May 20, 2013
Regular Season Game 1 - October 20, 2008 CET: 20:30 Local time: 20:30 - FERNANDO BUESA ARENA
Tau Ceramica 80 - 70 Fenerbahce Ulker

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
0-0 Regular Season 0-0
0-0 Overall 0-0

Referees

Crew Chief
JUNGEBRAND, CARL, Finland
Referee
BELOSEVIC, ILIJA, Serbia
Umpire
CEREBUCH, GUERRINO, Italy

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
0 Points 0
0 Rebounds 0
0 O. Rebounds 0
0 D. Rebounds 0
0 Assists 0
0 Steals 0
0 Blocks 0
0 Turnovers 0
0 2PT 0
0 3PT 0
0 FT 0
0 Index 0
Team Stats - Tau Ceramica
Team Stats - Fenerbahce Ulker

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
0 Points 0
0 Rebounds 0
0 OR 0
0 DR 0
0 Assists 0
0 Steals 0
0 Blocks 0
0 Turnovers 0
0 2PT 0
0 3PT 0
0 FT 0
0 Index 0
Team Roster - Tau Ceramica
Team Roster - Fenerbahce Ulker

THE TAKE

The 2008-09 Euroleague Basketball season starts Monday at Buesa Arena in Vitoria, Spain, as Tau Ceramica hosts Fenerbahce Ulker in the traditional opening game. The event commemorates the 50th anniversary of Tau’s mother club, Saski Baskonia SAD, as it opens its brand new, state-of-the-art sports complex, the Baskonia Kirol Hiria (BAKH), hours before the game. Tau, which has already won the Spanish Supercup, is set to have its entire roster available for the big showdown, even though franchise big man and All-Euroleague center Tiago Splitter has not played an official game yet this season. Fenerbahce Ulker head coach Bogdan Tanjevic also expects a full roster for the game, spare center Omer Asik, who is sidelined for the whole regular season. Center Semih Erden and power forward Gasper Vidmar are set to play more important roles this season, especially with Asik out. Mirsad Turkcan, the Euroleague's all-time leading rebounder, is set to provide leadership and intensity, as well as cleaning the boards the way he has throughout his career, while Oguz Savas will test his defensive skills against Splitter, while providing post skills at the other end. Even if Splitter is not 100%, coach Dusko Ivanovic - back in Vitoria after a three-year absence - can count on three-point bomber Mirza Teletovic, powerful big man Will McDonald and promising center Stanko Barac to share minutes inside. If Erden and Savas can put Splitter and Barac into foul trouble, Fenerbahce will be closer to achieving the upset. The point guard battle will be interesting, as two-time All-Euroleague second team selection Pablo Prigioni and Mustafa Shakur complement each other very well. Fenerbahce has a new floor general in Marques Green, as well as a good number of combo guards including Damir Mrsic-Kaan, Devin Smith and Omer Onan. Smith will test his scoring skills against former Alphonso Ford trophy winner Igor Rakocevic, while Onan will have the tough mission to go against newcomer Fernando San Emeterio. One of the keys to the game for Fener could be stopping outstanding small forward Pete Mickeal, due too his driving skills and determination. Fene counts on defensive stopper Rasim Basak at small forward, as well as up-and-coming youngster Emir Preldzic. Tau must also worry about sharpshooter Gordan Giricek, back in the Euroleague for the first time since 2002. Sergi Vidal will likely step on court to stop him. Despite Fener’s youth, drive and talent, Tau enters the game as the clear favorite, mainly because of its incredible home-court record. However, other than CSKA, Ulker was the last Euroleague team to beat Tau in Vitoria, back on December 15, 2004.

GAME NOTES

Tau Ceramica
  • Center Stanko Barac, forward Fernando San Emeterio and guard Matias Nocedal are the only three players on the Tau Ceramica roster without any previous Euroleague experience.
  • Center Tiago Splitter enters his team’s Week 1 game against Fenerbahce Ulker needing just 10 points to reach 1,000 in his Euroleague Basketball career.
  • Forward Sergi Vidal will become just the seventh player to appear in 150 career Euroleague Basketball games when he takes the floor against Fenerbahce.
  • The only time Tau broke the 100-point barrier last season came when it hosted Fenerbahce Ulker in a Top 16 game. Seven different players scored in double figures for Tau in the 103-84 win.
  • Head coach Dusko Ivanovic’s last Euroleague game on the Tau sidelines was the 2005 championship game in Prague. Only three of his current players – Pablo Prigioni, Tiago Splitter and Sergi Vidal – took part in that game.
  • The winner of the Opening Game in three of the past four seasons has gone on to win the Euroleague title. Maccabi topped Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania to start the 2004-05 campaign, Panathinaikos started off the 2006-07 season by topping DKV Joventut in Badalona, Spain; CSKA Moscow began last season by dumping Asseco Prokom in Poland.

Fenerbahce Ulker
  • Only three players on the Fenerbahce Ulker roster –Serhat Cetin, Marques Green and Devin Smith – enter the season without previous Euroleague experience.
  • Power forward Mirsad Turkan, Euroleague Basketball’s all-time leading rebounder, set his career high with 17 defensive boards against Tau in a January 2003. Turkcan, then with Montepaschi Siena, finished the game with 18 points and 21 rebounds.
  • Shooting guard Gordan Giricek returns to Euroleague action after six seasons away. He carries with him a streak of nine straight Euroleague games with at least 20 points scored, starting in January 2002.
  • Center Oguz Savas scored a career-high 20 points in 18 minutes in his last visit to Vitoria in the Top 16 last season.
  • Mirsad Turkcan, Omer Onan and Oguz Savas all took part in the 2005-06 season Opening Game with Uker Istanbul. They lost at home to Panathinaikos 66-82.
  • At 1.65 meters, Marques Green is the shortest player on a Euroleague Basketball roster at the start of this season.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

IVANOVIC, DUSKO
Tau Ceramica
"Tiago Splitter, Sergi Vidal and Pablo Prigioni are recovering, but I don't know if they wull play tomorrow. We are praticing right away. Vidal and Prigioni have not practice this morning, Tiago is moving forward to recover but right I cannot say if any of them will be able to play or not. This game is meant for players who have given 100% in practice and are fully available. They want to help, but being able to do it is a different issue. Fenerbahce Ulker is a strong team, a complicated one to play against, especially under these circumstances in the Euroleague opening game. They signed excellent players like Gordan Giricek, who was a reference in the NBA and who already played in Europe at a very high level. They put together a very competitive team, strong, athletic, with play physical, aggressive basketball. Their playmaker, Marques Green, is a small point guard but very quick, with deep range. They also have a high-level veteran, Damir Mrsic, who comes off the bench but is decisive due to his outside shots. Emir Preldzic is a 205cm small forward, very versatile. Devin Smith already played in Bruesa, near Vitoria, and was one of the best foreign players in the Italian League last season. They have two power forwards like Mirsad Turkcan and Rasim Basak who can take the three-point shot and open our defense for Gasper Vidmar and Oguz Savas to play inside. They have a very competitive roster, even better than last season. They had great games in pre-season, beating high-profile teams in the continent. For sure, it will be the most difficult game for us so far this season. We need our fans to support us. They are always there, but we need them in this tough game. We have to believe in ourselves, be focused and aggressive if we want to win this game. We have improved since the beginning of the Spanish League season, but if we want to win tomorrow, we must play tough ad be patient."

PLAYER COMMENTS
TANJEVIC, BOGDAN
Fenerbahce Ulker
"The first games are always strange for any team. But we have additional difficulty to play against a traditional Euroleague team that is always a candidate for the Final Four. So it’s really important for us to play well the very first game against a very strong team in Tau Ceramica. I think we will be ready to represent Turkish basketball well despite the serious injuries. One of the top prospects of the young generation, Omer Asik, plus Semih Erden and Omer Onan were all injured during the national team’s European Championship eliminations. We are expecting to have Semih Erden and Omer Onan back in the team in couple of weeks, but Asik will be out until April. Serhat Cetin also has a knee injury and most probably will be out against Tau. I see our team has good shape and is ready for a big clash. We want the people to watch a good game and of course to win."

PLAYER COMMENTS

Players

RAKOCEVIC, IGOR
Tau Ceramica
"Playing the Euroleague Opening Game means a lot to me. The start of the Euroleague is always important for any player. It is an elite competition, with the best players in the continent. We will try to put out a show tomorrow. If we want to beat Fenerbahce Ulker tomorrow, we have to be focused, play strong defense and stop their fast breaks, as well as their most dangerous shooters. They have been playing together for many years, so it won't be an easy game tomorrow. It feel slightly better. I am not 100% fit because of my ankle injury but I am sure I will be ready to play tomorrow, as I am still 24 hours away from the game. They have a lot of good players like Mirsad Turkcan or Gordan Giricek, as well as several players able to score a lot. They have young, good centers, too. Overall, it is a very deep team."
TURKCAN, MIRSAD
Fenerbahce Ulker
"It is good to be here. It has been a long preseason, two months for us. I think that fans are going to a enjoy this year in this Euroleague season. There are a lot of good teams. It is also great to be part of Euroleague Opening Game here in Vitoria. We have very important players injured like Omer Onan, Omer Asik and Semih Erden, who will not be able to play tomorrow. Still, we have a better team than last season. We share the ball a lot, there is a lot of ball movement. I think we will be a better team this season. Of course, Tau is a very good team that has been in the Final Four for several years. Dusko Ivanovic is also a great coach, but I am sure that tomorrow's game will not be easy for them."
Igor Rakocevic - Tau CeramicaTau Ceramica capped a special night for the club by topping Fenerbahce Ulker 80-70 in the 2008-09 Euroleague Basketball Opening Game held at a fully-packed Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria, Spain, on Monday night. Igor Rakocevic paced the winners with 24 points, 20 of them before halftime. Will McDonald added 17 on 7-for-7 shooting and had 8 rebounds plus 5blocks, while Pete Mickeal posted 15 points and 8 rebounds for Tau. Devin Smith scored 13 points for Fener, Oguz Savas and Rasim Basak each added 11 and Mirsad Turkcan got 10 for an injury-plagued for Fenerbahce, which was without four key players - Omer Asik, Omer Onan, Gordan Giricek and Semih Erden. Turkcan and an outstanding three-pointer by Damir Mrsic allowed the visitors to take a 19-21 edge after 10 minutes. Mickeal shined early in the second quarter and Rakocevic followed a layup with back-to-back triples for a 42-34 Tau margin at halftime. Tau improved its intensity at both ends right after the break, led by Mickeal and an outstanding McDonald. Basak, Smith and Savas brought Fenerbahce as close as 70-68 with three minutes to go, but Rakocevic and Mirza Teletovic stepped up big to win it for Tau. The opening game commemorated Saski Baskonia's 50th anniversary. Tau Ceramica invited many former players and coaches to the game, as well as having aurreskus - traditional Basque folk dances - before the game and during halftime. Tau Ceramica unveiled its state-of-the-art BAKH Sports Complex earlier in the day, just meters away from Buesa Arena.

Gasper Vidmar had the honor of scoring first in the 2008-09 Euroleague season on an easy layup, but Rakocevic immediately answered from downtown for a 3-2 Tau lead. Turkcan shined with a left-handed layup and Basak added a five-meter jumper to put Fener back ahead 3-6. Rakocevic sank his second triple, but Emir Preldzic and Marques Green stepped up to give the guests a 6-11 lead. Mustafa Shakur sank a baseline jumper only to see Basak bettered that with one from downtown, good for a 10-14 Fener lead. Stanko Barac took over with a jump hook, but Mickeal had troubles against Turkcan's outstanding defense. He finally found his first points on a layup-plus-foul to put Tau back ahead, 15-14. Fenerbahce called timeout, but Rakocevic capped a 7-0 run with an easy basket. Turkcan stepped up with his trademark put-back layup and Smith added a second-chance basket. Mickeal kept pacing Tau with free throws, however Damir Mrsic took over with a wild triple to give Fenerbahce a 19-21 edge after 10 minutes.

Marques Green - Fenerbahce UlkerGreen finished a third-chance Fenerbahce offense with a tip-in as the guests kept dominating the offensive board. Barac and Mickeal got Tau going consecutive jumpers to tie the game at 23-23. Green silenced the crowd with a three-pointer, which Pablo Prigioni matched with a seven-meter bomb. He soon found Teletovic for a dunk on a high post pick-and-roll. Preldzic provided a highlight with a lightning quick fast break layup, as Tau had already entered the foul bonus midway through the second quarter. Fernando San Emeterio shined with a reverse layup, but Turkcan followed a long jumper with a great move in the low post for a 30-32 Fener edge. McDonald had a huge block on Smith and a layup in the other end while Rakocevic scored off a steal, but a layup by Oguz Savas tied it again at 32-32. Rakocevic sank a mid-range shot off a timeout and immediately buried consecutive three-pointers to set Buesa Arena on fire and give Tau a 42-34 halftime margin, after a 10-2 run.

Vidmar provided a highlight with a tremendous two-handed, put-back dunk early in the third quarter and Smith sank a mid-range jumper to get Fener within 46-38. Mickeal struck from downtown and Tau improved its defense, taking the game to a more physical level. Smith kept pacing Fener but did not find much help around. Tau now controlled the defensive boards while McDonald dunked it for a 52-41 margin. Turkcan hit free throws once Tau had an early entry in the foul bonus, but McDonald erased them with a jumper and Shakur scored off a steal to break the game open, 56-42. McDonald took over with a wild block on Hakan Demirel and even when head coach Bogdan Tanjevic called a much-needed timeout, Tau was all over the place now. Fenerbahce tried an effective 2-3 zone defense while Savas and Mrsic gave the guests some fresh air with consecutive layups. McDonald collected a steal and scored in the other end, but Basak brought Fener within single digits, 59-50. A three-point play by McDonald and a final basket by Savas fixed the score at 62-52 after 30 minutes.

Gasper Vidmar and Will McDonald - Fenerbahce Ulker - Tau CeramicaPreldzic shined with a driving layup early in the fourth quarter, but Tau stopped struggling against the guests' 2-1-2 zone defense. McDonald took over with a put-back dunk and a mid-range jumper, good for a 66-54 Tau margin. Savas rescued Fenerbahce with a layup and Basak fired in his third three-pointer to bring the guests within 66-59. Rakocevic found his first points in the second half, but Smith answered with a three-point play to cause Tau to call timeout at 68-62. Fener missed critical shots from downtown right in crunch time, but Savas sank his first attempt to make it a 4-point game, 69-65, with over four minutes to go. McDonald made a free throw and blocked Turkcan's floating layup attempt. Mrisc, however, sank a running triple to get Fener back in the game, 70-68. Teletovic answered from downtown while Rakocevic added an alley-oop layup for a 75-68 edge, with 1:48 remaining. Smith scored again already in the final minute, but it was too little, too late for Fenerbahce, as the Tau fans were already celebrating a big, special home win.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Javier Gancedo, Vitoria
Referees: JUNGEBRAND, CARL (FIN), BELOSEVIC, ILIJA (SRB), CEREBUCH, GUERRINO (ITA)
Attendance: 9710
By Quarter1234
Tau Ceramica19232018
Fenerbahce Ulker21131818
End of Quarter1234
Tau Ceramica19426280
Fenerbahce Ulker21345270
Head coach: IVANOVIC, DUSKO
Tau Ceramica
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
5 PRIGIONI, PABLO 22:20 4   1/5 1/4   3 3 2 2 1     2 2 3
8 RAKOCEVIC, IGOR 33:58 24 5/7 4/10 2/2 1   1 1 2 2   1 1 3 19
9 VIDAL, SERGI DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 NOCEDAL, MATIAS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
11 ESLAVA, ARIEL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
12 TELETOVIC, MIRZA 33:37 5 1/3 1/6   2 8 10     3   1 5   -1
19 SAN EMETERIO, FERNANDO 9:06 4 1/2 0/2 2/2   1 1 2 1         2 7
21 SPLITTER, TIAGO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
22 SHAKUR, MUSTAFA 17:40 6 2/3 0/2 2/2   1 1   1 1     1 1 4
33 MICKEAL, PETE 35:23 15 4/5 1/2 4/5 2 6 8 2 2 3     3 6 24
42 BARAC, STANKO 11:15 4 2/2       1 1           3   2
45 MCDONALD, WILL 36:41 18 7/7   4/7 4 4 8 2 2 2 5   2 4 32
Team                     1       1  
Totals 200:00 80 22/29 7/27 15/22 9 24 33 9 10 13 5 2 17 19 90
75.9% 25.9% 68.2%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: TANJEVIC, BOGDAN
Fenerbahce Ulker
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 GREEN, MARQUES 30:02 5 0/1 1/3 2/2   3 3 7 2 1     2 1 12
6 TURKCAN, MIRSAD 28:29 10 4/6 0/3 2/2 1 8 9 2   3   1 2 2 12
8 BASAK, RASIM 19:36 11 1/1 3/4   1 1 2   1 2     3 1 9
10 GIRICEK, GORDAN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
12 MRSIC, DAMIR 23:01 8 1/1 2/5           2 2     1 1 5
14 VIDMAR, GASPER 15:32 5 2/4   1/2 1 1 2   1   1 1 1 3 7
15 DEMIREL, HAKAN 7:12   0/2 0/1   1   1 1   1   1 1   -4
18 KANTER, ENES DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 SAVAS, OGUZ 23:31 11 4/6 1/1             3 1   1 2 8
32 SMITH, DEVIN 27:47 13 5/11 0/4 3/3 5 4 9 1   1   2 4 3 9
55 PRELDZIC, EMIR 24:50 7 3/5 0/4 1/1 1 2 3 1 1 1     4 3 4
Team             1 1   1       1   1
Totals 200:00 70 20/37 7/25 9/10 10 20 30 12 8 14 2 5 20 16 63
54.1% 28% 90%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

IVANOVIC, DUSKO
Tau Ceramica
"Good evening. Playing the first game in a new competition is always tough, we know it. Fenerbahce Ulker is a very good team, despite having missed Gordan Giricek with a last-minute injury. It's still a talented team, very versatile at power forward. Apart from the beginning of the game, when we did not come out on defense and put pressure on the ball. Also, attacking their open zone, we were too static, not moving the ball well. Other than that, of course there are things to improve, but considering that this is our first Euroleague game of the season, I am happy. We have to work on attacking zone defenses or everyone will use it against us. We were too static but when we managed to get the ball inside, we scored. We missed outside shots and when you miss and try to attack a zone with more outside shots, it leads to insecurity. We have room for improvement and we'll find answers. If everything goes as expected, Tiago Splitter will play this weekend but Sergi Vidal did not practice, so I don't know. Pablo Prigioni played in pain tonight. We knew it would be a difficult game for us."
TANJEVIC, BOGDAN
Fenerbahce Ulker
"I think it has been a good game to start the Euroleague season. Tau Ceramica deserved to win the game, but I think we have been very close to win it, too. At some point we werr only trailing by 5 points but the outcome was what it was and we cannot change it. Both players were without important players. Tau has missed Tiago Splitter and Sergi Vidal. Meanwhile, we were without four key players, who can be in our starting five, like Omer Onan, Gordan Giricek, Semih Erden and Omer Asik, who will not be back until the second part of the season. After all, with all this absences we managed to stay in the game and have our chances to win it in the final minutes. Giricek had some injury problems in the last 2-3 days and could not play tonight."

Players

MICKEAL, PETE
Tau Ceramica
"It was a hard game tonight, all the absences made the game a little bit different than we could expect with both teams' rosters full, but no matter who is playing or not, we have to play hard and play well. I think we did a good job in defense in key moments of the game, making a big effort. Zone defense was hard to break for us sometimes, but thanks to our offensive rebounding and a couple of key threes we were able to escape. Will McDonald played great against the zone, he grabbed important rebounds and gave us solutions. It’s going to be the same all season, we will have healthy players and injured players, but no matter who we have we will play well. We showed we are able to play well and win despite of the problems and all season long we must do the same, whoever is on court we are going to play well."
SAN EMETERIO, FERNANDO
Tau Ceramica
"It was a tough game, as we expected. The best thing is that we managed to take the win despite of the absences and injuries. We knew they are a great team, they count on experienced players, and the whole group is a solid and balanced one, with quality players at all positions. We are working everyday to build our chances to win at the end of the competition, but it's important to keep winning now and keep growing as a group. We are struggling against zone defense lately, but the team reacted well and rebounded pretty well on offense to compensate for slow ball circulation and missed shots."
PRELDZIC, EMIR
Fenerbahce Ulker
"We lost the game because of offensive rebounding, We didn't box out well, they did and they got a lot of second chance points. We missed key players and maybe we needed some fresh air in our rotation to keep the intensity in our defense for the whole game. We tried to come back, playing zone, doing different things to change the pace of the game, but in the end, offensive rebounding killed us. They are the best team in our group."
GREEN, MARQUES
Fenerbahce Ulker
"It's true we missed important guys in our rotation, but I wouldn't take it as an excuse, because they also missed a couple of key players, like Splitter and Vidal. I think all the guys in our team stepped up and did a good job. Tau was able to make great plays at the end and that was the difference. Tau is a great team, they played at home and you must expect some runs against during the game. They forced some turnovers that allowed them to take the lead, but that’s normal. We came back in the second half thanks to the zone defense, which was a great decision by our coach, but our main problem was rebounding. I think we need to improve our defense and rebounding to be able to beat them in Istanbul."
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