The 28-year-old guard emerged as the Spanish team’s game-winner twice in two games
Caleb Homesley propelled Gran Canaria past Bahcesehir

Dreamland Grand Canaria fully vindicated its name after a 72-76 win at Bahcesehir College Istanbul gave the Spanish outfit a well-deserved triumph over its Turkish rival in a rip-roaring BKT EuroCup semifinal series, largely thanks to Caleb Homesley’s heroics.
With Bahcesehir leading the best-of-three series 1-0 and forging a 66-68 lead late in Game 2, Homesley came up with a clutch three-point play with one second left on the clock to even the series and force a tiebreaker in Istanbul.
That was the solitary shot Homesley made from the floor and having sank 4 free throws, he finished on a mere 6 points but few Gran Canaria fans were bothered as the guard’s late antics had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Homesley then found his range and room to operate in Game 3, knocking down a pair of triples in the third quarter and another one late in the fourth, giving Granca a decisive 71-73 lead before he put the icing on the cake with a pair of free throws with 0.1 seconds left on the clock.
“I am really proud of our guys, the organization and the coaching staff,” a humble as ever Homesley said in his postgame comments after posting a team-high 19 points. “It hasn’t been an easy EuroCup season as we’ve won some and lost some, but tonight was a testament to our hard work throughout the season. It’s all about confidence and as long as you refocus and understand what you need to do better, the outcome is whatever it may be.”
It was a fitting end to this season’s rivalry between the two teams, as they also met twice during the regular season with each side winning on home court. The pattern continued in the opening two games of the semifinal series before Gran Canaria flipped the script when the chips were down.
It put Granca and their head Jaka Lakovic in dreamland after a tough regular season in which the Spanish side finished third in Group A on a 12-6 record, which denied the competition’s 2023 champions a bye in the first knockout round and an automatic quarterfinal berth.
Having squeezed past visiting Umana Reyer Venice 84-80 in the eighthfinals, Gran Canaria ground out an 89-92 road win at Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem in the last eight to book what turned out to be a captivating semifinal series against Bahcesehir.
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In his postgame comment, Lakovic reflected on the monumental effort it took the reach the finals.
“It was a tough game as we expected it to be, much like all five games we played against Bahcesehir this season,” the Slovenian tactician said. “We are talking about a great team as they were the best in the group stage. This game came down to one possession and some free throws in the end, we were just a little luckier and we collected some important rebounds,” he added.
There is little doubt that Bahcesehir will find it difficult to stomach its first home loss of the season in the EuroCup after 11 straight victories, having clinched Group A with a 14-4 record to emerge as the favorite to reach the championship series from its side of the draw.
The Turkish team’s head coach Dejan Radonjic tried to put on a brave face but he could not disguise bitter disappointment after his men failed to hold on in the home stretch, having nosed ahead 71-70 on the back of a Jaleen Smith three-pointer.
“Congrats to Gran Canaria for the win, it was yet another tough game between these two teams,” Radonjic said. “It came down to the last possession after we missed 5 free throws in the last 10 minutes. We need to analyze the game and then focus on the next one.”