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Although he's just 26 years old, Bojan Popovic is an old hand by any measure when compared to the rest of the Lietuvos Rytas roster. Only three of his teammates are older than the Euroleague's October MVP, and two of those are making their Euroleague debuts this season. Popovic, on the other hand, has been with two different Euroleague teams before L. Rytas, including a debut season in 2006-07 as a full-time starter and double-digit scorer with a Dynamo Moscow team that reached the Quarterfinal Playoffs. All of which made Popovic a logical choice as the on-the-floor leader Lietuvos Rytas even before he averaged 38 minutes in two victories to start the season. Now that he's leading the Euroleague in assists after two weeks too, expect Popovic to grow even more confident as a young leader - and his teammates even more comfortable. "After these two games, I am one of the leaders, sure," Popovic told Euroleague.net. "But that is what Coach [Rimas] Kurtinaitis spoke to me about and wanted me to do. I have no problems with it. In fact, I play more comfortably and play better with this role than some other roles."
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October 27, 2009
EWE Baskets Oldenburg
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It's no wonder that his was the biggest smile of Week 1 of the Euroleague regular season. Rickey Paulding had spent six years as a pro in Europe.
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October 19, 2009
Regal FCB
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When last seen on a Euroleague court at the Final Four in Berlin, the competition's MVP for last season was disappointed not to have reached the title game and a shot at his second continental champions trophy.
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October 16, 2009
Caja Laboral
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In the six seasons since he joined Europe's top competition, Caja Laboral center Tiago Splitter has been a two-time All-Euroleague selection amid four consecutive trips to the Final Four.
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October 14, 2009
Union Olimpija
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In the process of improving its roster over the summer, Union Olimpija also proved itself to be a place to which players enjoy returning.
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October 8, 2009
Alba Berlin
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The Euroleague's qualifying rounds come down to two games in three days for the last two places in the 2009-10 regular season.
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October 2, 2009
Partizan Belgrade
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Every season, an young star comes out of nowhere to blaze across the Euroleague sky. A year ago, few people knew about Jan Vesely, a tall teen talent from the Czech Republic.
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