ULEB Cup Draw profile: KK Bosna
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KK Bosna Sarajevo waited till the absolute last minute to clinch its ticket in the Last 32 in dramatic fashion. Needing to beat Alba Berlin by at least 14 points in a Week 10 home game and praying for Siauliai to lose at home to Joventut, Bosna topped Berlin by 15 while Siauliai lost, giving Bosna an unexpected ticket to the elimination rounds. Despite a 4-6 record, making Bosna the only team with a losing season to advance to the next stage, head coach Jure Zdovc’s squad is a talented bunch, which blends fantastic scoring ability with aggressive defense, a mix that could be lethal for an unsuspecting team in the Last 32. Big man Lance Williams and point guard Bryan Bailey are the stars of the team, but it’s enough to that seven different players averaged  at least 9 points per game in the regular season to understand the tremendous depth on hand. Furthermore, the team’s performance in perhaps the greatest game in ULEB Cup history – a now famous five-overtime loss at Alba Berlin – not to mention its Week 10 miracle to reach the Last 32 prove the Bosna players’ determination. Bosna started the season on a high note, beating the Guildford Heat 84-68 as Lance Williams led six Bosna scorers in double figures with 23 points and 10 boards. However consecutive losses followed until the team would win again in Week 6 at Guildford. The last of those defeats was a 141-127 loss in Berlin, which by the end was more like a heavyweight boxing match than a basketball game. Bosna succumbed to defeat only after five of its players had fouled out. After a Week 7 loss to Turk Telekom, Bosna’s future looked bleak. But by beating Siauliai and Berlin in Weeks 8 and 10, respectively, Bosna pulled off the unthinkable. And the Bosna players, who never stopped believing, surely believe that there’s more in store for them now. However just as they have all season, expect these guys to take it all game by game as they try to bring Bosnian basketball back to its glory days.
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POST-DRAW REACTIONS | KK Bosna head coach Jure Zdovc:"Our opponent for the elimination rounds is not an easy one. Though the goal for our team was to pass trough to the elimination rounds, we will do our best, and I hope we can surprise many at the ULEB Cup." | KK Bosna general manager Samir Avdic:"Kalise Gran Canaria is not the toughest opponent we expected in the draw, like some of the Russian teams. Even with that, Gran Canaria is a good team that has been doing well in the Spanish League for many years. I think that it will be a big opponent. We are looking forward for the 1st leg in Sarajevo. If we can get the lead in the series everything will be easier so we hope to play our best game in two weeks' time. The Mirza Delibasic arena will be fully-packed for that game. We hope to win in front of our fans, since the ULEB Cup is very important for the club and our fans." |
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Thursday, January 24, 2008
ULEBCup.com
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