February 04, 2012
Euroleague 2010-11, Regular Season, Group A analysis and Quotes

Analysis

CAJA LABORAL

Caja LaboralSpanish League champion Caja Laboral will do it best to reach its first Final Four in three years. The always ambitious and fiercely competitive Laboral brings back a rock-solid core of players that includes Tiago Splitter, Lior Eliyahu, Fernando San Emeterio, Marcelo Huertas and Mirza Teletovic as well as signature head coach Dusko Ivanovic. Laboral will be a tough opponent yet again this season as it tries to get back to its recent glory days of the past decade.


MACCABI ELECTRA

Maccabi Electra Tel AvivMaccabi Electra Tel Aviv is much more than a European basketball classic - is also the pride of an entire nation. Maccabi has not been to the Final Four since 2008 and that will be its very demanding goal this year. Elishay Kadir, Jeff Foote and Tal Burstein are new-old head coach David Blatt's first arrivals, but Maccabi will try be loyal to its own standards - to be unbeatable at Nokia Arena and to fight for every title available, at every level.


PARTIZAN BELGRADE

PartizanPerennial Serbian and Adriatic League champion Partizan went well beyond the expectations last season by reaching its first Euroleague Final Four in 12 years. Partizan faces the challenge of matching last season's results with a new coach, Vlada Jovanovic. Partizan brings back Aleks Maric, Jan Vesely and Aleksandar Rasic and above all, tens of thousands of diehard fans ready to back the team through thick and thin.


ASSECO PROKOM

Asseco ProkomAsseco Prokom Gdynia comes off its best-ever Euroleague season in which the team reached the Quarterfinal Playoffs, becoming the first Polish club to get that far in Europe's premier competition. Prokom features an exciting point guard duo in Krzysztof Szubarga and Daniel Ewing, who will be ready to be coach Tomas Pacesas's extension on the court. And Prokom isn't done yet molding a new team that will aim to match last season's success in the new Euroleague campaign.


ZALGIRIS

Zalgiris KaunasA classic club in European competition, Zalgiris looks to record another strong Euroleague season. The Baltic League winner last won the Euroleague in 1999 and was one miracle shot away from reaching the Final Four in 2004. With a hungry new coach in Aco Petrovic and players like Marty Pocius, Mirza Begic, Dainius Salenga and Marcus Brown back with the team, the immediate future looks good for Zalgiris as it tries to make it to the Top 16 and challenge for every domestic title.


Quotes


Caja Laboral advisor, Carlos Izar de la Fuente
""It is one of the toughest groups - maybe the toughest. We have to compete and try to be in the Top 16, as in every previous season. We play against Maccabi, who have been strong rivals since the Euroleague started. Partizan made it to the Final Four, too, so it is a strong group. I expect very intense games, with great basketball atmospheres. It is the most difficult regular season group this year."

Maccabi Electra president, Shimon Mizrahi
"It’s a very interesting and attractive draw. We get another chance to play against Partizan Belgrade, with whom we played last season for a spot in the Final Four. And after Caja Laboral beat us twice last season, the time has come for us to beat them. Prokom, the Polish champion, is a rising club and Zalgiris has a ton of experience in the Euroleague. The group is not easy, but as I said, is very attractive."

Maccabi Electra head coach David Blatt
"The draws are always interesting. We have teams that are very strong as far as basketball goes and very interesting for our fans. It’s just July, so its hard to know how these teams will look when the season starts. Our group is strong and challenging. Now is the time to focus on ourselves, to build the strongest team we can for us and for our loyal fans. We are Maccabi, we are strong and we always need to aspire as high as possible."

Maccabi Electra guard Tal Burstein
"We need first to look at ourselves. Coach is building here an excellent team and we need patience, but when we come together, I am certain that we will be able to compete with any team in Europe, for sure at home. Caja Laboral is a great team and I saw that up close last season when I played in Spain. What they did was amazing. Partizan is always strong and I am sure our fans are happy Maccabi has the chance to correct after the painful loss in last year’s quarterfinals. We are looking forward to an exciting season."

Partizan general manager, Mladjan Silobad
"I think the group is on the same level. Everyone can beat everyone. We have to wait for the sixth team from the qualification. If teams like Khimki or Unics make the qualification, it can be tough. Its good to have a qualifying team, but that team will show it is strong and will already be in good shape. Last year the qualifying teams showed those teams play very well."

Partizan head coach Vlada Jovanovic:
"We knew we would face two Euroleague greats. Caja Laboral is the Spanish champion. To win the ACB league says enough. Last season Maccabi was our opponent in the clash for Final four and I am sure they are going to build a good team again. Asecco Prokom was the Euroleague's biggest surprise last season. The Polish champion starts next season with the same budget and same ambitions and Zalgiris opened a new project. It will be interesting to see who is going to be the team from the qualification rounds because there are two strong teams like Khimki and Maroussi. It will not be easy for Partizan, but we have to play and give our best in each game. We will fight to be in the Top 16 again."

Asseco Prokom Gdynia president Przemyslaw Seczowski:
"It is a really nice group from our perspective. Our main Polish player, David Logan, will now play for Caja Laboral so he will happen to be on the other side of the court. That will be quite interesting. Everyone was joking about it before the draw started, that David would play against us once he switched Euroleague teams. It actually happened and is sent from heaven. We will have the chance to play against David Logan and Caja Laboral. We will also play against our Serbian friends from Partizan. I am looking forward to this season. We made it to the Quarterfinal Playoffs last season and it was extraordinary, on and off the court, with all the awards we just got. It was a spectacular year, but we keep our fingers crossed so that this season is not worse than that. We will do our best, that I can guarantee."

Zalgiris general manager, Paulius Motiejunas
"It’s a good group for us, but it’s hard to say what’s going to happen now. Maccabi has a new coach, Partizan has a new coach, Prokom is changing. We have three champions of their leagues, it’s a tough group. And it also depends who will qualify. We have most of our team ready, we are just putting all the pieces together."
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Euroleague.net
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