Since he first came to Europe to play basketball in 2012, Jordan Theodore has made the most out of his professional career. Theodore embraced the culture and especially the passion European fans bring to basketball. He always made sure to share these experiences with those close to him. His life took a critical turning point in the 2016-17 season. After a great year with German powerhouse Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, Theodore returned to Turkey to play for his third team in that country, Banvit Bandirma, after previous experiences with Antalya and Mersin.

Theodore was named MVP of the Turkish Cup final after leading Banvit to the trophy with a 66-75 victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul. He tallied 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in that game. Theodore was later voted MVP of the Basketball Champions League after taking Banvit to the title game; he topped that competition with 7.5 assists per game and ranked fourth in scoring with 16.2 points per game.

Despite his many on-court successes, Theodore will remember that season for something much greater: he found true love. Theodore began a relationship with Tugba Tasci, a well-known Turkish basketball player.

"Becoming a father has been amazing, one of the best things I have ever done in my life."

They had actually met years before, as Theodore described: "I was down near the Mediterranean Sea. She was in Besiktas at the time and we met. I saw her one day and I just couldn’t stop staring at her. But she didn’t pay me any attention. I introduced myself, but I think she was in a relationship at the time and she just didn’t pay me any attention, which was okay. I was a rookie, I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend at the time."

Four years later proved to be the right moment for Theodore to make a move. "We ended up running into each other when I was in Turkey last season and I had to tell her, 'I’ve had a crush on you since I first met you… And I’m at a point in my life now where I think it’s time," he told EuroLeague.net in 2018.

Jordan and Tugba are together and stronger than ever. In fact, they have a growing family.

"Everything with me and Tugba is great. We are married now. We have a beautiful little girl. She's going to be one next month. It hasn't been easy traveling so much like I do, but for the most part, my marriage has been great. Becoming a father has been amazing, one of the best things I have ever done in my life, and I'm looking forward to the next!" Theodore said.

Jordan and Tugba's daughter, Lila Jordyn Theodore, was born on May 7, 2020. Tugba changed her surname and is now Tugba Theodore.

"The wedding was amazing. We had it in Istanbul, right on the Bosphorus. It was a beautiful ceremony for about 200 people, all family and friends," Theodore shared. "My family flew in from the States and everybody from her side was there. It was really amazing."

Tugba had a long career and finished in style by lifting the EuroCup Women trophy with Galatasaray in 2018. She decided it was time for the next chapter in life.

"She retired from the game after she won the EuroCup with Galatasaray," Theodore confirmed. "She was like, 'my body's done mentally. I'm done with all the traveling'. She just wanted to be with me and for us to get started on our family."

Tugba has followed Jordan to each of his stops ever since. He played for AEK Athens and joined Besiktas, a team his wife knew well: Tugba played for that club for six seasons. For the better part of the last two seasons, Jordan and Tugba have been in Kazan, Russia. Understanding the game so well - Tugba also played point guard - has given Jordan an extra boost off the court.

"She has a tremendous IQ. She was really good at what she did out there on the floor. She could really play, so it's very important for me to have her in my life because sometimes things are not easy, you know?" he explained. "This season, it might seem like it, we have been winning a lot of games, but in my past and I have had some down times and she would definitely pick me up."

Of course, living with someone who understands the game so well can be dangerous sometimes.

"Trust me, she's not easy to please, man. She is my toughest critic. I used to be myself, but now it's definitely her. She has taken over that responsibility," Theodore joked. "Sometimes it is annoying because it's like basketball doesn't stop. You know, home is supposed to be a place where you go, relax, get away from work. But for me is with work 24/7 because the things that that I don't do well in the court, she lets me have it. Even the things I do well in the court, I need to do more!

"It's a beautiful thing. I mean, sometimes you don't want to hear it, especially on the down days. You might lose a game or you might just have a bad day at practice, you know how it goes. But for the most part, it's been amazing. She is very helpful and keeps me grounded."

"She is my toughest critic. I used to be myself, but now it's definitely her."

Returning to Kazan this season was important for the Theodore family. First, Jordan believes he had to finish the job and win the EuroCup with UNICS, playing alongside one of his best friends, the freshly-crowned EuroCup MVP Jamar Smith.

"Kazan is a great place and I love the management here. I love the coaching staff. I was here last year with Coach Priftis before COVID struck, so me and him and all the rest of the guys have a great relationship," he said. "And it was important for me to come back and play with Jamar Smith, he is somebody that's like a brother to me. Congratulations to him for being named EuroCup MVP! He has been great all season. We had unfinished business last year. We felt like we could have won the EuroCup, and that's why when I got the opportunity to come back, I definitely looked at it as me and Jamar being able to finish what we started."

Tugba already won the EuroCup Women, and Jordan now has the opportunity to lift this trophy. What Jordan cannot do, however, is see Tugba play while he is in the stands with their daughter.

"No, it never happened. And I am kind of disappointed a little bit that she stopped playing because I want it to be there. I wanted to have my 'Love and Basketball' moment where I am with our daughter on the sidelines sitting courtside, cheering for mommy! But I don't think I'll ever get that."

Jordan and Tugba Theodore: Love and Basketball

For the fourth time this season, UNICS Kazan is with its back against the wall, in a do-or-die situation. Its 89-87 loss against AS Monaco in Game 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals means that UNICS cannot lose again if it wants to lift the trophy. UNICS was previously in a do-or-die situation in Game 3 of its quarterfinal series against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and Games 2 and 3 of the semifinals against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. One of its main players this season is center John Brown, who has always stepped up for UNICS when the going gets tough. Brown was chosen to the 2020-21 7DAYS All-EuroCup Second Team and is averaging 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and a PIR of 14.0 in 23 games, mostly coming off the bench. Brown believes UNICS will bounce back, as he told EuroCupBasketball.com in this interview. "This is the final game and we are going to be ready to play in our gym!" Brown said. "We just have to keep our eyes on the prize and feed off our fans' energy."

**Hello, John. UNICS had a good lead in the third quarter, but in games like this, 2 bad minutes can be decisive. What happened?**

"Yes, it is not allowed. At this time of the season, you can't have those lapses on defense and offense, but we have to come back and do better next time."

**You managed to get a shot up in the final 6.1 seconds, but it was hard to get a good one.**

"Everyone makes mistakes. [Jordan Theodore] had an opening, so he took it. He is a professional but it didn't go in, unfortunately, and they got the rebound. That's how it goes." 

"We have to come back and do better next time." 

**Monaco fought back in the second half. How much credit do they deserve for this win?**

"Of course, no disrespect for them, but we had to play better. We had a long stretch in the game in which we were up like 10 points at one point. We just had to take the lead up and not get relaxed."

**Artem Klimenko and Pavel Antipov stepped up big. Does it prove how deep UNICS is?**

"Yes, they played wonderfully. We just need them to do that one more time! I need to pick up my slack, not foul as much and learn when to do it and went not to do it."

**Did foul trouble cost you the game? You fouled out, plus Okaro White and Jamar Smith got 2 quick ones.**

"I have to do a little better not trying to seize the moment too many times. It is my nature not to do it, but I have to improve on that."

**Is there time for adjustments before Game 2?**

"Not at all. We just need to make the right plays at the right time in this game."

**How much are you looking forward to playing such an important game in front of your fans?**

"This is the final game and we are going to be ready to play in our gym! we just have to keep our eyes on the prize and feed off our fans' energy." 

**Can fans be an X-factor for UNICS?**

"Well, we won against Virtus with their fans so, at this point, it is all on us, and we'll do what we have to do to get a win."

**You were already down 1-0 against Virtus. Can that experience help you?**

"For sure, for sure. We have been here before and just have to regroup, make the right decisions at the right time, watch a little film, and it will be alright."

**No time to leave anything in the tank, I guess...**

"Not at all. All out. All out!"

When the going gets tough, UNICS Kazan knows it can rely on All-EuroCup Second Team selection John Brown. The big man spoke about his team's Game 1 performance and looked ahead to Game 2 in this interview.

John Brown, UNICS: 'We have to keep our eyes on the prize'

AS Monaco's 89-87 victory over UNICS Kazan in Game 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals was a thriller. The game saw both teams lose double-digit leads and featured 10 lead changes in the fourth quarter alone.

After such a contest, there are many things to focus on in the post-game analysis. Interestingly, the two head coaches focused on different key plays and moments.

"At the moment we took a lead of 10 points in the third quarter, we lost our minds, we played some stupid offenses and we received consecutive transition points without even being back," Coach Dimitris Priftis of UNICS summed up. "That was the moment that changed the momentum of the game."

Indeed, after Nate Wolters gave UNICS a 45-55 advantage, Monaco came charging back. Twice Holland scored to keep Monaco at bay, but soon three straight UNICS turnovers allowed the hosts to slash away at their deficit. After Marcos Knight scored in transition to cap an 11-0 run for a 61-59 lead, Monaco had regained all of its confidence.

"I think both teams played with great energy," Monaco's Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic said. "Maybe a couple offensive rebounds at the end of the game was the key factor in the end."

Of Monaco's 9 offensive rebounds in the game, 5 came in the fourth quarter and 3 of them on one critical possession in the final minute. They came right after Jordan Theodore gave UNICS an 86-87 lead. J.J. O’Brien missed a jumper, but the long rebound bounced to Rob Gray, who did not hesitate and fired up a triple. He, too, missed, but O'Brien fought for the board and passed the ball to Dee Bost. The point guard put up a shot from downtown and also missed. Knight leaped for the offensive rebounds and was fouled. He then made the go-ahead free throws with 27 seconds remaining.

Gray led all players with 23 points, but after the game was critical of his own game and complimentary of his teammates: "I missed a three at the end and missed a free throw. I need to get in the gym, but I am glad we were able to pull it out in the end with those last defensive stops and defensive rebound to get the win. Shout out to the bigs for contesting Theodore's right-hand layup."

Mathias Lesssort had a key role in those two defensive stops. First, he poked the ball loose from Jordan Theodore, which led to Abdoulaye Ndoye's steal. The ball got to Gray, who was fouled and went to the line with 6.1 seconds left. He only made 1 shot, which meant UNICS had a lost possession to try to tie - or win the game – at the buzzer. Theodore drove and Lessort rose high to tip the shot and preserve the win.

Ndoye too highlighted a different key to the Monaco victory. "I think the effort we put in the whole game allowed us to win, putting a lot of pressure on the defense. We stopped important players for them like Jamar Smith."

Yes, the defense of unsung heroes like Rudy Demahis, Knight and Bost took Smith out of the game. The EuroCup MVP, who was also plagued by foul trouble, did not even attempt a three-pointer for just the third time in his 109 career EuroCup games. Smith was 1 for 5 on two-pointers and tied a season-low with 2 points.

Wherever you look, there can be different explanations for how and why Monaco won. And ultimately, in such a close game, they are all true. Of course, all that really matters now is that Monaco leads the series and is one win from history.

Monaco made the momentum plays

There are a lot of things that need to go right for a team to compete for the 7DAYS EuroCup crown. And when things go wrong, they still need other things to go right. Such has been the case for AS Monaco, which is one win away from capturing the EuroCup. One reason for its success has bene the play of teenage guard Rudy Demahis, who few expected to see playing, let along starting, in the EuroCup Finals.

For Demahis, an early-season injury to another player opened the door and he took advantage. Monaco signed Khadeen Carrington expecting him to play a main role for the club, but the guard suffered a torn ACL in a French League game in October and was lost for the season. Demahis, who by all accounts was not expected to be a key piece in the rotation this season, stepped up and by season's end had earned an important place in the rotation.

Head coach

"He spends entire days in the gym. He works so much, he is so diligent, so persistent."

"A boy who came from INSEP, who never played any professional league before, he came to work, to improve, and maybe get some kind of a chance in some game," Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic said of his first impressions of Demahis when he took the reins this summer.

Demahis was a promising prospect coming out of the French national basketball academy – or Centre Federal du Basketball. He averaged 11.7 points, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals in the third of three seasons there. Demahis had also played for CFBB at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament in each of the previous three seasons and had suited up for France at the European championships in both the Under-16 and U18 age groups.

Many teams sought the services of Demahis when his time at CFBB had run out, though in almost all cases it was to continue playing in the youth ranks as he developed. Demahis believed Monaco's program fit his needs best.

"I chose Monaco because it was the best situation for me," Demahis said. "With all the great players, great staff, I knew I would be improving a lot this year, learning a lot, too. It was the best chance for me."

As expected, playing time was scarce early with most of his minutes coming in blowout wins over Lietkabelis Panevezys in Round 2 and Telenet Antwerp Giants in Round 3. Then in Round 4, he was called upon to help guard one of his favorite players, Milos Teodosic, in the second quarter of the game against Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

"That was surprising because, I was watching him play, so watching him play on the court, in front of me, playing against him, it was very strange," Demahis remembered. "He is even better than on TV."

Even though Demahis was showing sparks, he wasn't quite ready for big minutes in the EuroCup. However, the time spent in practice helped him grow as a player and left an impression on the coaching staff and his teammates.

"First of all, he is an incredible kid. I can barely recognize his voice," Coach Mitrovic said. "You cannot hear him. He just works. He spends entire days in the gym. He works so much, he is so diligent, so persistent, he listens to everything, and eventually the minutes he got he used them to the maximum."

When asked about his hobbies, Demahis had no answer. However, that is because as his coach noted, Demahis really does spend almost all his free time training to be as good a player as possible.

"I am always working at my game when I can. I have more time this season than before because last year had school, too, so I had to be focused on both. But this year I have more time to go to the gym, to put in the work. I do it any time I can," Demahis said. "I focus a lot on shooting. A lot. Also on the other things, but mostly shooting."

As a point guard, Demahis is well aware of the other demands of the position besides shooting. And at Monaco, he has several experienced guards to show him the ropes, though no one has been quite as helpful to the teenage prospect as Dee Bost.

"I have learned a lot already about my position, how to play point guard. Dee is giving me a lot of advice, they have been great teammates for me," Demahis explained. "Dee always told me to talk more on the court, because I am a point guard so I've got to alert my teammates what is happening on the court. He always tells me that."

Don't take it just from Demahis and his backcourt mates. All the players see what kind of kid, how hard he works and what a bright future Demahis has.

"Rudy is a good kid. I met him when I first got here, him and his family. He came from INSEP, which is a really good institution in France," forward Wilfried Yeguete offered about his teammate. "He is a hard worker who wants to learn, who wants to continue developing. I think he has shown a lot of progress throughout the whole season, getting stronger and understanding the game better. He is really helping us a lot, especially in the EuroCup.

"At this level, especially for him, being efficient and effective is what can make him get to the next level. Playing against guards like Rob Gray, Marcos Knight and Dee Bost in practice is helping him learn a lot this year, and the more he plays, the more comfortable he will get. I think that is what happened with him this year: he got more comfortable when he got more minutes in the games, and playing more will make him take better decisions during the game. I think he showed it this year. He can only go up from here."

After playing nearly 12 minutes in the regular-season finale, Demahis played nearly 15 in Round 1 of the Top 16, a blowout win over Nanterre 92. That number rose to 16:17 in the final game of the Top 16, a road win at Unicaja Malaga. In those games, Coach Mitrovic started to feel Demahis was ready for more.

"He is not a shooter, but if he is in a position to shoot, he will not hesitate to shoot the ball. So, he resonates like a basketball player. He will shoot, he will attack the basket, he does what he is supposed to do. But he practices a lot, shots will come to him, and he already is making baskets in tough moments," Mitrovic said. "When he is playing, you can see he is not afraid of these established players. He respects them as a young person should respect older people, but when it comes to the basketball part, five-on-five or one-on-one, that does not phase him."

After Monaco lost Game 1 of the quarterfinals against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, Coach Mitrovic inserted Demahis in the starting lineup – for the first time all season – for Game 2.

"I did not really expect it," Demahis admitted. "But coach trusted me and put me on the court with all the other guys, so I took my chance and gave everything I have... I was not nervous, I was more excited because I worked a lot the whole year, so I was really happy the coach had confidence in me at this moment, in these big games."

Though he did not score in Game 2, Demahis dished 3 assists in a 5-11 third-quarter run that helped Monaco extend its lead. In Game 3, he connected on a pair of three-pointers – the second of which gave Monaco a 73-69 lead in the fourth quarter – to help Monaco reach the semifinals against Herbalife Gran Canaria. Demahis's had a +/- of plus-15 in Game 3 to lead all players. He started both games against Gran Canaria, too.

"Coach trusted me and put me on the court with all the other guys, so I took my chance."

"He helped us defensively, incredibly well pressuring the ball. He did that with [Justin] Cobbs and [Nikola] Ivanovic against Buducnost, and against [Andrew] Albicy and especially [A.J.] Slaughter in the semifinals against Gran Canaria." Coach Mitrovic said. "I think Slaughter's low percentages were only because of that great pressure. On the other hand, offensively, he did not have many turnovers. And he hit a few triples, which were just a bonus we did not expect. Even without those three-pointers, we would have been happy because the organization of our offense did not suffer, and defensively he did what he was supposed to 100 percent."

Yeguete concurred with his coach about Demahis's defensive prowess: "I think he has shown he can be a really good defender. He has guarded some of the best players on the other teams in the EuroCup. I think he is a good point guard as well who is starting to get better, making us feel better. He has great size and a lot of potential."

After starting again on Tuesday night and drilling an early triple and adding 2 assists in Monaco's 89-87 over UNICS Kazan in Game 1 of the EuroCup Finals, Demahis is dreaming big.

"It would be really great to win EuroCup in my first season. Last year I did not expect at all that I would be playing that much in EuroCup, go to the finals of the EuroCup at 19 years old, it would be really great to win against UNICS," Demahis added. "I think we can keep doing it. We are always working hard, we have great chemistry at the team, so I think we can do it."

Spotlight on Rudy Demahis, AS Monaco

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After a long and challenging season, the time has come for UNICS Kazan and AS Monaco to face each other with two goals in mind: the trophy and a much-desired EuroLeague qualification for the 2021-22 season. As Game 1 of the Finals tips off Tuesday (18:00 CET), we look back to five defining moments of the EuroCup Finals all the way back from 2003 to 2019 (since the 2019-20 season was not concluded). 

These are the 7DAYS EuroCup finals moments that left their mark in the competition’s history.

Trademarks: Five plus one defining EuroCup Finals moments

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is about to get a lot more regal. Until now, the closest most teams get to royalty is their annual trip to the Spanish capital to face Real Madrid. Real – Spanish for "royal" – received its name and the accompanying crown on its crest from Spain's King Alphonso XIII in 1920.

Now that AS Monaco is eligible to make its debut next season, however, EuroLeague teams may find out what it's like to play in front of actual royalty.

HSH Albert II, Prince of Monaco, is a tried and true AS Monaco fan who has been a regular at the team's games for years. Indeed, the prince is expected to be in attendance on Tuesday when Monaco hosts UNICS in Game 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals.

The strong connection between the Principality of Monaco and the local sports teams is clear. The crown from Monaco's coat of arms sits atop the basketball team's logo and the players' uniforms are red and white, just like the principality's flag.

Moreover, Prince Albert is an athlete himself. He competed five times as a bobsledder in the Olympic Games and drove in the 1985 Paris-Dakar Rally. He also has a black belt in judo. He is the president of the Monegasque Olympic Committee and the honorary president of both the International Union of Modern Pentathlon and the International Athletics Foundation.

However, when he settles into his seat at Stade Louis II, the prince is just like the rest of the fans around him. He generally dons an AS Monaco scarf and can be seen applauding, cheering and emoting after all the big plays. In the pre-COVID-19 era, HSH Prince Albert would occasionally head down to the locker room to congratulate the team after big wins, too.

Prince Albert isn't the only celebrity fans may see at Monaco games. Monaco-born Formula One racer Charles Leclerc has been to many games, as have former racecar driver Felipe Massa, former AS Monaco football team manager Thierry Henry, AS Monaco football players Stevan Jovetic and Danijel Subasic, and fashion model Jeremy Meeks.

They are just a select few of the many famous locals who have come to see Monaco play in recent years. Now that the team will be competing against the best of the best in the EuroLeague, that list should only grow.

Prince Albert II brings royal touch to Monaco stands

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UNICS Kazan is a member of a select group of 12 clubs that have won the 7DAYS EuroCup as well as six clubs with multiple trips to the EuroCup Finals. This will be the third time UNICS will be playing for all the marbles in the competition.

The club won its only EuroCup crown in 2011, its first trip to the EuroCup Finals. That season the competition format had the last four teams battle it out in a single-elimination format in Treviso, Italy, much like the EuroLeague Final Four format. UNICS arrived with an 11-3 record after it ousted Pepsi Caserta with two wins in a two-game, total-points quarterfinals series to advance alongside Cedevita Zagreb, Cajasol Seville and host Benetton Treviso.

In the semifinals, UNICS pulled away in the second half to dismiss Cedevita 87-66. UNICS built a 17-point halftime lead and never lost control of the game, as Terell Lyday led in victory with 27 points. Kelly McCarty collected 18 points and 7 rebounds, while Maciej Lampe had 16 points plus 8 rebounds for UNICS that night.

Two days later, UNICS dominated the championship game 92-77 at the expense of Cajasol Seville. UNICS made 13 of 18 field goals in the first quarter to open a 32-16 lead and Cajasol never came closer than 7 points the rest of the way. Maciej Lampe scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Marko Popovic added 18 points while shattering a EuroCup Finals record with 11 assists. Popovic also took home the EuroCup Finals MVP award to complete the UNICS celebrations at Palaverde.

UNICS returned to the EuroCup Finals three years later, in the 2013-14 season. The team had a perfect 10-0 regular season and won the first two games in the Last 32. It won 15 of 16 games to reach the eighthfinals, where it swept CET Basketball Nymburk with wins of 33 and 17 points, before sweeping Aykon TED Ankara Kolejliler in the quarterfinals with wins of 13 and 36 points. In the semis, UNICS lost the first game on the road against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 63-52 before winning the second leg 84-67 to overcome that deficit and reach the two-game, total-points finals, where it would meet Valencia Basket.

The first game took place in Valencia, where the hosts jumped in front and led by as much as 70-37 late in the third quarter. UNICS rallied to cut the deficit to a final margin of 80-67. Vladimir Veremeenko had 17 points and Luke Harangody scored 14 that night. UNICS went into the second leg with hope, but Valencia held a 4-16 lead after 10 minutes and led 10-29 in the second quarter, which translated into a 32-point aggregate advantage. UNICS never threatened again and Valencia won the title with a 73-85 victory. Andrew Goudelock, who was the EuroCup MVP that season, scored 22 points in that game and Ian Vougioukas had 11 in a losing effort.

Four players – Pavel Antipov, Kostas Kaimakoglou, Evgeny Kolesnikov and Pavel Sergeev – from the 2014 finalists remain on the current UNICS roster though only two of them, Antipov and Sergeev, played in the finals. Seven years later, those players now have a chance to take the final step and become only the fourth team in competition history with multiple titles.

A look back at UNICS's past trips to the finals

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Head coaches Dimitris Priftis and Zvezda Mitrovic go head-to-head for the first time in an official game with each aiming for his first EuroCup crown. Guided by Priftis, UNICS Kazan has been on a scoring spree lately, while Mitrovic's AS Monaco has mostly won behind its stiff, physical defense. Both coaches had successful campaigns in the EuroCup before this season, but now have taken their respective teams to the EuroCup Finals, which tip of with Monaco hosting Game 1 on Tuesday.

### Dimitris Priftis, UNICS

In four seasons on the UNICS bench, Priftis has accumulated a 52-26 record and UNICS has reached at the least quarterfinals each year under his helm. This season, the run has extended to the EuroCup Finals giving the 52-year-old Priftis and UNICS a chance to attain EuroCup glory. His team is one of the best scoring and three-point shooting teams in the competition. UNICS can win games with its defense, which was the case in the first five Top 16 games – a stretch of wins in which UNICS held each opponent to 70 or fewer points. Since then, however, Priftis's team has played looser with the players getting the chance to improvise more; that has paid dividends. UNICS has been attempting 30.2 three-point shots since the start of the playoffs and the two highest-scoring performances Priftis's team has had this season came in the playoffs with 94 points in Game 1 of the quarterfinals before a record-setting 100-107 victory in the deciding Game 3 of the semifinals. There is no reason to believe UNICS will step away from what has worked lately and will try to fire its way to the title.

### Zvezdan Mitrovic, AS Monaco

Monaco head coach led his team to a place in the EuroCup Finals in his only second season in the competition. After reaching the quarterfinals with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in its debut in the competition two years ago, the 51-year-old Mitrovic has now paced Monaco to a 15-6 record with his team having won 10 of its last 12 games entering the finals series. Monaco under Mitrovic has played strong defense the entire season, but especially early on when it led the regular season with the fewest points allowed, 72.4 per game. Since then, however, Monaco has picked up offensively, too. The team lit it up in the Top 16, averaging 91.3 points over six games. During the playoffs, it was back to defense; Monaco has kept opponents to 77 or fewer points in four of its five playoff games. Mitrovic has a shorter rotation and does not make many changes to his starting lineup; four players – Dee Bost, Mathias Lessort, Damien Inglis and Marcos Knight – have been starters for the majority of the season and in each of the playoff games so far.

Finals matchup: Priftis vs Mitrovic at head coach

The top two scorers for 7DAYS EuroCup Finalists UNICS Kazan and AS Monaco operate in the backcourt. UNICS sharpshooter Jamar Smith is a veteran and one of the greatest to ever play in the competition, while Rob Gray has proven to be a perfect mid-season addition for Monaco and the scorer of one of the most famous baskets in club history. The two will look to continue lighting up the scoreboards when the EuroCup Finals top off on Tuesday, April 27.

### Jamar Smith, UNICS Kazan

The freshly crowned EuroCup MVP and a former EuroCup champion, Jamar Smith is the all-time EuroCup leader in three-pointers made and second-best all-time scorer. This season may be the best and the most complete season of his career. One of the greatest sharpshooters who ever played in the competition, Smith ranks fourth this season with 17.1 points per game while leading the EuroCup with 2.9 three-pointers per game. Even though he came off the bench in 14 of his 20 appearances, Smith also leads UNICS in minutes (27:46), and is second in both assists (3.5 apg.) and steals (1.2 spg.). He is a veteran of 108 appearances entering the EuroCup Finals and posted career-highs this season in scoring (32), PIR (34), rebounds (6) and steals (4). He averaged 18.7 points in three quarterfinals games against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and then dropped 22 points in Game 1 of the semifinals against Virtus. Smith topped it with 24 points and 5 assists in a memorable and a record-setting 100-107 win in Game 3 to earn a chance to compete in another final series and add to his legacy.

### Rob Gray, AS Monaco

Gray opened the season with Boulogne Metropolitans 92, which was the reason he was not eligible to play in a Monaco uniform until the Top 16. But once he did, Gray immediately became the team's best scoring option. Gray has come off the bench in all but one of his 11 appearances for Monaco and nevertheless leads the team with 17.1 points on 51% three-point shooting in just 24:24 minutes per game. In the Top 16, Gray averaged 18.5 points on 17-for-27 three-point shooting (63.0%), with 2.0 assists, pacing Monaco to first place in the group and home-court advantage for the playoffs. Gray was slowed down in the quarterfinals against Buducnost, but still posted 14.3 points and 3.3 rebounds before earning the Semifinals MVP award for his heroics in two games against Herbalife Gran Canaria. Gray netted 25 points on 5-for-6 shooting beyond the arc in a Game 1 win before knocking down the game-winner with 0.3 seconds in Game 2 to sweep the series, make Monaco history and send his team into the EuroCup Finals.