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Eurocup DC - News Article Premium - Round 28 Highlights: Barcelona - Baskonia

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Every season the 7DAYS EuroCup produces a fresh crop of stars who arrive from all over and go on to leave their mark on the competition. Here's an introduction to 10 new faces with no prior experience in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague or the EuroCup who could play major roles in the 2021-22 campaign.

### Jabril Durham, Hamburg Towers
### 
Jabril Durham is a EuroCup newcomer on a debutant team, Hamburg Towers. The point guard will hold the reins to the offense and that is a good thing, seeing that he led the Belgian League in assists with 6.3 per game for Belfius Mons-Hainaut last season. The 27-year-old is entering the prime of his career and is a player to keep an eye on.
### Cristiano Felicio, ratipharm Ulm
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After spending six seasons in the NBA, Cristiano Felicio comes to Europe for the first time. He promises to be a physical presence in the paint and an excellent offensive rebounder whose passing skills make it dangerous for opponents to double team. Ulm will be counting on Felicio to make a major impact on a nightly basis.
### Abdul Gaddy, Promitheas Patras
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Veteran playmaker Abdul Gaddy is a team-first player who will have a key role in the Promitheas attack this season. With experience playing in Italy, Latvia, Germany, Greece and Israel, the 29-year-old is familiar with many playing styles and eager to test his skills at a higher level in the EuroCup.
### Keith Hornsby, Boulogne Metropolitans 92

Keith Hornsby is elite at one of the most important skills in modern basketball, making three-pointers. He led the German League in three-point accuracy last season at 50.9% kin what was just his second season playing in Europe. Now Hornsby joins a talented cast with the Metropolitans and his ability to stretch the floor will be vital for the team's success.
### Marcus Keene, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana ###

Even though at 1.75 meters, he is often the shortest man on the floor, Marcus Keene is also one of the most dangerous. Last season he led the VTB United League in scoring with 20.0 per game for Kalev Cramo and he faced several EuroCup and Turkish Airlines EuroLeague defenses along the way. Cedevita has great goals this season and Keene's ability to make baskets will be crucial to achieving those goals.
### Lukas Meisner, Hamburg Towers ###

Lukas Meisner's production has only grown from year to year since he made his professional debut in 2018 with medi Bayreuthin his native Germany. He's a top-notch three-point shooter and a strong rebounder, serving as a natural mismatch thanks to his mix of paint and perimeter skills. The challenge of playing in the EuroCup gives Meisner another place in which to show off his versatility.
### Johnathan Motley, Lokotiv Kuban Krasnodar ###

After proving himself at nearly every stop in the United States, Johnathan Motley heads to Russia to do the same in the EuroCup. Motley won the Karl Malone Award as the top power forward in college basketball in 2017 and was named to the All G-League Team in each of his first three professional seasons. Now with Lokomotiv, Motley has a chance to shine bright on the international stage.
### Cameron Reynolds, Dolomiti Energia Trento ###

It may take Cameron Reynolds a little while to adjust to the EuroCup, but when he does his talent cannot be denied. Reynolds has bounced between the NBA and the G-League the last few seasons and whenever he has gotten minutes, he's left a positive impression. Reynolds has the athleticism, shooting skills and basketball smarts to become a go-to- guy for Trento in short order.
### Jasiel Rivero, Valencia Basket ###

This native of Cuba has made a name for himself first with his play in South America and more recently in the Spanish League. Jasiel Rivero now joins a powerful Valencia Basket frontcourt where he will look to flourish in the EuroCup. He is dangerous low-post scorer and a force on the glass, who can also step outside and bury three-pointers. Rivero should have a big role for Valencia this season.
### Rasheed Sulaimon, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse ###

Rasheed Sulaimon is a do-it-all swingman with a strong record of play in his three seasons in France and most recently one season in Spain. He is a team player who can score and pass well in addition to his impact on the defensive end. Not all of Sulaimon's contributions will likely be seen in the scoresheet, but his impact will be seen in all of Bourg's success.


Here's an introduction to 10 new faces with no prior experience in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague or the 7DAYS EuroCup who could play major roles in the 2021-22 campaign.

EuroCup signings: Newcomers

Hamburg Towers announced on Wednesday that swingman Caleb Homesley will complete the team's roster for its upcoming 7DAYS EuroCup debut. Homesley (1.98 meters, 24 years old) arrives from Erie of the NBA G League, where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 15 games last season, his first as a pro. Prior to that, Homesley played four seasons at Liberty University, in the last of which he put up 15.3 points and 5.7 rebounds on average.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">It&#39;s kinda 🧙 Zuletzt noch im Trikot der <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WashWizards</a> - ab sofort ein bei den <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamburgTowers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HamburgTowers</a>! ♜♖<br><br>📰 ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/CB8S9ICBB7">https://t.co/CB8S9ICBB7</a><br><br>Herzlich Willkommen, <a href="https://twitter.com/get_buckets05?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@get_buckets05</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MorethanBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MorethanBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/easyCreditBBL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#easyCreditBBL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSEuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/DBAf2r75Gz">pic.twitter.com/DBAf2r75Gz</a></p>&mdash; Hamburg Towers (@hamburgtowers) <a href="https://twitter.com/hamburgtowers/status/1432992069576970241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hamburg closes roster with swingman Homesley

After winning both its groups last season but getting swept in the quarterfinals, Boulogne Metropolitans 92 has had a sizeable roster shakeup, starting with venerable French national team coach Vincent Collet taking over the bench. His vast experience is reflected in several new additions to the roster, giving Metropolitans the depth of knowledge needed to aspire to a long run in this season's 7DAYS EuroCup.

### BACKCOURT

With former EuroCup and NBA champions added over the summer, the Metropolitans backcourt will benefit, first and foremost, from experience and know-how. Veteran point man Will Cummings won the EuroCup title in his debut season with Darussafaka back in 2018 and has averaged 10.9 points and 2.5 assists over three seasons total. He'll pair nicely with versatile two-guard Jordan McCrae, who lifted the NBA trophy with Cleveland in 2016 and reaches Paris in his prime at age 30. They and newly signed sharpshooter Keith Hornsby will join forces with two solid holdovers: David Michineau started 14 games at point guard and averaged 9.6 points last season while Lahaou Konate mostly came off the bench for defense. Who among them can step up as a second lockdown defender and an extra shooter will go a long way to completing what looks like a very balanced backcourt.

### FRONTCOURT

Metropolitans has more newcomers than returnees in the frontcourt, with the arrivals led by Vince Hunter, who was the Top 16 MVP and an All-EuroCup Second Team selection last season while playing for Virtus Segafredo Bologna. The Parisians opted for experience when adding forwards, too. Bandja Sy has played five previous EuroCup seasons in three different countries, averaging 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds with solid interior shooting. Power forward Steeve Ho You Fat, age 33, comes with a wealth of French League experience and a reputation as a solid rebounder. That duo will complement returnees Tomer Ginat, who was a full-time starter last season at power forward, and center Miralem Halilovic, who joined Metropolitans in the middle of the season but played just two games due to injury.

### PLAYER TO WATCH

If Hunter can anchor the inside as he did for semifinalist Virtus the second half of last season, Metropolitans will have made one of the steals of the summer signings market. In 11 games in the 2021 portion of last season, Hunter put up 12.5 points and 6.1 rebounds for a performance index rating of 18.0 per game. He also made 63.5% of his two-point shots in that span. Any similar numbers will go a long way toward helping Metropolitans establish an interior game that will make it easier for perimeter players to do their jobs.

### OUTLOOK

With a seasoned expert like Collet calling the shots for a team full of veterans, Metropolitans will aspire to at least repeat its quarterfinals run of a season ago. Once surviving the regular season is secured, gaining homecourt advantage as deep into the elimination rounds as possible will be a priority, as will working on the end-of-game situations that are likely to be encountered in those do-or-die games. If both can be accomplished, Metropolitans can go far.

Roster rundown: Boulogne Metropolitans 92

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica announced that center Willie Reed signed a deal to remain with the club this season. Reed (2.11 meters, 31 years old) was chosen to the All-EuroCup First Team last season after posting 12.7 points on 70.5% of his two-point shooting plus 6.8 rebounds in 17 EuroCup games, helping Buducnost reach the quarterfinals. He ranked fifth in the competition in rebounds, fourth in two-point accuracy and seventh in PIR (17.7).

Reed started his career with Springfield of the D-League and also played for Hapoel Eliat of Israel, Grand Rapids, Reno and Salt Lake City in the D-League, Metros de Santiago of the Dominican Republic, as well as for Brooklyn, Miami, Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit of the NBA before making his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut in 2019 with Olympiacos Piraeus.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">&quot;Rid Rid Rid Rid Rid&quot;<br>Huk koji se mogao čuti sa tribina na jedinoj utakmici koja se igrala pred ograničenim brojem navijača.<br>Vili Rid se ponovo vraća u plavo bijeli dres na godinu dana. A to znači samo jedno - SHOWTIME MOŽE DA POČNE 🔵⚪ <a href="https://t.co/I37u1dcth0">pic.twitter.com/I37u1dcth0</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1431197480042082304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

All-EuroCup center Reed returns to Buducnost

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The 7DAYS EuroCup has long been a springboard to stardom for some of the best young players in Europe. Past EuroCup Rising Star Award winners have gone on to great success on both sides of the Atlantic whether as EuroCup champions, medalists in the World Cup or EuroBasket, or NBA All-Stars. Many of the top youth talents are homegrown, but there is a growing number of top prospects who are signed in their late teens and early 20s to develop their games and help their teams battle for glory. Here are some of the top players signed by teams this summer who will be eligible for the 2022 EuroCup Rising Star award, too.

### Igor Drobnjak, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

Drobnjak, 21, takes a step forward this season after already emerging as a force in the ABA League second division and earning a spot on the Montenegrin national team. The point guard returns to Buducnost for a bigger role after previous stints with the club. Last season Drobnjak averaged 12.6 points and 4.0 assists in helping Studentski Centar finish atop the regular-season standings and reach the championship in the ABA second division. Coach Aleksandar Dzikic has high hoped for him.

### Blaz Habot, Cedevita Union Olimpija 

Cedevita plucked the 20-year-old Habot away from domestic rival Hopsi Polzela over the summer and gave him a four-year deal. The 2.06-meter big man is still a work in progress, but he continues to work hard and raise his level. Last season he averaged 4.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in the Slovenian League and in Coach Jurica Golemac he has an ideal role model to help build his game.
### Lukasz Kolenda, Slask Wroclaw

The oldest player on the list at 22, Kolenda, comes off an excellent season with fellow Polish squad Trefl Sopot. The combo-guard showed his chops as both a scorer and playmaker with 11.4 points and 3.6 assists per game while starting roughly two-thirds of his team's games. Once he finds his role under Coach Petar Miljovic, Kolenda will look to leave the maximum impact as one of the top young players in Poland.
### Yam Madar, Partizan NIS Belgrade

Not only was Madar one of the top players in the Israeli League last season as a 20-year-old, but the point guard was also the captain of his Hapoel Tel Aviv team. Scouts have closely followed Madar's progress since his breakout with the Israeli national team at the U20 European Championships in 2019. Despite being two years underage, Madar helped Israel to the gold and was named to the all-tournament team. The coaching and fan support in Belgrade will surely help Madar take his game to the next level.
### Nico Mannion, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

Born in Italy, Mannion was raised in the United States where he became a basketball prodigy. His father, Pace Mannion, was a professional basketball player and his mother, Gaia Bianchi, was a pro volleyball player. Nico played for Golden State in the NBA last season, but now comes for Bologna in search of a larger role. With backcourt mates like Milos Teodosic and Marco Belinelli, Mannion will have the chance to learn on the fly while trying to lead his team to a title.
### Mario Nakic, MoraBanc Andorra 

Just two years removed from earning MVP honors at the 2019 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament with U18 Real Madrid, the 20-year-old Nakic will debut in the EuroCup. The small forward displayed his excellent shooting in the Belgian League last season by making 56.7% of his three-pointers for Filou Ostend. That world-class stroke figures to be his ticket to a big role with Andorra.
### Nikos Rogkavopoulos, Promitheas Patras

Rogkavopoulos, 20, debuted for the Greek national team at the pre-Olympic tournament in Canada alongside a host of accomplished EuroLeague stars and showed he belonged thanks to his all-around skills, outside shooting and hustle on defense. He had already impressed scouts worldwide with Greek junior national teams at both the European and world championships. Promitheas penned Rogkavopoulos to a three-year deal and will allow him to grow into a big role with the club.
### Alen Smailagic, Partizan NIS Belgrade

After three years overseas, Smailagic returns home to Belgrade to play for the legendary Zeljko Obradovic. The 21-year-old big man boasts a mix of size, shooting touch and athleticism that could make him a dominant force in years to come. After he shakes off the rust and adjusts to a new system, all signs point to Smailagic becoming a core piece for Partizan this season.
### Tarik Sezgun, Frutt Extra Bursaspor

Earning playing time as a teenager on the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champs is nearly impossible, so Sezgun, now 20, switched sides to Bursaspor where he hopes to have a bigger role. Sezgun has been one of the top players in his age group in Turkey for many years and played on all the Turkish junior national teams. Bursaspor locked him up on a four-year deal and hopes to make him the core of the franchise for years to come.
### Fedor Zugic, ratiopharm Ulm

The youngest player on this list, Zugic will turn 18 next month, but has already started seven EuroCup games and averaged 5.3 points per game for Buducnost last season. He also became the youngest player to ever appear in a EuroLeague game the season before. Coach Jaka Lakovic is not afraid to give young players chances and Zugic will have even more opportunities to show his skills this season in Ulm. 

The 7DAYS EuroCup has long been a springboard to stardom for some of the best young players in Europe. Here are some of the top players signed by teams this summer who will be eligible for the 2022 EuroCup Rising Star award, too.

EuroCup signings: Young guns

Copy of EC Report -117 U2020 (RS)

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2021-03-10T16:30:00.000Z)