February 09, 2012
Euroleague 2009-10, Regular Season, Group A analysis and Quotes

Analysis

REGAL FC BARCELONA

Regal FC Barcelona comes off its best season in recent years looking to do even more in 2010. A Spanish championship and Euroleague Final Four berth proved that coach Xavi Pascual’s men are indeed among the European elite. With the majority of those players returning this year, the sky is truly the limit for Barcelona.



MONTEPASCHI SIENA

Montepaschi SienaPerennial Italian champion Montepaschi Siena has established itself among the best teams in Europe over the past several years, but head coach Simone Pianigiani and company are not ready to rest on their laurels. Last year Montepaschi beat three Final Four teams – including eventual champ Panathinaikos twice. Now the trick is to stack those wins at the right time and get back to the Final Four.


CIBONA

CibonaCroatian champion Cibona Zagreb comes off a strong Euroleague campaign in which a team based on homegrown talent started red hot and reached the Top 16. Head coach Velimir Perasovic returns with many of those players and their local pride. Cibona’s mix of tradition, talent and passionate fans could be just what it needs to catapult back to the cream of the Euroleague crop.


FENERBAHCE ULKER

Fenerbahce UlkerAfter coming ever so close to the Final Four in 2008, injuries decimated Fenerbahce Ulker’s chances last year. However that has only strengthened the resolve of head coach Bogdan Tanjevic’s men. This deep squad is full of rising stars and seasoned vets, a mix that could prove lethal to some opponents as FB Ulker aims to make a big impact on the 2010 season.


ZALGIRIS

Zalgiris KaunasZalgiris Kaunas missed the Top 16 last year despite a strong finish to the Euroleague regular season and finished the 2009 campaign without any titles. Nevertheless, there is hope at the club since new management and determined head coach Gintaras Krapikas have the team poised to break through this season.



ASVEL BASKET

Asvel BasketAsvel Basket is back in the Euroleague after four seasons away following a solid 2009 season in which the club regained the French League crown. Leaving nothing to chance, head coach Vincent Collet and management have been very active so far this summer, re-signing the core of last year’s team and adding Euroleague-ready players to the mix as Asvel looks to make some noise in its Euroleague return.


Quotes

Cibona sporting director, Mihovil Nakic

“I would say it’s too early to talk about possibilities with the teams we will face. Traditionally, Barcelona and Montepaschi are the favorites. Much depends on finances and the players on the market. We will see about the other teams. They are eams with great tradition and history. My team as well. We will try to do our best to get to the Top 16. That’s our goal.”

Montepaschi Siena president, Ferdinando Minucci

“It was a very fast draw. A few minutes and finished. Fantastic for everybody. From Group A I think we can reach the Top 16. We will finish our roster probably in a few days. I hope we will sign our players. We are excited for a new season in Europe and to challenge for the Final Four.

Fenerbahce Ulker general manager, Nedim Karakas

“First of all I wish good luck to all the teams. Siena and Cibona were in our Top 16 last year. Only Asvel is a new tam for us. All the groups are the same level. We are thinking about what we can do. The first step is the Top 16 and after that we will see. When you are strong, it doesn’t matter. But you must be all season without injured players. I hope this season all our players are healthy and can play.”

Cibona head coach, Velimir Perasovic

“We are in a group with the national champions of France, Italy and Spain and that fact speaks enough about the strength of our opponents. I believe that by just looking at the names of the teams, Groups A and B are the toughest, but we will all have a clearer picture of the strength of the teams once we will know the rosters. Regardless, this is Euroleague and there are no easy opponents. In our group, Regal FC Barcelona and Montepaschi Siena are absolutely the two strongest sides, and both clubs are among the top favorites to win the Euroleague next season. Fenerbahce Ulker we know from playing against them in Top 16 last year. They will be better than they were last season because they will be a year older, with the same coach, and they will be very dangerous. ASVEL Villeurbanne is a French champion, a classic French team that is among top teams in France for several years. They have a good coach, and we need to take them very seriously. At this moment, we do not know much about the roster of Zalgiris, but they are the great name in the history of European basketball.”

Regal FC Barcelona basketball president, Josep Cubells

“I think that it’s a very competitive group with teams with more tradition in European basketball. In the beginning of this phase I hope that people come to the Palau and help the team to arrive at the head of the group for the next phase. I hope that our supporters will be back.

Asvel Basket president Gilles Moretton

"First of all, we are happy to be back in the Euroleague. We had a very good draw. Even though all the groups are strong, playing against Barcelona, Siena, Cibona, Fenerbahce and Zalgiris is a good chance for us. We are working on putting together a good team, strong enough to compete against them. When we last played the Euroleague two years ago, the team was not ready to compete at that level. Our opinion is that we are really competitive this time around. You never know what can happen, but we feel ready. It comes at the right time, being the French League champions and with Tony Parker as our shareholder. We hope to be competitive not only this season but also in the future."

Zalgiris general manager Paulius Motiejunas

"It is a great new system. The Euroleague now has the best competition system that it could have - and that it never had. Zalgiris is back and we have a new arena coming up in two years' time. We have a new owner and a new face with the A-license, that takes the club to a brand new level. It was a good draw for us, that is what I would say. We have all the chances to make it to the Top 16 and that is what we will try to do."

Regal FCB head coach Xavi Pascual

"It is a little bit early to evaluate our regular season group because all the rosters are not complete yet and a lot of roster changes can take place from now until the start of the Euroleague season. In any case, all the Group A teams are squads with a lot of tradition and I am sure that our fans will be able to enjoy very good games in the regular season."
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Euroleague.net
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