by:
Frank Lawlor, Euroleague.net
May 15, 2006
Among the many remarkable aspects to CSKA Moscow's first continental title in decades was Ettore Messina doing a masterful job as coach despite a medical scare that struck his family in Prague. On the eve of the semifinal, Messina's 16-month-old son Filippo was overcome by viral infection and needed to be revived by emergency measures before spending the next week hospitalized under intensive care. When not actually on-court coaching, Messina was mostly at his son's hospital bedside during Final Four weekend. That he could still lead CSKA to the title was incredible, but as Messina says in this Euroleague.net interview, he only coped under trying circumstances thanks to the support of many people behind the scenes.
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by:
Javier Gancedo, Euroleague.net
May 26, 2006
Among the more than 16,000 fans from around the world who lived through a thrilling Final Four experience at state-of-the-art Sazka Arena in the beautiful city of Prague, one in particular had a truly special reason for being there. Paulius Norkunas of Lithuania was the 2005-06 Euroleague Basketball Fantasy Challenge winner and as such earned his way to Prague as the grand prize winner. The boss of the best Fantasy Challenge team out of almost 50,000, Norkunas was the Euroleague's special guest during the weekend, winning a trip for two to Prague and VIP status for the all games. Paulius was also an honored guest at the All-Euroleague awards dinner at Prague Castle, where his achievement as Fantasy Challenge champ was honored on stage before a crowd of world basketball elites. "Going to the Final Four in Prague was the best trip I ever had," Paulius told Euroleague.net in an interview. "I made a lot of new friends. This event was simply the best in my life."
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by:
Frank Lawlor, Euroleague.net
May 8, 2006
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When the decade started, he was 23 years old and practically unknown - even in his native Greece. Six springs later as he turns 29, Theodoros Papaloukas of CSKA Moscow is the king of European basketball. Last week in Prague, as he sparked CSKA to its first Euroleague crown in 35 years, Papaloukas was chosen MVP of the title game just 24 hours after making the All-Euroleague First Team. Seven months earlier in Belgrade, he had led Greece to the European Championships title and reached the all-tournament team. What makes Papaloukas unique is that he almost never starts a game. Rather, his comes off the bench full of confidence, authority and solutions in a role that few, if any, elite basketball players in the world have mastered so well. A week after one of the best title games ever, Euroleague.net talked to Papaloukas about what he and CSKA accomplished in Prague. "Once you achieve your goals, you realize how hard they really were to achieve. To dream them is one thing, it's OK and it's fun. But when you succeed is when you realize how tough it really was. Now, I feel great. I am healthy and I am on top."
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by:
Euroleague.net
April 21, 2006
His trophy case speaks for itself. Pini Gershon has coached Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv for just five full seasons. He reached continental title games in the first four and won trophies in the last three. This is the fifth time. If he wins again, Gershon will become just the second coach ever to take European titles in three consecutive seasons. Only the late great Alexander Gomelsky did so before, with ASK Riga from 1958 to 1960, the first three years that a continental trophy existed. But Gershon would rather not talk of history and records. He retired once and considers doing so again after this season. For the moment, his only focus is Prague.
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