On Wednesday, October 9, BC Prievidza will start their FIBA Europe Group Stage campaign. Three home games will bring top-level talent to Športová hala. A closer look at who we can look forward to seeing.
Size and Experience from Georgia
BC Kutaisi 2010 might not be the most household name in European club basketball, but they certainly are in their native country Georgia (Tbilisi, not Atlanta!). Three-time Superleague champions and four-time Georgian Cup winners, their trophy cabinet is anything but empty. Nobody should be fooled by their 87:111 defeat versus Levice in BCL qualifiers. They were short-handed and had started their preparation later than the Slovakian champions.
Kutaisi’s roster features size and experience galore. Bigs Giorgi Korsantia, Beka Bekauri, Mikhail Berishvili and Akaki Dvalishvili are all 2,05 meters or taller and regularly appear on Georgia’s senior national team which ranks 24th in the current FIBA standings, a solid 35 spots ahead of Slovakia. Americans Elijah Joiner and Josh Fortune provide athleticism and quickness in the backcourt.
Top Title Favourites from Spain
Hosting last season’s FIBA Europe Cup semi-finalists Surne Bilbao Basket from ACB Spain, the best domestic league on the continent, on October 22 will be the indisputable highlight of the group stage. Maybe the no. 1 favourite to win the competition this time around, the Basques’ roster is as star-studded as they come.
Zoran Dragic might be the biggest name on paper. Elder brother of Goran, the Euroleague and Slovenian national team veteran also played one season in the NBA. Swedish Real Madrid product Melwin Pantzar ranks among the top guard talents in Europe. 2003-born wing Fedor Zugic has been on NBA radars for years, the same goes for Belgian forward Thijs De Ridder. American Marvin Jones, an athletic shotblocker, and Tryggvi Hlinason, a 2,15 meters mountain of a man from Iceland, form a frightening one-two punch at the center spot. Combo guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman’s list of accolades is longer than his name. Last season, he averaged 15 points per game in Basketball Champions League with Darussafaka Istanbul from Turkey. Sharp-shooting Power Forward Tomasz Gielo from Poland, high-IQ PG Harald Frey from Norway, veteran Spanish wing and world champion Xavier Rabaseda, the list goes on and on…
Even more impressive than the individual names, however, is the roster depth. Twelve top players from ten nations and every single one of them would be a superstar in TIPOS SBL. Bilbao dismantled Neptunas Klaipeda, a well-respected squad from basketball hub Lithuania, by 44 points on aggregate in the qualifiers. And the celebrity status does not stop with the players: Head Coach Jaume Ponsarnau was the Eurocup Coach of the Year in 2019 and won the competition with Valencia.
A Good Mix from Bulgaria
Last but certainly not least, BC will host Balkan Botevgrad on November 6. The three-time Bulgarian champion (last in 2023) boasts ample European experience: this year’s group stage marks their seventh straight participation in an international competition.
Their squad is an interesting collection of competent Americans like athletic combo forward Cory Reeves (last season with Spisska) or center Tyere Marshall, solid Europeans like stretch PF Ivan Gavrilovic from Serbia and serviceable locals.
Balkan are known for an excellent youth academy and state-of-the art facilities. Pulling the strings in the background is Sasho Vezenkov, Bulgarian basketball legend and father of Euroleague MVP and Olympiacos superstar Sasha.
Get the Full Package
Hungry for some high-level European basketball now? You can knock down your personal three-pointer by clicking THIS LINK and obtaining the three-game package for the very convenient price of 21 EUR total.
Photo: FIBA Basketball