News
Awards
EuroCup Rising Star candidates

EuroCup Rising Star candidates

Awards

20 February 20235 Mins read

Just like the races to reach the playoffs and secure home-court advantage in the 7DAYS EuroCup are heating up down the stretch, so is the competition to become the 2022-23 EuroCup Rising Star. This season could bring about one of the tightest votes ever thanks to the plethora of worthy candidates.

To be eligible for this award, players must have been 21 years of age or younger on July 1, 2000. The winner will be chosen through voting by the EuroCup's head coaches and the candidates are not limited to the players listed below. Here are the top candidates to date, listed in alphabetical order by surname.

Olek Balcerowski, Gran Canaria

The winner of the 2020-21 EuroCup Rising Star Trophy, Balcerowski is a modern center who can pull the trigger from downtown, run the floor with great speed and rebound well at both ends. He has averaged 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks for a PIR of 11.9 in 14 EuroCup games this season, all while playing less than 17 minutes per game. Balcerowski ranks third in the competition in two-point shooting (79.3% 2FG) and is eighth overall in PIR (29.7) and blocks (2.2) per 40 minutes.

Juhann Begarin, Paris Basketball

At age 20, Begarin has surprised experts and fans alike with his physicality and defensive skills. He ranks second in steals at 2.1 per night and leads all Rising Star candidates in scoring with 12.0 points per game. Begarin has also averaged 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.5 blocks and a PIR of 11.4. His energy and athleticism are a perfect fit for Paris's run-and-gun style. Begarin comes off his best game, too, with 22 points on 8-of-9 two-point shooting, 5 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 29 against Buducnost.

George Conditt, Promitheas Patras

Born on August 22, 2000, Conditt is an unusual candidate for the award since few American-born players compete in Europe at this age. Conditt has been strong in the paint for Promitheas with averages of 7.6 points on 61.8% two-point shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks for a PIR of 9.5. He had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds against Hamburg in just his fourth game in the competition. An old-school center with good post moves, Conditt needs to improve his free throw percentage (59.5% FT) to become a bigger threat on offense.

Khalifa Diop, Gran Canaria

Diop won the Rising Star award last season and has a chance to repeat which is something that only EuroCup legend Bojan Dubljevic has done in the past. He is playing with more confidence this season, finishing a lot of plays under the rim and making the most of his extended playing time. Diop has averaged 9.8 points on 68.0% two-point shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. He leads Gran Canaria in PIR (12.7) and ranks second in the competition in offensive rebounds per 40 minutes (6.0).

Ismael Kamagate, Paris Basketball

Considered by many the frontrunner in the Rising Star race, Kamagate has been a dominant force in Group B. He has proved to be one of the biggest defensive walls in the competition; Kamagate leads the EuroCup with 1.7 blocks per game and is second in rebounds (9.6 rpg.). He has been an effective scorer, too, ranking fourth in two-point shooting (78.1%) and fifth in PIR (18.8). Kamagate earned Round 6 MVP honors after posting 12 points, a career-high 19 rebounds, 4 blocks and a personal-best PIR of 41 against Hamburg.

Juan Nunez, ratiopharm Ulm

Nunez entered the competition as a promising pass-first playmaker with a high basketball IQ and has done everything in his power to rise to the expectations. Nunez ranks sixth in the EuroCup in assists on a per-minute basis (9.1 prorated over 40 minutes) and 15th in steals per minute (2.5 over 40). He has averaged 6.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals for a PIR of 8.4. Despite his energy and passing skills, Nunez has plenty of room for improvement, as his shooting has not been the best (45.8% 2FG, 26.1% 3FG, 57.1% FT) and he is second in turnovers per 40 minutes (5.7).

Ziga Samar, Veolia Towers Hamburg

In his first EuroCup season, Samar has adjusted well to the competition as his pass-first mentality fits perfectly into Hamburg's transition game. Samar is tied for fifth place in the competition in assists (5.6 apg.) and leads all Rising Star eligible players in that category. He is averaging 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals for a PIR of 9.9 while making 85.7% of his free throw attempts. Samar had his first career double-double against Slask in Round 12 with career-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds for a PIR of 25 in his team's win.

Matteo Spagnolo, Dolomiti Energia Trento

Spagnolo has helped Trento as a scorer, a passer and by playing with great energy. He has averaged 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal for a PIR of 9.0 in 10 games this season. Spagnolo has scored in double digits in all but three games, including 15 points and 5 assists against Turk Telekom. Spagnolo has struggled with his field goal accuracy (39.4% 2FG, 26.7% 3FG), but ranks 10th overall in free throw shooting (89.5% FT). At age 20, Spagnolo has plenty of room for improvement and is showing he is much more than a scorer.