Qualifying Round F, Game 1 preview: BC Triumph vs. BASE BC Oostende
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Base BC Oostende would like to get a chance to repeat its fine showing in last season’s ULEB Cup, but first faces a tough test from BC Triumph in the first qualifying round of the Eurocup. Head coach Vlada Vukoicic arrives at Oostende after coaching last season at FMP and Hemofarm. This is Vukoicic's first job outside his native Serbia and he will face the test of that adaptation. His team has struggled domestically so far this season and will now need to come together quickly. Vukoicic gave a major facelift to the squad that reached the Top 32 of the ULEB Cup last season. Veselin Petrovic remained on board and newcomer Jimmy Baxter should be the all-around ace that he was at Ventspils. Rashid Atkins is the new playmaker responsible for getting fellow new acquisitions forward Mike Bauer, center Matt Haryasz and big man Slobodan Ljubotina on the same page. Ivan Paunic joins the team from Vojvodina and Lionel Bosco is a point guard with quick hands and is a good distributor. Triumph meanwhile wants to make good on an upset loss in the ULEB Cup Last 32 to Artland Dragons, and head coach Stanislav Eremin has re-loaded his club. Center Nenad Kristic was the biggest addition, while forward Marcus Goree arrives from Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow. Allan Anderson can do damage from the wing and veteran guard Kerem Tunceri brings his tough defense from Real Madrid. Eremin did not, however, let go entirely of the team that also reached the quarterfinals of the Russian league. Big man Ognjen Askrabic will again be an inside-outside threat while Sergei Toporov is back as a sharpshooter and Egor Vyaltsev should help on the wings as well. The key to the series could be how Oostende deals with the inside trio of Kristic, Goree and Askrabic.
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Eurocupbasketball.com
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