EUROCUP REGULAR SEASON GROUP F ANALYSIS
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GROUP F SCHEDULE
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GAME 1, NOVEMBER 25
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Brose Baskets vs. PGE TUROW
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Spirou Basket vs. BC Red Star
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GAME 2, DECEMBER 2
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PGE Turow vs. Spirou Basket
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BC Red Star vs. Brose Baskets
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GAME 3, DECEMBER 9
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BC Red Star vs. PGE Turow
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Spirou Basket vs. Brose Baskets
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GAME 4, DECEMBER 16
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PGE Turow vs. BC Red Star
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Brose Baskets vs. Spirou Basket
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GAME 5, JANUARY 6
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PGE Turow vs. Brose Baskets
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BC Red Star vs. Spirou Basket
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GAME 6, JANUARY 13
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Brose Baskets vs. BC Red Star
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Spirou Basket vs. PGE Turow
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Four teams with plenty of recent success will look for more this season in Eurocup regular season Group F. PGE Turow Zgorzelec of Poland made its European debut last season a smashing one by advancing all the way to the ULEB Cup Final Eight. The team that finally stopped Turow’s run was Dynamo Moscow, coached by the current BC Red Star head coach, Svetislav Pesic. Red Star is loaded with rising stars that helped the club go to last year’s Last 16. Brose Baskets Bamberg was in the Euroleague last season and still has a handful of those players back for its Eurocup run. And Belgian champion Spirou Charleroi is one of the original ULEB Cup teams and boasts one of its signature players in Andre Riddick, who is the competition’s all-time leader in rebounds, steals and blocked shots.
PGE Turow was the Cinderella story of last season’s ULEB Cup, but unfortunately that success saw many of the more familiar faces move on. However head coach Saso Filipovski is back with a squad that has a chance to duplicate that success. Reserves Iwo Kitzinger and Robert Witka are the two players that carry the torch from last season, but they are joined by some talented new faces. Centers John Turek and Darian Townes form a formidable tandem in the paint along with power forward Chris Daniels, while Donald Copeland and Damir Miljkovic balance them with their three-point shooting. Playmaker Bryan Bailey helps run the show and if all goes according to plan, Turow may continue its accent to the upper echelon of European club. Brose Baskets Bamberg of Germany has a new look this year, despite bringing back four key contributors from last year. Filiberto Rivera and Michael Jordan share the point guard spot next to shooting guards Demond Greene and Robert Garrett. Predrag Suput, Jared Newson and Eric Taylor fill the forward spots, while Alexander Johnson and budding star Tim Ohlbrecht man the paint. New head coach Chris Fleming, the architect of Artland Dragons recent success, will guide this squad from the sidelines as Bamberg takes aim at another special season.
Red Star has one of its strongest rosters in years with a host of homegrown talent, some key imported additions and a coaching great on the sidelines. Forward Tadija Dragicevic is the undeniable star of the team, but he has plenty of support around him. Marko Keselj, Elmedin Kikanovic, Vladimir Stimac and Lawrence Roberts provide plenty of force inside that, joining Dragicevic for a deep and talented frontline. Playmaker Marko Marinovic and shooting guard Andre Owens form the starting backcourt with Boris Bakic spelling them off the bench. With Pesic around to make up for his players’ lack of big game experience, Red Star could be at the start of a golden era. Belgian champion Spirou Charleroi has a veteran squad with some players that have played together for some time. The trio of Justin Hamilton, Jerry Johnson and Gerrit Major handles the playmaking duties, while Jonathan Tabu, Dwayne Broyles and Pankracije Barac share time on the wings. Meanwhile a frontline of Riddick, Wes Wilkinson, Mladen Sekularac and Len Matela provides head coach Drazen Anzulovic with plenty of depth and experience. All told, the chemistry and talents on this team could bring Spirou deep into the Eurocup this season.
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Friday, November 21, 2008
EurocupBasketball.com
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