Great Britain - Raiders turn down late Euro chance

From thisisplymouth.co.uk
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Plymouth Raiders have rejected an 11th-hour opportunity to play in Europe next season.

It would have been the BBL club's first time in elite European competition.

Raiders, who finished third in the BBL last season, were approached by governing body FIBA Europe to play in the third-tier EuroChallenge, after BBL runners-up Guildford Heat first rejected the same opportunity.

BBL champions Newcastle Eagles were approached to play in the second-tier EuroCup, while only Europe's powerhouses play in the top-tier Euroleague, won last season by CSKA Moscow.

However, Raiders only had a week to meet the competition's exhaustive criteria list and deadline.

“We had the opportunity and I guess we're not ready,” Raiders coach Gary Stronach told Herald Sport.

“But it was disappointing when you looked at the 18-page criteria document and one of the first ones read, '2,000 seater arena'.”

Raiders' current home, the Pavilions seats 1,450 – and there is little room for manoeuvre on that figure.

There might have been room for negotiation on that point, because FIBA are keen to include British clubs, who have lacked the financial clout and facilities to play in Europe previously, in competition.

But not in one week.

“If we were serious about it – which we are – we could have talked to FIBA about our situation,” said Stronach.

“It was nice to be asked, but a bit too late to start negotiating, because it's a massive commitment capital-wise.”

He added: “Will we have to leave the Pavilions to realise our dream of playing in Europe? I really don't know.”

It is understood teams who enter the EuroChallenge must each pay FIBA a £25,000 deposit, to act as a guarantor in case they fail to meet any of the competition's strict criteria.

A sum of money of that size effectively represents another top player on Raiders' books.

Stronach said: “If you renege on any criteria, down to wearing the wrong socks, they take away chunks of that deposit.”

He added: “You have to your cash-flow right to go deep in the competition.

“You need to plan a European campaign 12-18 months in advance and get it right.

“If it's not right, you're going to be in trouble, because you could be going to places like Ukraine and all over Europe.”

Thirty-two teams have entered the opening Elimination Round of this season's EuroChallenge, which kicks off on October 14.

Ties are played over two legs, home and away, with the aggregate winners going through.

The 16 clubs left standing after three knockout rounds, which also include first-round EuroCup losers at the final stage, reach the second group phase.

The top two from four groups of four make the quarter-finals, which revert to a knockout format.

Stronach said: “If we had drawn one of the top seeds, it would have been game over. But if we had had a kinder draw, it would have been interesting – put it like that.”

He added: “It was interesting to read the criteria and see where we are concerning Europe, because one of our burning ambitions is to play in Europe – but, first of all, we want to see if we can do well in the BBL.”

EuroChallenge 2008/09 Elimination Round (32 participants): Liege (Belgium), Siroki (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Borac (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Spartak Pleven (Bulgaria), Zagreb (Croatia), Cedevita (Croatia), Proteas (Cyprus), Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus), Prostejov (Czech Republic), Bakken (Denmark), Svendborg (Denmark), Toulon (France), Vichy (France), Amak (Macedonia), Rustavi (Georgia), Oldenburg (Germany), Skyliners (Germany), Kormend (Hungary), Eiffel Towers (Netherlands), Mobitelco (Romania), Asesoft (Romania), Sibiu (Romania), Samara (Russia), St Petersburg (Russia), Zlatorog Lasko (Slovenia), Banvit (Turkey), Antalya (Turkey), Politheknika (Ukraine), Sumykhimprom (Ukraine), Nykolaiv (Ukraine), Cherkaski (Ukraine), Donetsk (Ukraine).