FIBA Europe Cup: Group H preview

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - There are four exciting up-and-coming teams in Group H of the FIBA Europe Cup, headlined by last year's Final Four participants, Enisey Krasnoyarsk from Russia.

Compared to other FIBA Europe Cup groups, there might not be as many trophies and titles among the Group H sides, but all of them have made huge strides over the last couple of seasons, either domestically or on the international stage.

Sigal Prishtina (KOS), Rilski Sportist (BUL) and Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece (TUR) join the Russian side in the battle for tickets to the Second Round of the competition.

Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece set to make European debut
After earning two promotions in the span of three years, Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece made their debut in the Turkish BSL last season, joining a plethora of clubs on the European side of Istanbul in the country’s top flight.

Having finished 10th in their first year among the big boys, the Buyukcekmece club laid solid groundwork for their second campaign, which will mark another milestone for the Turkish club, as the upcoming season in the FIBA Europe Cup will be the first international test for the Istanbul club.

Coached by the youngest specialist in the Turkish BSL, Ozhan Civgin, Buyukcekmece played exciting, eye-catching and up-tempo basketball on the domestic front last year that will surely be appreciated by European fans as well.

With names like Kenneth Hayes, Osiris Eldridge, Kahiem Seawright, Angelo Coloiro and Clevin Hannah on the roster, as well as big man Andrija Stipanovic, the Istanbul side will be among the teams to look out for not only in the early stages of FIBA Europe Cup, but also as it progresses.

Bulgarian Cup winners Rilski Sportist return for another go
Rilski Sportist sent a minor shockwave through Bulgarian basketball last year, when they upset historical favourites Lukoil Academic in the Bulgarian Cup Final for their maiden domestic trophy.

However, the shockwaves did not materialise into an earthquake, as the Sofia powerhouse restored the status quo in the Bulgarian NBL league Play-Offs, beating Rilski Sportist 3-0 in the Semi-Final series.

Nevertheless, the past season was a move in the right direction for the Samokov club, who took part in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) Qualification Round by virtue of winning the domestic cup.

After being eliminated by Tsmoki Minsk, Rilski switched to the FIBA Europe Cup, where they participated last season as well. Undoubtedly, the focus for Rilski will be one-upping their first appearance in the competition, when their journey ended already in the Regular Season.

The major change at the club came in the shape of former assistant Ludmil Hadjisotirov getting a hard-earned promotion and replacing his predecessor Rosen Barchovski who moved to an advisory role within the club.

The 37-year-old former Bulgaria international Yordan Bozov, who averaged 13.2 points, 3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the FIBA Europe Cup last year, will be the axis things will revolve around at Rilski this season well.

Can Enisey Krasnoyarsk reach the Final Four again?
In the inaugural season of the FIBA Europe Cup last year, Enisey Krasnoyarsk starred in one of the major roles, as they reached the Final Four of the competition. The Russian team marched all the way to Chalon sur Saone, but had to settle for fourth place.

From the four best teams, Enisey will be only one of two teams returning to the FIBA Europe Cup this season, so there is no denying that Oleg Okulov’s side will feel at least some weight of expectation on their shoulders.

Perhaps the most remotely located team in the entire competition, Krasnoyarsk will definitely not be among the top destinations for other FIBA Europe Cup sides, especially with Enisey losing only twice at home in the competition last season.

On the other hand, there is still be room for improvement, as the Russian side missed out on the VTB League Play-Offs after finishing 10th in the 16-team Regular Season.

The team will be centred around the American trio of Tony Taylor, Maalik Wayns and Frank Elegar, with Russians Vladislav Trushkin and Alexey Vzydakhalkin also playing important supplementary roles.

Sigal Prishtina hope to improve on debut season
Sigal Prishtina enters its second FIBA Europe Cup season as the only national champions in Group H after claiming the treble in Kosovo last season, with victories in the Kosovar Superliga, the domestic cup and the regional BIBL League.

The team from Prishtina went into the record books as the first-ever team from Kosovo to take part in a European competition. However, their debut campaign in the FIBA Europe Cup ended already in Regular Season, with Sigal winning two games in six tries.

The start of the new season has been somewhat worrying for Sigal fans, who have seen their side drop the first two games of the season in the domestic Superliga, including one against the club’s main rivals Peja.

The defending Kosovar champions will have plenty of time to make up ground in the domestic championship, but in order to have dreams of advancing to the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup, a strong start is almost a must.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonian center Bojan Trajkovski, British guard Andrew Lawrence and Americans Malcolm Rhett and Jabarie Hinds will have to step up their game for Prishtina to stand a chance against their powerful group opponents.

FIBA