ULEB Cup draw profile: ASCO Slask
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ASCO Slask Wroclaw, one of the fourth-place qualifiers from the regular season, takes its second shot at the ULEB Cup elimination rounds, this time hoping that a legend on the bench can lead them further. Wroclaw did not win either game when it reached the eighthfinals back in 2005, and indeed has a challenge this time after finishing fourth, albeit on the losing end of tie-break, in Group G. On the positive side, Wroclaw was solid at home, losing only one game by a singe basket, and wasn't completely out of any road games. Since the arrival of the team's third head coach so far, former playing great Rimas Kurtinaitis, after the new year, the team lost twice on the road before acing the final game by 19 points,  enough to be the best fourth-place team in the entire competition. Low rankings in assists (11.6 apg.) and free throw accuracy (67%) were compensated by a high rate of steals (10.5 spg.) and the 12th best points-against defense (76 ppg. allowed) of the 32 teams that advanced. In addition to a head coaching change, the Wroclaw roster has been shuffled some, but two players expected to lead - veteran Dominik Tomczyk and scorer Dawan Robinson - are doing that, while late-comers Jared Homan and Rashid Atkins have added power and experience, respectively. Homan is tied for third-most blocks in the competition, too, giving the defense plenty of risk-taking capacity knowing he is behind them to defend the basket. And now, Wroclaw has called on veteran Andrius Giedraitis, who shined as a marksman for the club earlier in the decade, to bring some shooting help for the next round. Opponents will have to be wary of a Wroclaw team that is convinced its best games are still ahead.
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