The BKT EuroCup begins this Tuesday with sixteen games spread across September 29-30. Spain places three teams in the tournament, two of them making their debuts, while the defending champion faces a tough road test.
The Spanish Teams
Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos-Cedevita Olimpija (Wednesday, 20:30). An absolute debut for the Burgos club in the competition, facing a rival that went 12-6 in the regular season and fell in the quarterfinals. Burgos will rely on DJ Steward, who impressed at Trento, while the Slovenians count on the veteran presence of Jaka Blazic and Noah Kirkwood, who had an excellent season last year at Slask.
La Laguna Tenerife-Türk Telekom (Wednesday, 21:00). Another Spanish debut, and an ambitious one. The Canary Islands side lean on the playmaking of Marcelinho Huertas and Bruno Fitipaldo against a Türk Telekom team that reached the semifinals last season with a 12-6 record and has added Shaq McKissic, a EuroLeague champion.
PAOK-Kids&Us Manresa (Wednesday, 18:30). The most demanding matchup for the Spanish teams. Andrea Trinchieri has assembled a star-studded roster in Thessaloniki, led by Nick Calathes and Cedi Osman. Manresa arrives backed by last season's playoff run (11-7) and with Hugo Benítez at the helm.
ratiopharm Ulm-Balkan Botevgrad (Wednesday, 19:00). No Spanish teams on the court, but with a familiar opponent: Ulm is the team that Ilerna Lleida and Joventut faced in preseason.
The Champion, on the Road
Cosea JL Bourg begins its title defense in Naples (Wednesday, 20:00), facing a team returning to the competition after twenty-two years and that has signed Jeffrey Dowtin and Andrej Jakimowski. The French side rely on Trey Woodbury, their major summer acquisition.
Lorenzo Brown's Return
There is a Spanish name on the matchday. Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem hosts Rostock Seawolves (Tuesday, 19:00) and already counts on Lorenzo Brown, who appears on the roster alongside Jaleen Smith and Shake Milton.
The Spanish international had been without a team for months, trapped in a contract with Olimpia Milano that he couldn't get out of. His arrival is also explained by a significant loss: Jared Harper, two-time EuroCup MVP, will miss the rest of the calendar year due to a thumb injury.
The Rest of the Matchday
Tuesday is completed with Neptunas Klaipeda-Trento (18:00), Tofas Bursa-Chemnitz (19:00), Le Mans-Aris Thessaloniki (20:00), and Reyer Venezia-Skyliners Frankfurt (20:30). Aris arrives coached by Vassilis Spanoulis and with Stefan Jovic running the offense.
On Wednesday, in addition to the games already mentioned: Siauliai-London Lions (17:30), Bahcesehir-Roma Basketball (18:00), Riga Zelli-Tortona (18:00), Lietkabelis-Bosna Sarajevo (18:30), Slask Wroclaw-Buducnost (19:00), and Maxima Roma-Cluj-Napoca (21:00).
Two notes on that group. Bosna returns to the competition after eighteen years, as a replacement for Monaco. And Roma Basketball, one of two new teams in the Italian capital, counts Luka Dončić among its owners.