections for the 2023-24 roster and the team’s fanbase creating the potential for success.

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It wasn’t easy but SIG Strasbourg managed to get the 79-74 win over Ironi Hay Motors Ness Ziona and book a place in one of the three BCL qualifiers finals.

With one more win, the French club will enter the Basketball Champions League regular season.

It was a close game with the score being tied at 74 with 38 seconds left, as the Israelis who trailed for most of the game made a comeback after losing by 12 at halftime (38-26).

However, Phil Booth scored a crucial basket, he got fouled, missed the free throw, and got the offensive rebound, giving his team and Hugo Invernizzi the make a three and complete the game with a 5-0 run to seal the deal.

Booth had in total 18 points and Invernizzi added 13 for the winning side. Isaiah Whitehead and Jerome Meyinsse scored 15 points each for Ironi Ness Ziona.

Strasbourg will face Monbus Obradoiro which beat Legia Warszawa 74-66 on the other semifinal.

The game was decided in the last quarter with everything tied at 51 after three periods of play.

Thomas Scrubb with 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists was the leader of the winning side, while Eric Washington with 17 points was the top scorer.

Christian Vital had 17 points for the losing side.

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On the verge of launching the sixth campaign in the Basketball Champions League, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg picked up former Kansas standout Marcus Garrett.

Garrett, 24, inked a deal for the 2023-24 season. He was recently added to the training camp and eventually secured a contract as the German team prepares to switch to official action.

Despite going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, the Texas native bounced back by signing a two-way contract with the Miami Heat. Staying on the roster until January, he averaged 1.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks over 12 NBA appearances. He was waived after hurting his wrist. In 2022-23, he was waived before the start of the Regular Season.

On the heels of Heat’s training camp cuts, he landed in the G League for the remainder of the previous season. Garrett tallied 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per G League contest with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

“It is great that Marcus is with us now. He brings a new dimension to our team. He is incredibly versatile and can defend four positions,” head coach Josh King described as the latest addition to the squad, “He comes from great programs, Miami Heat and Kansas, and thus is well trained. He gives us the necessary depth for the entire season across all competitions.”

Ludwigsburg in 2023-24

Lenny Anigbata, Jonathan Bahre, Desure Buie, Elijah Childs, Eddy Edigin Jr., Jayvon Graves, Deion Hammond, Aeneas Jung, Jaren Lewis, Jacob Patrick, Johannes Patrick, Dominykas Pleta, Yorman Polas Bartolo, Nico Santana Mojica, and Ben Vander Plas were already listed on the 2023-24 BCL squad. In contrast, Jeff Roberson is unregistered and expected to miss the entire season with a knee injury.

Following domestic affairs in the easyCredit BBL and BBL-Pokal, Ludwigsburg will start the 2023-24 Champions League Regular Season with a visit to AEK, a lasting original of the league, on October 17. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari and King Wilki Morskie Szczecin are the other Group D opponents.

Photo Credit: YouTube

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Producing a 24-11 run in the fourth quarter to come back into the game, Pallacanestro Varese survived the official debut in the Basketball Champions League Qualification Rounds Tournament 2 against FMP Meridian, beating the Serbian team 73-71 at the buzzer in front of Luis Scola.

Coming to the Italian team in the summer, Olivier Hanlan was the hero for Thomas Michael Bialaszewski’s team, scoring the decisive layup as part of his 13 points during the game.

The former NBA center Willie Cauley-Stein was crucial with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds – with 6 blocks – in his first-ever European game. Moreover, Sean McDermott added 17 points.

On FMP Meridian’s side, Bojan Subotic went close to a double-double with 13 points and 8 rebounds, while the highest scorer on the Serbian team coached by Nenad Stefanovic was Aleksa Stepanovic, who had 15 points off the bench with 2/2 from three.

Previously during the day, Cholet Basket – who lost the 2023 FIBA Europe Cup in the final against Anwil Wloclawek – managed to take down the Telenet Antwerp Giants 76-72, meeting the Italian team in the semifinal.

For the French team, the 18-year-old forward Tidjane Salaun dropped a career-high 24 points with 8/13 from the field including 4/8 from beyond the arc, followed by Neal Sako’s 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks off the bench. Rasir Zias Bolton had 20 points and 7 assists in the losing effort.

HANLAN SENDS VARESE TO THE SEMI-FINALS #BasketballCL I @PallVarese pic.twitter.com/Z3LOnokcj2

— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) September 27, 2023

In the tournament 3 quarterfinals, Happy Casa Brindisi got a big 77-74 win over CSM CSU Oradea.

With the game on the line, Joonas Riismaa stole the ball from Erick Neal, and Jajuan Johnson with two free throws sealed the deal.

Oradea had one last chance to send the game to overtime, but Kris Richard missed his shot. Jamel Morris with 16 points and Johnson with 15 were the top scorers of the winning side. Erick Neal with 12 was the top scorer of Oradea.

In the last game of the day, Heroes Den Bosch beat BG Göttingen 96-84 after getting a solid 53-41 halftime lead and keeping it for the rest of the way.

Roberts Stumbris and Austin Price with 17 points each were the top scorers of the winning side, which will face Brindisi on Friday in the semis.

Dolphins and Benfica for a spot in the regular season

Sweden’s Norrkoping Dolphins prevailed over Denmarks Bakken Bears Aarhus (78-68) with Marcus Tyus scoring 18 points, while Felix Terins and Isaac Vann had a big contribution too with 16 points each.

DeAndre Pinckney and Malik Parsons with 18 and 17 points respectively did their best for the Bears, but the Dolphins led by double-digits for most of the last period and didn’t feel any real pressure on their way to the final of tournament 1.

Their opponent for a spot in the Basketball Champions League regular season will be SL Benfica after beating Cyprus’ Petrolina AEK Larnaca 87-59.

Aaron Broussard with 15 points led a balanced effort as the Portuguese champions never faced any real opposition in the game, despite 18 points by Taveion Hollingsworth.

Benfica will face Norrkoping Dolphins on Friday.

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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As the 2023-24 season approaches, another move in the Basketball Champions League has been officially announced, as Cameron Reynolds signed for Promitheas Patras.

In last year’s EuroCup, the 28-year-old American forward had 9.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, shooting 51-7% from two-point range, 36.4% from beyond the arc, and 88.9% at the charity stripe. He combined 24 points in two games against Promitheas, his newest team.

Before moving to the Montenegrin club in the summer of 2022, Cameron Reynolds played for Aquila Basket Trento in Italy. Prior to his overseas career, he represented the Stockton Kings, the Wisconsin Herd, and the Austin Spurs in the G-League. In the NBA, he wore the jerseys of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Milwaukee Bucks, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Houston Rockets.

In the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League, the Greek club will play in Group B alongside the Czech Republic’s side BK Opava, the French team JDA Bourgogne Dijon, and the Lithuanian Rytas Vilnius. In last year’s 7DAYS EuroCup, Promitheas Patras finished 4th in Group B, losing against Prometey in the Quarter-Finals.

 

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Un post condiviso da Promitheas Patras BC (@promitheas_patras)

PHOTO CREDIT: 7DAYS EuroCup

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In control only in the bottom end of the fourth quarter, SIG Strasbourg secured the win, 83-78, against CBet in Antalya Sports Arena on Tuesday.

Leo Cavaliere tallied 18 points, Chaundee Brown Jr. added 17 points, and Phil Booth followed with 16 points in the Quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League Qualification Round.

Besides the go-ahead free throw and a key defensive effort in crunch time, experienced Paul Lacombe chipping in nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals generated a team-high efficiency rating of 18. The Lithuanian side did not trail until the last 5:11 of the game, but Strahinja Micovic dropping 19 points was not enough for the upset.

The French club must win two more games in Turkey to extend the streak from the inaugural edition of the BCL and participate in the Regular Season for the eighth year in a row.

Up next for Strasbourg is Ironi Hai Motors Ness Ziona. The Israeli team blew out Finland’s Karhu, 92-56, to advance. Dusty Hannahs ended up with 21 points, Jerome Meyinsse piled up 17 points, and Demonte Harper threw in 14 points in the dominating display.

Poland’s Legia Warszawa beat Switzerland’s Fribourg Olympic 70-59. Fribourg managed to get a win in the Pre-Qualifiers, however, Legia proved too much for them.

Aric Holman with 14 points and Christian Vital with 13 led a balanced effort for the winning side which got an 18-13 lead in the first quarter and never lost it after that. Roberto Kovac had 14 points for Fribourg.

In the last quarterfinal, the Spanish team Obradoiro did not have any problems against Mornar from Montenegro. The ACB team destroyed the ABA team 90-56. It was all over by halftime when Obradoiro had a big 56-23 lead that sealed the deal with Jordan Howard scoring 20 points on 6/6 threes.

The Semifinals will be contested on Thursday with the winners confronting each other for a ticket to the Regular Season on Saturday.

The surviving team will complete Group E of the Regular Season alongside Turkey’s Pinar Karsiyaka, Belgium’s Filou Oostende, and Germany’s EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League

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A lopsided win for Benfica at the top of the Qualification Round, preceding the 2023-24 Regular Season of the Basketball Champions League. The team coached by Norberto Alves blew out TSU Tbilisi, 122-62, in Gloria Sports Arena on Monday.

Paving the way for the win by a margin of 60 points, veteran floor general Toney Douglas paired 19 points with six assists. Trey Drechsel followed with 18 points. At the opposite end, Giorgi Turdziladze shared the game-high 19 points.

Drawing a semifinal encounter with the Lisbon outfit, Petrolina AEK Larnaca went from twenty unanswered points throughout the first quarter and later built a 27-point lead to narrowly holding on for a 74-66 victory against Levicki Patrioti.

Eastern Washington product Jesse Hunt went for 19 points and Saint Peter’s product Nick Griffin chipped in 17 more points. Both dealt with foul trouble in the second half. Taveion Hollingsworth posted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Bosnian floor general Drasko Knezevic went for 14 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals in the losing effort.

Bakken Bears are through as well

Off to a great start, the Bakken Bears convincingly defeated KB Peja, 103-79, earlier in the quarterfinals.

The Danish side had six players in double digits, with Malik Parsons leading the way with 22 points. Michael Diouf and Ryan Evans added 13 points each, while Gustav Knudsen, Deadre Pinckney, and Skyler Bowlin added 12 points apiece, with the latter dishing out eight assists.

As for the losing side, Tyshawn Tervell Beck had 19 points, Jacob Calloway 14 with eight rebounds, while Jay Chandler III and Justin Edler-Davies added 12 points each, with the latter grabbing eight boards.

Norrkoping stages a stunning comeback win over BC Kalev/Cramo

It will be a Scandinavian clash in the semifinals of the Qualification Group 1 as Swedish Norrkoping Dolphins defeated BC Kalev/Cramo 78-82 after coming back from a 12-point deficit at the start of the fourth period and securing the clash with Danish side Bakkern Bears.

Issac Vann and Nathan Dawit led the winning side with 16 points each, while Adam Ramstedt added 12 and Marcus Tyus contributed 10 points. C.J. Penha was on the verge of a double-double with nine points and 11 assists, resulting in a game-high PIR of 19.

For the losing side, Mihkel Krives scored 15, Manuel Suarez and Oleksandr Kovilar each added 14, while Desonta Bradford finished the match with 10 points.

He said “CLEAR OUT.” @DolphinsBasket are back from -14! #BasketballCL pic.twitter.com/IBVy2FkbIK

— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) September 25, 2023

The winner of the eight-team tournament will join Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, Galatasaray Nef, and PAOK mateco in Group G of the Regular Season.

On Sunday, Swiss club Fribourg Olympic managed to get the 57-51 win over Scotland’s Caledonia Gladiators and earned a spot in the Basketball Champions League qualifiers.

Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League

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Behind 17 points by Eric Nottage, Swiss club Fribourg Olympic managed to get the 57-51 win over Scotland’s Caledonia Gladiators and earned a spot in the Basketball Champions League qualifiers.

The game was decided in the last quarter with a partial 21-9 score in the last quarter. The Gladiators started the game with a 20-7 first quarter and led until the end of the third, but it was not enough.

Ian Dubose scored 14 points for the losing side, which will have to settle for a spot in the FIBA Europe Cup.

On the other hand, Fribourg will face Legia Warszawa in the third qualifying tournament.

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Fresh off the training camp or even at the bottom end of preseason preparations, 25 teams are gunning for the Basketball Champions League Regular Season. Three berths are in play from Sunday through the following week.

Completing the picture of the Regular Season, the Qualification Rounds will decide the holders of the remaining tickets. Turkey’s Antalya and Belek will host the upcoming Qualifiers between Sunday, September 24, and Sunday, October 1.

The participating teams were split into three groups with the survivor of each knockout tournament progressing to the Regular Season.

Benfica craves more upsets

The first team from Portugal to play in the Regular Season, Benfica returns to the Qualification Rounds. Retaining most players from the Cinderella story of the 2022-23 season, including Toney Douglas, automatically brings a favorite status to the team coached by Norberto Alves. TSU in the first round and potentially Kalev/Cramo or Norrkoping Dolphins in the second round are on the schedule.

Highlighting the opposite side of the bracket, Bakken Bears feature returning Michel Diouf alongside young upstart Noah Churchill, among others. Malcolm Armstead and KB Peja make the first challenge for the team based in Aarhus. Petrolina AEK Larnaca and Levicki Patrioti facing each other will result in the next opponent for either the Bears or Peja.

The reward for winning the tournament is entering Group G. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, Galatasaray Nef, and PAOK mateco will be the next opponents.

Quarterfinals (Monday, 13:00-15:30-18:00-20:30 CET)

1-Bakken Bears (Denmark) – KB Peja (Kosovo)
2-Kalev/Cramo (Estonia) – Norrkoping Dolphins (Sweden)
3-Benfica (Portugal) – TSU (Georgia)
4-Levicki Patrioti (Slovakia) – Petrolina AEK Larnaca (Cyprus)

Semifinals (Wednesday, 17:30-20:00 CET)

Winners 1-2
Winners 3-4

Final (Friday, 20:00 CET)

Winners of Semifinals

Vojtech Hruban is back

Securing the services of the all-time leading scorer of the BCL confirmed Cholet among the favorites for a ticket to the Regular Season. Vojtech Hruban is arguably the biggest name of the Qualification Rounds. Leading his new team against Telenet Giants Antwerp in the first of three possible games, he hopes to eventually launch an eight campaign in the Regular Season, following seven with CEZ/ERA Nymburk.

Carrying players such as Willie Cauley-Stein and Olivier Hanlan, Openjobmetis Varese also looks to be placed with Lenovo Tenerife, Darussafaka Lassa, and VEF Riga in Group C. The necessary first step is overcoming the young and ambitious FMP Soccerbet.

Happy Casa Brindisi is certainly another contender, but Xavier Sneed picking up a thigh injury late in the preseason does not help. CSM Oradea is the first opponent for the Italian club. A win would set up a Semifinal contest opposite BG Gottingen or Heroes Den Bosch.

Quarterfinals (Wednesday, 13:00-15:30-18:00-20:30 CET)

1-Cholet (France) – Telenet Giants Antwerp (Belgium)
2-FMP Soccerbet (Serbia) – Openjobmetis Varese (Italy)
3-Happy Casa Brindisi (Italy) – CSM Oradea (Romania)
4-Heroes Den Bosch (Netherlands) – BG Gottingen (Germany)

Semifinals (Friday, 15:00-17:30 CET)

Winners 1-2
Winners 3-4

Final (Sunday, 17:30 CET)

Winners of Semifinals

SIG Strasbourg is on a mission

Compared to all remaining participants, SIG Strasbourg displays an additional motivation. Being able to possibly extend the streak of appearances in the Regular Season as one of the lasting originals of the league is among the major highlights of the Qualifiers. The French club will face CBet in the Quarterfinals.

Looking to join Group E alongside direct entries, Pinar Karsiyaka, Filou Oostende, and EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Monbus Obradoiro is another contender, especially after signing players the likes of Jordan Howard and Artem Pustovyi. The first of three possible games is against Mornar Barsko zlato.

A veteran of 22 appearances in the BCL with Nymburk, Lukas Palyza stands out in the roster of the Caledonia Gladiators. The Glasgow outfit must win four games, including the lone Pre-Qualifier versus Fribourg Olympic, to make the Regular Season. Legia Warsawa will face the Gladiators of Fribourg.

The experience of players such as Isaiah Whitehead and Demonte Harper makes Ironi Hai Motors Ness Ziona a significant threat to the favorites of the group. However, dealing with Karhu is the first challenge for the Israeli club.

Pre-Qualifier (Sunday, 19:00 CET)

Fribourg Olympic (Switzerland) – Caledonia Gladiators (Great Britain)

Quarterfinals (Tuesday, 13:00-15:30-18:00-20:30 CET)

1-SIG Strasbourg (France) – CBet (Lithuania)
2-Karhu (Finland) – Ironi Hai Motors Ness Ziona (Israel)
3-Legia Warszawa (Poland) – Winner of pre-Qualifier
4-Mornar Barsko zlato (Montenegro) – Monbus Obradoiro (Spain)

Semifinals (Thursday, 17:30-20:00 CET)

Winners 1-2
Winners 3-4

Final (Saturday, 19:00 CET)

Winners of Semifinals

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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Getting ready for the 2023-24 edition of the Basketball Champions League, Bursaspor Info Yatirim signed experienced center Semih Erden.

Erden, 37, joined Anthony Brown, Ahmet Can Duran, Jordan Floyd, Johnny Hamilton, David Michineau, David Mutaf, Enes Berkay Taskiran, Metin Turen, Omer Utku Al, and Michael Young on the roster for head coach Jure Zdovc.

Playing for Turk Telekom last season, Erden added 7DAYS EuroCup, now BKT EuroCup, to the list of competitions. Averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game was part of the Ankara outfit reaching the championship game.

Emerging as a late boost to the rebuild of Bursaspor, he carries the experience of 19 games played in FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition between Pinar Karsiyaka and Besiktas Sompo Japan. His new side is slated to face Hapoel Holon, Telekom Baskets Bonn, and Rio Breogan in Group F of the approaching Regular Season.

With a lengthy career at the international level as well, Erden represented Turkey in multiple major competitions between 2005 and 2019, including capturing the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Alfonzo McKinnie lands in Italy

Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari complemented the 2023-24 roster with Alfonzo McKinnie, a veteran of 206 NBA games spread across the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors. The 31-year-old forward signed a one-year contract. In Europe for the first time in his career, new teammates stretch to Alessandro Cappelletti, Vasilis Charalampopoulos, Ousmane Diop, Luca Gandini, Stefano Gentile, Stephane Gombauld, Filip Kruslin, Riccardo Pisano, Tommaso Raspino, Kaspar Treier, Breein Tyree, and Stanley Whittaker.

Elsewhere in Group D of the Champions League Regular Season, AEK penned 23-year-old Alfis Pilavios to a one-year contract and King Wilki Morskie Szczecin tied 18-year-old Mateusz Samiec to a three-year contract. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg is the fourth team of the group.

Moving to the Qualification Round pack, SIG Strasbourg picked up 28-year-old swingman Romuald Morency to replace injured Sofiane Briki. The lasting BCL original will face CBet in the first of three possible games toward a berth in the Regular Season.

Before the Qualifiers contest opposite Levicki Patrioti, Petrolina AEK Larnaca added 28-year-old Nick Griffin. Returning to Cyprus following stints with Omonia and Enosis Neon Paralimni, the newcomer will debut at the continental level.

On the way to taking on the Caledonia Gladiators in a Pre-Qualifier contest on Sunday, Fribourg Olympic penned rookie point guard Ross Williams to a three-month contract.

Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net

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Darusafaka Lassa reached an agreement with Latvian national striker Janis Timma.

In the first part of his professional career, which he started in 2008, after making a name for himself with his successful performance with ASK Riga, Liepajas Lauvas, Ventspils, and VEF Riga jerseys, he was selected as the 60th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and in his Euroleague and EuroCup career, he played with Zenit, Baskonia, Olympiacos, Khimki Moscow.

The Latvian player, who played for clubs such as Unics Kazan, was last playing for Grises de Humacao, one of the Puerto Rican teams.

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Addressing the long-term injury of Alen Pjanic, EWE Baskets Oldenburg signed Lukas Wank for the 2023-24 season.

Wank, 26, is set to debut in the Basketball Champions League. In contrast to the lack of experience in European club continental competitions, he made Germany’s final squad for the 2020 Olympic Games and got additional international caps via the preceding Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Croatia. Assuming a bigger role, he logged six games played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers over the last two seasons.

Norris Agbakoko, Brekkot Chapman, Max Di Leo, Kyle Foster, Joel Harms, Fritz Hemschemeier, Ebuka Izundu, Charles Manning Jr., Kenneth Ogbe, DeWayne Russell, Len Schoormann, and Deane Williams were previously confirmed for the team coached by Pedro Calles.

Igokea and Nemanja Gordic are back together

Nemanja Gordic returning created more depth for Igokea m:tel. The 34-year-old point guard spent the 2013-14 season with the team based in Laktasi. His previous experience in the Champions League is limited to one appearance with Mornar Bar in the 2021 Qualification Rounds.

Joining forces with Edin Atic, Jackie Carmichael, Haris Delalic, Marko Jeremic, Marko Josilo, Kosta Kondic, Dusan Makitan, Nikola Maric, Dragan Milosavljevic, Stefan Moody, Mario Nakic, Zoran Nikolic, and Nikola Tanaskovic shapes the next challenge.

Besides teams with a direct entry to the BCL Regular Season, Heroes Den Bosch is heading to the Qualifiers and added Lee Moore. The 26-year-old guard is coming off a productive campaign as a member of Anwil Wloclawek.

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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Falling narrowly short of a berth in the Basketball Champions League Round of 16 in 2022-23, Benfica kept most of the players from last season’s squad, including Toney Douglas, hoping to draw even more attention to basketball in Portugal over the next few months.

Launching the continental campaign from the Qualification Round is far from an easy task. The Eagles need to defeat TSU Tbilisi and two more opponents in the Turkish city of Antalya to reach the Regular Season. Cyprus’ AEK Larnaca, Denmark’s Bakken Bears, Estonia’s Kalev/Cramo, Kosovo’s Peja, Slovakia’s Levicki Patrioti, and Sweden’s Norrkoping Dolphins are the remaining contenders for the specific berth, thus potential opponents.

Douglas, 37, is set for a third campaign in the Qualifiers of the FIBA Europe’s top-tier European club continental competition. The first experience with Sakarya in 2019 was unsuccessful. Bouncing back last season, he emerged among the leading players for Benfica marching past Golden Eagle Ylli, Keravnos, and Brose Bamberg in Lisbon to clinch a berth in the Regular Season.

The seasoned point guard further combined with Ivan Almeida, Aaron Broussard, and Terrell Carter to generate multiple upsets in the Regular Season. The team coached by Norberto Alves beat BAXI Manresa, Limoges CSP, and VEF Riga on the road, but after losing two games at home eventually settled on the wrong end of the tiebreaker with Manresa and the second seed of Group F. On the Play-In stage, Darussafaka Lassa sweeping the best-of-three series put an end to the Cinderella story.

His efforts in the BCL translated into 14.6 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per contest in the Regular Season, and 9.0 points per contest in the Qualifiers.

At the domestic level, Douglas celebrated winning both the Liga Betclic and Cup titles last season, adding to capturing the Turkish Cup as a member of Anadolu Efes in 2018.

Toney Douglas stays for a second season

A veteran of 409 games played in the NBA, Douglas went from Turkiye to Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel, before landing in Portugal last summer. Sticking around for a second season with the same team is a first since moving his talents to Europe in late 2017 as a midseason addition for Turkish Airlines EuroLeague outfit Efes.

Apart from Almeida, Broussard, Carter, and Douglas, the 2023-24 squad of Benfica features more returning players in Jose Barbosa, Makram Ben Romdhane, Diogo Gameiro, Beto Gomes, Jose Silva, and Sergio Silva, Newcomers Trey Drechsel and Daniel Relvao alongside youngsters Mor Laye Diop, Eduardo Fransisco, and Ivan Pavicevic are also set on the roster. On the opposite path, Maik Zirbes recently returned to Romerstrom Gladiators Trier, the first team of his career, Tomas Barroso retired, and James Ellisor also left the team.

Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League

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While the 2023 FIBA World Cup was still on, Pinar Karsiyaka surprised everybody by bringing EuroLeague veteran Darrun Hilliard to the Basketball Champions League, signing the 30-year-old guard on a one-year deal.

Talking to Eurohoops about this move, the Turkish side’s head coach praised the former Maccabi Tel Aviv player. “Hilliard is a good scorer who was constantly in the EuroLeague after college. Very experienced. He is a clear shooter and if you look at his last years, he is a player who can shoot 40% from three”, he said before comparing him to Braian Angola, who had 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in last year’s Basketball Champions League campaign with the green-and-red team. “Of course, Angola is a player who can get to the basket more than Hilliard. Hilliard also has different characteristics. This is partly related to game chemistry”, the Turkish head coach added.

The comparison between the two, after the Colombian forward moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv, continued. “He remained a bit more of a sharpshooter in Maccabi Tel Aviv, but Hilliard will evolve into a different role for us. I think Braian Angola’s plus point was that he always kept his shooting percentage high last season. But when you look at his career, he actually didn’t shoot as much as he did last year. This was important for him because he could not always play by attacking the basket. Angola also contributed a lot to us. Maybe he couldn’t contribute to the score in the semi-finals and finals, but sometimes players have downfalls, it’s normal”, Ufuk Sarica added.

“When Hilliard was on our list at the beginning of the year, they said EuroLeague, and his price was very different from today’s price, it was unthinkable for us. Later, under today’s conditions, we added him to the squad. Hopefully, he will also play very positive basketball. Personally, he is already a very positive person”, he added about the former CSKA Moscow and Bayern Munich guard, who had 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game in last year’s EuroLeague.

Ufuk Sarica also commented on Braian Angola’s pre-agreement with Maccabi Tel Aviv last year. “It didn’t really affect us at all. Maybe if it had happened when I was playing basketball, both the club side, the player side, and the fan side would not have accepted these things very much. Today is different. These transfers can happen during the season and everyone can maintain that professionalism. It didn’t affect the team much. However, in the case of Angola, his performance in the semi-final and final series may have been a bit of a downside. This is my own assessment”, he said about the player, who eventually didn’t make it to the yellow-and-blue EuroLeague side.

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