Chris Jones took a long and winding road to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, but given a chance to thrive this season at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, he has seized it with both hands.

Focus on: Chris Jones, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

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The newest production in the Insider Documentary Series created by Euroleague Basketball tracks the personal and professional journeys of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars Toko Shengelia and Mike James. As the title attests, the two have "Crossed Paths" on multiple occasions. The film follows CSKA Moscow's 2020-21 EuroLeague season, with Shengelia and James among the team’s stars.

Euroleague Basketball documentary: "Crossed Paths"

Shengelia takes viewers back to his roots in Georgia and shares the path that ultimately took him to Moscow. Along the way family members, childhood friends and current and former teammates and coaches are interviewed to reveal more about Shengelia and his background.

“For me, religion, my country and my family are the three important things in my life,” Shengelia attested. “Believing in God is a way of life for me. I have felt his blessings ever since I was a little kid and ever since then I have felt that God is in my life every day.”

James too sheds light on his childhood in Portland, USA, and his on- and off-court personalities.

“I think I’m a totally different person off the court thank I am on the court. I think off the court I mostly just joke around all day, singing, laughing making fun of people. That’s basically who I am 93 percent of the day," James described himself. “I think in the games a little bit more calm. Sometimes I’m a little bit too emotional."

CSKA signed James in the summer of 2019. The following year, Shengelia joined the team, thus reuniting the pair four years after they had helped Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz reach the 2016 Final Four.

"That was defiantly a special team and it was special to be a part of it. I still keep in touch with a lot of those guys, which still shows how close we are,” James said of that squad.

"I am a big believer in chemistry. We had a group of people that was great people, hard workers, fighters and hungry people. So I believe that this is the ingredient for success," added Shengelia.

Both Shengelia and James are former All-EuroLeague selections and are considered to be among the most talented players in the competition, in no small part due to their work ethics.

"The work ethic is the reason I am where I am right now. This is something I would say is my talent,” Shengelia said. “If you are not working hard, if you are not working more than other people, you are just going to be the same level as anybody else. So if you want to be better than someone, I believe that you have to work harder than anybody in the room."

All the signs pointed towards CSKA model 2020-21 having all the ingredients to go far, just like the last time Shengelia and James had crossed paths. Indeed, despite the struggles of a difficult season, they had CSKA aiming high, but the ending was not at all as the two had expected.

"Crossed Paths" is the latest film in the Insider Documentary Series, which captures the intimacy behind the EuroLeague spotlights and provides full access to the protagonists and the people who know them best.

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ratiopharm Ulm will not lack offensive firepower this season. Get to know the players that Coach Lakovic will rely on to lead his team.

Roster rundown: ratiopharm Ulm

Playing in the competition for the seventh season in a row, ratiopharm Ulm approaches the new 7DAYS EuroCup campaign with ambitions raised. A decade removed from playing in the EuroCup Quarterfinals, Ulm has not finished with a winning record in any of the last six seasons, but is looking to end that negative streak. After rebuilding its roster to be more versatile and offensively potent, Ulm is poised to make a splash in the 2021-22 season.

### BACKCOURT

Ulm's offense will depend a great deal on playmaker Semaj Christon who will be responsible for a lot of scoring, but also for finding his teammates. Christon will be the motor of this offense, though Coach Jaka Lakovic may choose to play often with two point guards. In that scenario, Thomas Klepeisz should play a lot of minutes alongside Christon. Club legend Per Guenther, who announced he is playing his final professional season, will give Ulm a lot of depth at the position. Another go-to guy on the perimeter is swingman Justin Simon, who is not only dangerous offensively, especially attacking the rim, but is also an aggressive defender. One of Europe's biggest teenage talents, 18-year-old Fedor Zugic will look for extended playing time to showcase his great talent, and if he manages to do so, Ulm will have an impressive array of offensive backcourt weapons. Karim Jallow will provide depth as another perimeter player capable of scoring, while playmaker Marius Stoll will look to use any opportunity he can get to gain valuable experience.

### FRONTCOURT

The anchor in Ulm's paint is center Cristiano Felicio. An imposing inside presence and experience of playing at the elite level will make Felicio a matchup problem for any team this season. Jaron Blossomgame is one of Ulm's x-factors as someone who can cover both forward positions. Philipp Herkenhoof is more of a classic stretch-four who will be valuable for Ulm with his ability to spread the floor. Christoph Philipps is not as tall and is less of a downtown threat, but a homegrown forward who is the second longest-tenured player on Ulm's roster and has the strength and hustle that benefits the team. Center Nicolas Bretzel will be coming off the bench behind Felicio, while power forwards Moritz Krimmer and Nat-Sidi Diallo will provide more depth while gaining much-needed experience.

### PLAYER TO WATCH

Small forward Jaron Blossomgame figures to be one of the key players for Ulm on both ends of the floor. A small forward by vocation, Blossomgame can play both forward positions and will do so, depending on whether Coach Lakovic wants to play with a big or a small lineup. A dangerous scorer and a great rebounder, Blossomgame troubles opposing defenses, while defensively he has the muscle to battle against bigger players as well as the speed and athleticism to run with the smaller guys. Blossomgame's versatility and production will guarantee him plenty of minutes as one of the key players for Ulm this season.

### OUTLOOK

Ulm will not lack offensive firepower this season. With talents like Christon, Blossomgame and Felicio being able to score in bunches, and surrounded by the likes of Klepeisz and Simon, Coach Lakovic's team will find ways to score often. What should be Ulm's advantage is the versatility of some of its aforementioned key players, who are used to playing multiple positions. In addition, the team has a lot of size and that is something that should play to its advantage. Preseason performances that saw the team battle it out against continental champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul and thrash Partizan NIS Belgrade, before beating FC Bayern Munich in the German League, just show how dangerous Ulm can be and the club is poised to finally win more than what it losses this EuroCup season.