When Dimitris Priftis joined UNICS Kazan in 2017, he was a well-known coach in his home country, Greece, but not so famous in continental basketball. Four years later, Priftis has not only maintained UNICS as a solid team in all its, but he now has the chance to become the first Greek coach to win the 7DAYS EuroCup title. Priftis has a 52-26 winning record (66.7%) with UNICS in the EuroCup, but none of those victories were more satisfying than the last two. Down 1-0 in its best-of-three semifinals series against previously undefeated Virtus Segafredo Bologna, UNICS managed to beat the Italian powerhouse twice to storm into the EuroCup Finals. In so doing, Priftis, 52, has already led UNICS into the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Now, he wants the club to lift its second EuroCup trophy by winning the finals against AS Monaco starting on Tuesday, April 27. "We made a lot of improvements during the last four seasons. Overall, for me, it means something very important to stay in a team for more than one year," Priftis told EuroCupBasketball.com. "It is, by itself, a small reward, that the club believes in you and keeps you for a second season, to continue working with you."

**Coach, congratulations on reaching the EuroCup Finals for the first time. How satisfying is it to be so close to the title?**

"Thank you very much. We are very happy. I am very glad. It is an effort that started here four years ago. I had one more participation in the EuroCup with my ex-team Aris. I am very glad that we managed to reach the finals, plus the fact that being there means that we made it to the EuroLeague next season. I think it is a double benefit and makes this achievement much bigger. So we are very glad and I hope we will enjoy the finals next week."

**Like you just said, UNICS has also qualified for the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. How important is that for the club and you, personally?**

"It is a big honor. It was one of my dreams, to reach the EuroLeague with a team and participate in the process to make it. It is important for me: I am not going to a team that is already in the EuroLeague but getting there with my team. I reached this goal with my team. Of course, it is still open if I continue in UNICS, but this is how I approach it. If I continue, it is very important for me that I did it with my team. And for the club, it is an effort that we made in the last four years. Of course, last year was a particular season that never ended. In my first year here, we had a chance to get to the EuroLeague through the VTB League. We played a final four and lost the semifinal game against Khimki. We were close. The next year, we played with Valencia in the semifinals, a very tough matchup against a very tough opponent. We were very close but didn't manage to make it, and this is why we are very happy that we now have achieved this goal." 

"It was one of my dreams, to reach the EuroLeague." 

**After reaching the EuroLeague, how high is the motivation to finish the job and win the EuroCup title?**

"The trophy in front of us is a very important goal, and that will keep us alert and motivated. I think we are very ambitious and want to fight for this trophy although we already made it to the EuroLeague and that job is already done. It is something that we discussed together. The trophy is something that would be with us forever. For both teams and all players who will participate in the finals, it is important to win the title, and it will be a good fight."

**How would you summarize your team's semifinals series win against Virtus Segafredo Bologna?**

"Overall, we had a really bad preparation period. I am going now back to September. We got hit by COVID early, as a group, so most of our guys got infected in that period. We almost didn't play any friendly games and had a very bad preparation period, almost nothing, almost zero. So we started playing games without having this part of the season, which is very important for every group. Progressively, we started to get better during the games, game by game. We had really good performances after Christmas, a good sequence of wins. We had a tough [quarterfinal] series against [Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar] and faced Virtus. It was a very interesting series. I would say that, before the series, Virtus is a team that I would like to have avoided. They had a very, very impressive regular season, being unbeatable. I thought that was the toughest team that we could play against, with very experienced players and a great coach who is a big personality in basketball. Obviously, we expected a very difficult series. In the first game, we were close and felt that we could have beaten them. We believed and had faith in Game 2. We managed to win it and play this final game in Bologna. And in one game, anything can happen. We had a good performance, shot the ball well, and won this game."

**What are the strong points of your EuroCup Finals opponent, AS Monaco?**

"Monaco is a very physical team. They are playing well, using their athleticism. They play very physically and very hard, regarding contact. They are strong in the lane and the best offensive rebounding team in the EuroCup. It is difficult to score against them because they press constantly, denying every pass. They play with high intensity overall and you must be very concentrated not to make turnovers because that will give them easy points in transition, which is part of their game. As I said before, it is very important to get defensive rebounds. They have good offensive rebounders like [Mathias] Lessort and [Wilfried] Yeguete, even Marcos Knight, who is a very aggressive offensive rebounder although he is a guard. It is hard to control them and, in general, it is a hard team to play against, very physical. They play with high intensity."

**Both teams have talented guards, undersized but strong centers, and great physicality. From a tactical standpoint, does it make things more difficult for both coaches?**

"Yes, I agree. Regarding physicality, as you said, there are some particular things that we can attack. And of course, we have some weaknesses that they will attack. I don't think that it is time to overanalyze this, but for sure there are some certain things that both teams can use to create advantages and find open shots in better conditions. First, I would say that it is a matter of who will play with the most physicality and who will make the least mistakes, because of this defensive style of game. For me, this is the main thing. I would stay with the basics: not to turn the ball over, especially in the passes; control the rebounds; play decent, consistent one-on-one defense. And then everything else, of course, plays a role but is secondary in these types of games." 

"The trophy is something that would be with us forever" 

**Jamar Smith, the new EuroCup MVP, is the only player on either team to have won the competition before. How much of an advantage is he?**

"First of all, Jamar is a special player for me. I have been with him in Kazan for four years. It was my choice to bring him here. We have great cooperation, like a coach and a second coach on the floor. He is very experienced. I am very glad that he is MVP. He deserves it because of his stability, persistence and working spirit. He is a very, very good worker who never quits, has very good psychology, encouraging his teammates. He is the captain of the team and, of course, it is an advantage that he has already been in this situation, to play the finals and win it. He knows the psychology of those games and transfers it to the rest of the group. It is a luxury, a great weapon for me to have his character and his personality in my team. I have a special feeling for him, and I am glad that he was awarded the EuroCup MVP trophy this season."

**No coach except Stanislav Eremin from 2000 to 2006 has stayed at UNICS longer than you. What makes you so comfortable in Kazan?**

"First of all, I would say I am a type of character that usually stays longer where I am going. I connect with the people and create bonds with the team. As you know, in the last seven years, I worked in two clubs. I am the type of person that looks for stability, and I also respect and appreciate the fact that [team president] Evgeny Bogachev, his family, the administration of the club overall, gave me this faith and this support these years. The fact that I have stayed here for four years is not just up to me; it is a mutual job. I am very glad that we have very good cooperation with the family and together, with Claudio Coldebella, we have a great organization. We made a lot of improvements during the last four seasons. Overall, for me, it means something very important to stay in a team for more than one year. It is, by itself, a small reward, that the club believes in you and keeps you for a second season, to continue working with you."

**How great would it be for the club to lift the EuroCup trophy, a decade after its first crown in Treviso?**

"It is a big goal, no doubt. Of course, it was a different format in 2011. I think that it is a little bit more difficult now to reach the finals and win the title. But UNICS is a team that always tries to create a good roster. They have always had a pretty good budget to create a good team. As you see, we are always in the top four or top eight teams in the EuroCup, with chances to go to the EuroLeague, a competition in which we have played several times. After four years and the effort we made, we deserved to be in the EuroLeague, but also to claim this trophy. It is a big honor for the club to have the chance to win the EuroCup title for the second time." 

After four years on the bench of UNICS Kazan, head coach Dimitris Priftis is satisfied to have reached one goal – taking his team to next season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague – and is now focused on another, lifting the 7DAYS EuroCup trophy.

Dimitris Priftis, UNICS: 'It will be a good fight'

AS Monaco has torn through the ranks of French and European basketball in recent years and has now reached the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals and become eligible to participate in the next edition of the Turkish Airline EuroLeague. One man who has been a part of the entire journey is head coach Zvezda Mitrovic. Now in his second stint with the club, Mitrovic was the man on the bench when the team made history in 2015 and reached the French elite level and almost six years later, he has guided Monaco to a 15-6 record in the EuroCup. Next up is a battle for a coveted trophy against UNICS Kazan. Before that, Mitrovic spoke to Eurocupbasketball.com about the club, its remarkable season and his coaching start. "All the guys really made an excellent effort the entire season," Mitrovic said. "They played with a huge heart, relationships on the team are great, we never gave up, we played every game to the maximum."

**First of all, congratulations on reaching the EuroCup Finals! If we go back to your first day with Monaco when the club was playing in the ProB, could you have ever imagined this day?**

"I arrived that season to lead the last 11 games. Monaco was in a good position and the goal was to get promoted to the first division. Thoughts about playing in European competitions at that time were very far away. It was more of thinking to try to move up, then avoid relegation the next season because oftentimes, promoted teams struggled to stay up. We were probably not even dreaming about this at that time." 

"Different players came up big in different moments and we achieved this amazing success."

**Monaco started the season with three straight wins and has been competitive all season long. Was there a moment or a victory when you thought to yourself: 'This team can go to the EuroCup Finals and win the title?'**

"Only after we finished the Top 16. Because, to be honest, when we saw our regular season group, and knowing before anything started that the level of our budget was lower than in previous seasons, the only goal was to get into the Top 16, hoping we can get past Lietkabelis and Antwerp. We thought that was realistic and we made it through playing good defense and low-scoring games. After that, we exploded. Maybe our performances in the Top 16 were a result of playing without the pressure of having bigger goals and playing with a short rotation because we did not have more players than what we played. But even then, we did not think about the EuroCup Finals and earning a place in the EuroLeague. But after the Top 16, when we saw our playoff path, we did think we have an easier path than what it would be facing the two Russian clubs, UNICS and Lokomotiv, and undefeated Virtus. That's when we thought, we have our chance, why wouldn't we make a run for it."

**Even though you were able to sweep Herbalife Gran Canaria in the semifinals, it was a tough series. Looking back, how would you summarize it?**

"Both games had dramatic endings, but during each game we dominated. We led by double digits, even led by 18 in Game 1, but in both games, we gave them a chance to come back. Especially in Game 2, when we had an 8-point advantage entering the last minute. Maybe our hands got tied a little bit, we missed some free throws, committed some turnovers. However, I think we dominated more in each of those two games and had more control throughout each game than what we did against Buducnost in the quarterfinals. However, Gran Canaria always found a player that would bring it back to life. But we managed to pull both games out in close finishes."

**Can you take us into the timeout after Andrew Albicy tied Game 2 in the last seconds? What was said and what were you thinking?**

"We practiced that special-situation play the morning of the game. We had a similar situation against Buducnost, but with less time on the clock, which we also executed nicely; Lessort did everything he needed to do, but the ball did not want to go in. This time we opted for either Rob Gray or J.J. O'Brien. But that combination is something we practice and we ran it five-on-zero in practice that morning. So, we repeated it in the game. There are two options and whichever guy gets the ball, he needs to finish it, there is not much thinking. Luckily, Gray made the shot. Lessort missed it against Buducnost, that's sports. But let's not forget, Gran Canaria almost sent the game into overtime on the last play with 0.3 left. Every tenth of the second can count in those moments." 

"Coach Priftis is a great colleague, a very positive person, and I am very happy for him, too." 

**One thing that stands out about Monaco is that it is truly a team where different players come up in big moments, whether it was Rob Gray, or Mathias Lessort, Dee Bost, Marcos Knight, J.J. O'Brien. The list goes on. It must be a pleasure to work with such a group.**

"We have a short roster, and I have to say that a couple of young guys extremely stepped up to help us, especially defensively. First, Abdoulaye Ndoye, who has been doing great defensive work, then the kid Rudy Demahis who even made important shots and took over running the offense. They used their chance. But the rest, the other seven players that are the foundation of our team, all carried it out.

"Realistically, as a coach, I have to say we were lucky that the French League has had big breaks between games. We did not play too many games. If we had a series of games both in the domestic league and in the EuroCup, I doubt such a short roster would make it through. So, we had a chance to prepare the games throughout the EuroCup season. But all the guys really made an excellent effort the entire season. They played with a huge heart, the relationships on the team are great, we never gave up, we played every game to the maximum. And then, different players came up big in different moments and we achieved this amazing success."

**Is there a player on the team who has outperformed your expectations this season and played a bigger role than you anticipated in getting this far?**

"The young players really surprised me, and the rest each had their moments. Dee Bost opened the season great, then had some lows but then again played at a high level again. We added Rob Gray, he lifted us in the Top 16. Lessort played fantastic basketball in the second part of the season. And the story is similar with other players. None of them were dominant the entire season, but each played at their maximum at certain points of the season and that was the key."

**Your coaching journey was unusual as you left your native Montenegro in your early 30s and spent 12 years coaching in Ukraine before you joined Monaco. Tell us please a little about your beginnings and your time in Ukraine and how it impacted you as a coach and a person.**

"I started coaching very young, I was an assistant at 22 years of age at Picadilly Podgorica in my hometown after I played in the youth categories. Buducnost called me to join their staff in 1996 and that's when there started to be more investments in Buducnost. What has been great there is they were sending me to the clinics, giving me chances to learn, and I went to a lot of those and had a chance to talk to a lot of coaches, even professor Aleksandar Nikolic. It all helped my ambitions. We even played in the EuroLeague while I was an assistant, but I felt that I was not going to get a real chance. So I opted for Ukraine, it was a pioneering move. And I stayed there for 12 seasons. It was a huge experience of all kinds where you learn your coaching craft. And I always stayed in contact with some of the great coaches I had a chance to meet, so I would talk and watch practices of Zeljko Obradovic, follow Dusan Ivkovic at some tournaments in Ukraine. It was a constant education. I don't think there was a year I missed a clinic or listened to some seminars. And of course, the head coaching experience in Ukraine, where we always had a lot of games either for playing in some lower European competitions or we played in a couple of domestic leagues, got me used to a busy schedule. I think that helped me adapt. All if it played a role in shaping me as a coach."

**UNICS Kazan presents a stiff challenge in the finals. Have you had a chance to see them play this season? What do you think about the team?**

"I watched them because I watch all the games. I adore watching all the games. I know UNICS as a club, played them often while in Ukraine, but this UNICS today is a team with great energy, a team so tough to play against. They are similar to us, but I think with higher individual quality. They play undersized players who manage to do everything, like John Brown who dominated Game 3 against Virtus. They have incredible individual quality offensively, but their team defense gives them an option to improvise offensively and do what they do on offense. They have a few amazing shooters. Scoring 107 points against Virtus, which did not play bad defense, tells you how talented UNICS is. They play aggressive and eye-pleasing basketball and congratulations to them and their coach. We met back in a day when he was with Aris Thessaloniki. Coach Priftis is a great colleague, a very positive person, and I am very happy for him, too. He has done a great job." 

"No matter how small our club is, it is fantastically organized." 

**What do you anticipate the keys to the series being?**

"I think energy will be a key. We will both play our finals series after a busy domestic schedule. And I also think motivation will play a big role. This time, both teams know they already got a piece of the pie by becoming eligible to play in the EuroLeague next season. But now, everybody needs to realize there is another great prize to win the EuroCup, to win a trophy. I would say UNICS is the favorite, but so far this season, playing against favorites has not presented a problem for us. We will give our best. Looking at players in specific positions, I think the two teams match up nicely, we are similar."

**As someone so engrained in the club after five seasons in Monaco, can you explain what your success – and being eligible to play in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague next season – means to the people at the club and around Monaco?**

"Knowing our club president Sergey Dyadechko, who had EuroLeague ambitions back with Donetsk in Ukraine, I think it is a dream come true. He is a club president who is very involved, he is very ambitious, and it was a huge dream of his and I am so happy for him. And with him and sports director Oleksiy Yefimov, no matter how small our club is, it is fantastically organized and I am not saying that because I have been here for so long. It is an unbelievable achievement for everybody."

Coach Zvezda Mitrovic has overseen AS Monaco's rise from the French second division to the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals. In this Eurocupbasketball.com interview, he spoke about the club, its remarkable season and his coaching start.

Zvezdan Mitrovic, AS Monaco: 'It is a dream come true'

The respective contributions of UNICS Kazan swingman John Holland and his AS Monaco counterpart Marcos Knight have gone a long way for each team this season. The two experienced players will get more chances to shine in the EuroCup Finals, which tip off with Game 1 in Monaco on April 27.

### John Holland, UNICS Kazan

UNICS has plenty of offensive firepower, but that has not stopped Holland's consistent contribution throughout this campaign. At age 32 - and almost nine years removed from his competition debut - Holland has put together the best EuroCup campaign of his career. In his fourth EuroCup season, the UNICS swingman is averaging 10.5 points on 44% three-point shooting, along with 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Holland has knocked down 40 triples this season, which ranks third on the team and is tied for fifth in the competition this season. After overcoming some injury problems earlier in the season, he has started 10 of the team's last 12 games. Holland has also knocked down at least 1 triple in 13 consecutive games; he shot 7-for-16 in the quarterfinals and then 7-for-15 in the semifinals. Holland enters the EuroCup Finals with a hot hand, which is a weapon that could give Monaco plenty of headaches.

### Marcos Knight, AS Monaco

No Monaco player has started more games this season than Knight, who has 20 starts in his first season in the competition. Knight has proven that he can play a lot bigger than his 1.88 meters with his consistent all-around contributions. Even some struggles with shooting from beyond the arc did not stop Knight from scoring more than 10 points in 15 of his 21 appearances this season. He has averaged 13.4 points - third-most on the team - and Knights's 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game are each second-best on the team. The 30-year old has pulled down 7 or more rebounds in seven games this season, including in each of the last four - all Monaco playoff victories. That includes Game 2 of the semifinals where Knight delivered 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. And he has every intention of keeping it up in the EuroCup Finals.

Finals matchup: Holland vs. Knight at small forward

A former 7DAYS EuroCup champion and the top three-point shooter in competition history, UNICS Kazan guard Jamar Smith, has been chosen as the MVP for the 2020-21 season following a combination of fan voting and ballots from Euroleague Basketball's in-house experts. Smith carried his team to the EuroCup Finals by posting career-best and team-leading numbers. He enters the finals as the EuroCup’s season leader in total points (342) while ranking second in three-pointers made (58) and fourth in scoring average (17.1 ppg.). Smith is also second in free throw percentage (93.9%), seventh in three-point shooting accuracy (47.9%), eighth in steals (24), and 10th in assists (71).

Smith is the 12th winner of the award, which was first introduced in the 2008-09 season. No award was given for the incomplete 2020-21 season. He succeeds the 2018-19 winner, Luke Sikma of ALBA Berlin. The list of previous EuroCup MVPs includes Scottie Wilbekin of Darussafaka Istanbul in 2018, Alexey Shved of Khimki Moscow Region in 2017, Errick McCollum of Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul in 2016, Tyrese Rice of Khimki in 2015, Andrew Goudelock of UNICS in 2014, Nick Calathes of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in 2013, Patrick Beverley of Spartak St. Petersburg in 2012, Dontaye Draper of Cedevita Zagreb in 2011, Marko Banic of Bizkaia Bilbao Basket in 2010 and Chuck Eidson of Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius in 2009. With Smith and Goudelock, UNICS is the first team to have two EuroCup MVPs.

Smith has been a stellar contributor all season while coming off the UNICS bench in 14 of 20 games. He scored in double digits 17 times, reached the 20-point mark eight times, and netted a career-high 32 points in the final game of the Top 16 against Herbalife Gran Canaria. Smith stepped up big in the playoffs, too, averaging 18.7 points on 62.5% three-point shooting and 3.7 assists in the quarterfinals against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, a series that UNICS won 2-1. He then posted 18.0 points on 100% free throw shooting in the semifinals against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, sealing his team's Game 2 victory from the foul line with 4 free throws made in the final 12 seconds. UNICS prevailed 2-1 in that series despite the lack of home-court advantage to reach its first EuroCup Finals since 2014 and win eligibility to play in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague next season.

This season, Smith became the EuroCup's all-time leader in three-point shots made, with 264 and counting, thanks to his superb career accuracy (44.8%). Three-time EuroCup champion Rafa Martinez is now a distant second with 223. Smith has also climbed to second place on the EuroCup's career scoring list, with 1,384 points. Bojan Dubljevic is first with 1,445, so Smith needs just 62 points to become the competition's all-time scoring king. Smith is the only American player with more than 100 games played in the competition. He ranks 10th overall with 108 EuroCup appearances.

Smith, 34, won the EuroCup title with Spanish side Unicaja Malaga in 2017 and has also played in the competition with Brose Baskets Bamberg of Germany and Limoges CSP of France. After finishing his college career at the University of Southern Indiana, Smith played for Maine of the D-League, Prostejov of the Czech Republic, and Galil Gilboa of Israel before joining Bamberg in 2013. This is his fourth season with UNICS and has a chance to be the first EuroCup MVP to win the competition twice.

2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup MVP: Jamar Smith, UNICS Kazan

The team is so excited that we will be playing in the EuroCup Finals. The staff, the fans, everybody. It’s been a process, Monaco has only been in the French first division for five or six years. They were in the fourth division just nine years ago! They went through a long process, playing in the Basketball Champions League and reaching the final four and losing, And now in our third year in the EuroCup, we are in the finals. I think it's a huge accomplishment and it's been a process. We want to go all the way.

It will be a great opportunity to play in the EuroLeague next season, too, at the highest level in Europe. But mostly for the team and the organization, it's a big step. We've been competitive and we want to play with the best. I think the way we've achieved this has been a process. We haven’t had an easy road with a smaller roster and playing against some tough teams in the first round and the Top 16. Then being down a game against Buducnost in the quarterfinals after losing the first game at home. I think we’ve shown a lot of resilience and perseverance and this is a great way to be congratulated with access to the EuroLeague. 

"When you win a trophy, that's with you forever." 

We are really, really excited about qualifying for the EuroLeague, but we can't think about that right now. We have a chance to win the EuroCup! So I don't think we've really realized that we have accessed the EuroLeague for next season. We were excited when it happened or maybe the day after, when we realized that we advanced officially to the EuroLeague, but it’s a long, long way until the EuroLeague next season. Winning the EuroCup is our main focus. When you are a winner, when you win a trophy, that's with you forever. It would be a great way to finish up the EuroCup campaign.

I think we played solid in both semifinals games against Gran Canaria. In the first game, we started with a really strong first half. In the second half, they came back stronger, but we were able to adjust and finish off the game. The second game was kind of similar. We were also up by a little bit at halftime. We were able to stay up, but then they came back and made a run. Obviously, Rob hit a big shot, but before that, we were up by 3 with one of our best players on the free-throw line and we had a chance to end the game, but unfortunately, Dee missed. After that, Andrew Albicy made 3 free throws and we were able to win the game on Rob's shot.

I think it was a big game for us because going back home to Monaco for Game 3 would have been tough physically because we have a smaller roster. But we just found a way to win. Rob hadn't played that much in the fourth quarter, but he always stayed ready and he was ready. That just shows a lot about our team, everybody being ready at any time to help the team.

We are tough players. We love to compete. When you have a smaller roster and less guys who can play, we hold each other accountable. We are just fighters. I think throughout the EuroCup, we've figured out that we have the level to play against any team regardless of who they have on their roster. And we showed that by beating Badalona, by beating Malaga as well. We got some big wins, especially on the road, and we realized we can play with any team, regardless of the roster they have. We just play to our strengths. We are a good defensive team. We battle on every play. We are strong on rebounds and through our defense and fastbreak, we can stay in any game against other teams. 

"We have the level to play against any team regardless of who they have on their roster." 

Coach Mitrovic knows the city and he also knows the organization well. His system is pretty good for us. We are athletic players, we run a lot. He knows this level. He has a lot of experience from coaching in the EuroLeague with ASVEL and I think that can be seen this season with Monaco. I think that experience has really helped us. 

Marcos Knight is one of our best rebounders. He's really a big guard, he's physical. I don't think there are a lot of guards as physical as he is at his position. He likes to battle out there. He likes to be in the paint. He doesn’t like to settle for being outside too much unless he has to. He posts up a lot and is always around the basket. I don't think there are a lot of guards who can box him out at his position. And not all guards enjoy going in the paint like he does. Plus, he has great timing, which makes him a great rebounder.

Rebounding is a battle and a lot of times, the big guys are fighting with other big guys and boxing out, so Marcos is able to get some rebounds because we box out the big guys from the other team. He has helped us a lot in rebounding. Especially when we are struggling to score, he is able to get in the paint and score some tough points because he is so physical.

Looking ahead, we know Game 1 against UNICS is going to be huge. It's important to start the series the right way. They just beat one of the best teams in the EuroCup after being down 0-1, so they know what it's like to have your back to the wall. I think they're gonna be ready. We have to come ready to play to our strengths and just battle. I think if we battle and play our game, we're going to be in a position to win the game. I think it's going to be a great battle between two great teams who had different paths to the finals.

AS Monaco forward Wilfried Yeguete checks in to share what he's thinking now that has club has made history by advancing to the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals.

Wilfried Yeguete, Monaco: 'Winning the EuroCup is our main focus'

Among the leaders in minutes played on their respective teams, Okaro White and Jaleel O'Brien bring a lot more to their teams on both ends of the floor than what their numbers show. It is hard to find any teammate for either player who brings more intangibles to the floor than White does for UNICS and O'Brien for Monaco. These two well-matched and busy performers will be going up against the other in the EuroCup Finals series starting on April 27.

### Okaro White, UNICS Kazan

White has been a much-needed versatile big piece in the UNICS lineup. He has been a great contributor on the boards for UNICS the entire season, averaging 5.6 per game. However, his all-around contribution grew as the season progressed before peaking during the quarterfinals and semifinals. In both of those series, White has come up huge for UNICS. In the three-game quarterfinals against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, he posted 14.3 points on 46.2% three-point shooting to go with 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 block per game. In the semis, White showed how important his presence in the paint is to the team once center Jordan Morgan went down with an injury in Game 3. Not only did the team did not miss a beat, but White went on to pace UNICS to that do-or-die victory with a career-high 22 points. White led UNICS in the semifinals with 28:49 minutes per game while averaging 13.3 points and 5.0 rebounds, both the second-most on the team. The 29-year old forward is now looking to keep up these levels in the EuroCup Finals, too.

### Jaleel O'Brien, AS Monaco

One of the main reasons Monaco has a third-best scoring defense (75.4 ppg.) is the presence of O'Brien. Invaluable on both ends of the floor despite coming off the bench ever since the end of the regular season, O'Brien rarely leaves the floor once he enters the game. Only one Monaco player averages more minutes (26:33) than O'Brien, who puts up 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. An athletic bruiser inside, but also reliable with his shooting from the outside, O'Brien has knocked down 19 triples this season. But few things can show better how dangerous O'Brien can be than Monaco's semifinals sweep of Herbalife Gran Canaria. O'Brien averaged 13.0 points in two games while knocking down all 4 of his three-point attempts. He might have averaged just 2.0 rebounds in the series, but that did not stop head coach Zvezda Mitrovic from keeping O'Brien more than 30 minutes per game on the floor. Monaco will need O'Brien to bring all of his intangibles in the EuroCup Finals, too.

Finals matchup: White vs. O'Brien at power forward

Euroleague Basketball is proud to once again honor the best players from the soon-to-be-concluded season as members of the All-7DAYS EuroCup First Team. It has been a thrilling season, which will be capped with the best-of-three EuroCup Finals series that tips off next Tuesday, and in it, each member of the first team has enjoyed a stellar individual campaign. Milos Teodosic of Segafredo Virtus Bologna, Jamar Smith of UNICS Kazan, Isaia Cordinier of Nanterre 92, Mathias Lessort of AS Monaco and Willie Reed of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica were all among the best players in the competition, delivering some of the season's finest performances, often in key moments. For the fourth time, the selection process combined the results of fan voting with the opinions of Euroleague Basketball's in-house panel of experts.

### Milos Teodosic, Segafredo Virtus Bologna

A magician with the ball, the veteran point guard shined throughout the season as the undisputed leader of a dominant Virtus team, which had a 19-game winning streak to open the season before bowing out in a three-game semifinal series against UNICS. Teodosic ranked second this season with 6.9 assists per game and was consistent in finding his teammates, having dished 6 or more assists in 13 of his 19 appearances this season. Teodosic also ranked fourth in average performance index rating (19.1) and led Virtus in scoring (15.4 ppg.). The 34-year old playmaker averaged 3.0 rebounds over a team-high 27:30 minutes on the floor. Teodosic was selected as the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season MVP, a phase during which he came off the bench in every game before switching to the starting lineup as the season went on. Teodosic had many highlights during the season, including the semifinals when he earned weekly MVP honors for his performance in a Game 1 win in which he had 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. A six-time All-EuroLeague honoree, this is the first All-EuroCup selection for Teodosic in his fourth season in the competition.

### Jamar Smith, UNICS Kazan

This veteran sharpshooter is in his seventh season in the competition and fourth with UNICS. Smith, 34, put together a career-best campaign while leading UNICS to the promised land and the club's first EuroCup Finals appearance in seven years. A former champion with Unicaja Malaga, Smith ranked fourth this season with 17.1 points per game, having scored 13 or more points in 16 games - more than any other player this season. Over his 20 appearances, Smith has made 58 triples for a league-high 2.9 three-point shots per game at an impressive 47.9% accuracy. He has averaged a team-high 16.9 PIR, ninth-best in the EuroCup this season, and led UNICS by playing 27:46 minutes per game. Smith also ranks second on the team in assists (3.5 apg.) and steals (1.2 spg.). A veteran of 108 appearances, Smith had his single-game career-highs in PIR (34), points (32), rebounds (6) and steals (4) during the season, and also moved into the first place all-time in three-point shots made and second place all-time in scoring. It all led to Smith being honored as an All-EuroCup selection for the first time in his career.

### Isaia Cordinier, Nanterre 92

At 24 years of age, Cordinier is the youngest player on the All-7DAYS EuroCup First Team this season. It is his first All-EuroCup honor following his second year in the competition. Cordinier ranked second in average PIR with 19.4 per game. The Nanterre forward was irreplaceable for his team as it competed for a place in the quarterfinals until the final game of the Top 16. Cordinier finished the season as the competition leader in minutes played, averaging 33:57 per game. He was also tied for sixth this season in steals (1.7 spg.) and ranked eighth in the EuroCup in scoring (15.8 ppg.) while making 44.9% of his shots from long range and shooting 56.8% on two-pointers. He also averaged 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists, both being second-best on his team. Such all-around contributions are exactly what separated Cordinier from everyone else in the EuroCup this season; he was the only player to post at least 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game and is a worthy All-EuroCup selection.

### Mathias Lessort, AS Monaco

Lessort, 26, is an All-EuroCup honoree for the second time in his career after earning 2018-19 All-EuroCup Second Team honors. An anchor in the paint for Monaco, Lessort helped the team make history by reaching the 2021 EuroCup Finals while ranking atop the charts in several categories along the way this season. The Monaco big man is tied for fifth in average PIR (17.7), second in offensive rebounding (3.0 orpb.) and fourth in blocked shots (1.1 bpg.). He ranks 10th in the EuroCup and first on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game this season. Lessort is Monaco's third-best scorer with 12.5 points per contest. A starter in all but five of his 22 appearances, and averaging 24:01 minutes per game, Lessort was especially productive in the elimination rounds. The Monaco center was chosen as the Quarterfinals MVP after averaging 24.0 PIR in three quarterfinal games against Buducnost, during which he averaged 18.7 points on 60% field-goal shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks.

### Willie Reed, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

The only member of the 2020-21 All-EuroCup First Team in his first season in the competition, Reed came up big over and over again this season for Buducnost, helping it to the brink of the semifinals. Reed pulled down at least 5 rebounds in 14 of his 17 appearances this season and finished his season ranking fifth in the competition with 6.8 rebounds per game. The 30-year old center was second on the team with 12.7 points and did so by making 70.5% of his two-point shots, which is the fourth-best accuracy in the competition this season. Reed's 17.7 average PIR is seventh-highest this season and he is one of only three players this season to reach a PIR of 30 in three different games. Those performances earned him a pair of weekly MVP awards, including for the opening week of the quarterfinals for his 24-point, 13-rebounds effort in a Game 1 road win over eventual finalist Monaco.

2020-21 All-EuroCup First Team

The 2021 7DAYS EuroCup Finals will see a backcourt matchup between Isaiah Canaan of UNICS Kazan and Dee Bost of AS Monaco, a pair of point guards who do a lot for their respective teams and make them better in several different ways. The two will go head-to-head for the first time when the best-of-three EuroCup Finals tip off on April 27.

### Isaiah Canaan, UNICS Kazan

Canaan has been hurting opposing teams from long range like no other player in the competition. The UNICS guard enters the EuroCup Finals with a league-high 59 three-point shots made. Canaan's energy and explosiveness – as well as his unlimited range – have been giving UNICS a great boost all season long. Canaan has been one of the most reliable pieces for head coach Dimitris Priftis, whether in setting the pace and co-running the offense, or simply as a scoring threat. Starting in all but three games this season, Canaan is second on the team in scoring (14.4 ppg.) and minutes played (26:42), and averages the third-most assists (3.1 apg.). He was huge in semifinal Game 2, when he had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in a win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

### Dee Bost, AS Monaco

An experienced playmaker, Bost has been having the best season of his career. At age 31, and in his fourth season in the competition, Bost has played a crucial role in Monaco's success this season, having a say in everything Monaco does. Entering the finals series, Bost leads the team in minutes played (28:35) and assists (4.4 apg.), and ranks second on the team in scoring with a career-high 13.7 points per game. The veteran point guard has recorded his EuroCup career highs in points (25), assists (11) and PIR (32) this season, and is coming off a solid semifinal series. In Game 2 of that series, he played a career-high 38:22 minutes, scoring 15 points with 5 assists in a series-clinching road win over Herbalife Gran Canaria. Now, with the EuroCup title on the line, Bost is one of Monaco's key cogs who can lead them in making the final step.

Finals matchup: Canaan vs. Bost at point guard

We made it to the EuroCup Finals! It wasn't easy, of course. Obviously, Virtus was a great opponent and we were able to get a great victory in Game 3 of the semis It was something special. We have a special team, so I know that before the game we all believed in each other and we believed that we could win. And we went out there and we were able to do it! I mean, we were close in Game 1 and then in the second game we were able to get them, and we knew if we got back to Bologna we would have a chance. We were able to do it, but hats off to them. They are a great team. They have great players, but I'm just glad we were able to get it done. 

We lost Jordan Morgan midway through that Game 3 but Okaro White did great. I am happy for him because he used to play in Bologna. So I know that probably felt good to get a win against his old team. He was invaluable for us, him and [John Brown]. They both were amazing; everybody was amazing. Everybody did their part in that game. We came together as a team and we were able to get an amazing win. 

"As players, the accomplishment is a championship: That's our goal." 

After a win like that, you celebrate for the night. It's a great accomplishment for the club. Bringing UNICS back to the EuroLeague, this is something great for the club, something that they have been trying to do for the last few years. We are happy that we were able to do that for the club... but it's not over. For us as players, the accomplishment is a championship. That's our goal. That's what we're focused on. We enjoyed the moment and the feeling of being able to say that we could be in the EuroLeague next year. But for us, the job's not done. We have two more games we have to win, so we don't have that much time to celebrate. You celebrate it for the night and then midnight rolls around and you just you forget about it and move on to the next thing. We have to win a championship, and that would be an amazing finish to the season.

The EuroCup title is something that you carry with you not only for the rest of your career but for the rest of your life. You don't get that many seasons in your life. If you're lucky, you get 10. If you're really lucky, you maybe get 15. If you're amazingly lucky, you may get 20, but that's only 20 chances to win a championship. And of those 20, you don't have teams all the time that can win a championship. So when you say that you were on a championship team, a winning team, that's a special thing. I think that's something that all of us, as players, really want to accomplish. We know we have such a special team, so that's something that would stay with us forever. For instance, Michael Jordan is the biggest winner in basketball, but he won 6 titles in 15 years, so any time you have a chance to end the season with a win, that's something special, something that nobody really can take away from you.

I know Monaco is a really good team; they have to be to have gotten this far. We have another tough challenge in front of us and we have to face it. We have a true home-court advantage, and I am definitely looking forward to it. It should be fun! It has been a long way since I joined UNICS last summer. Last season, I replaced Trent Lockett in Jerusalem and talked to him about UNICS when I had the chance to come to Kazan, like places to go eat and stuff like that. I knew he had played here for a couple of years. And so I definitely reached out to him and asked him about the city and everything: what to do, the places to go, how to move around. He was very helpful. I talked to Jordan Theodore, too, and we ended up playing together and fighting now for a big title! 

"It is a great thing when friends can become family." 

We have a special team here and have the chance to do something special. Jamar Smith knows better than us because he already won the EuroCup with Unicaja Malaga. He said it was amazing. That's the kind of thing we want to experience now. He has the experience and told us what it was like. And so we want to get another one for him and one for ourselves!

It is a great thing when friends can become family and have a year where you could build upon a brotherhood where it could last a lifetime. These moments are things that you will look back on for the rest of your life and remember. Winning this title is definitely something that everybody wants. And this team is just so special! As far as teams go, I have been on a lot of great teams and this is just truly special. Everybody gets along, everybody enjoys each other. It's just a great, great team, and I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to play with these guys. They are my brothers! These guys are great, and I just want really bad to win a championship because that's something that lasts forever.

After his team flipped home-court advantage to win a tough semifinal series, John Holland of UNICS Kazan says he and his teammates are laser-focused on winning the 7DAYS EuroCup title when they start the finals against AS Monaco on April 27.