Qualifying Round C, Game 1 preview: Energa Czarni vs. Unics Kazan
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Unics Kazan begins its road to the Eurocup regular season via the first round of qualifying when it travels to Energa Czarni in the first leg. Head coach Aco Petrovic returns to the Russian club that he guided to the 2008 ULEB Cup Final Eight, losing to eventual runner-up Girona in the quarterfinals. One of the top players in the competition last season was forward Tariq Kirksay, who returns to Unics looking to go even further this time around. New in town for Kazan are big men Marc Jackson and Kresimir Loncar. Petrovic improved his outside attack by bringing in guards Terrell Lyday and Marko Popovic to go along with returning sniper Sergei Chikalkin. Playmaking duties will be handed over to Russian national team point guard Petr Samoylenko, who returns to Kazan, and young talent Artur Urazmanov. Another guard who could make an impact is Evgeni Voronov with his quick hands. Energa Czarni will make its European debut against Kazan. The club won its first two games in the Polish league to start the season, but has since dropped two straight. Head coach Andrei Podkovyrov comes to Czarni looking to lift the club to new heights. Podkovyrov revamped his team with big man Rolando Howell being the biggest addition in the post. Jason Straight is a combo-guard who is equally adept at scoring and creating. Jack Ingram will be a big help in the blocks as well as 22-year-old forward Pawel Leonczyk. Mantas Cesnauskis is back on the wing, while rookie guard Demetric Bennett could become an excellent scorer. Podkovyrov would also love to see some of his young Polish players contribute to upset mighty Kazan.
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Eurocupbasketball.com
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