Cluj’s animal-loving big man Zach Hankins dreams of own safari park

Many players in the BKT EuroCup own a pet – maybe a dog or a cat they go back to after a game. And while [Zach Hankins](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zach-hankins/013304/) is one of those players as well, living with his wife and dog, the [U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/carousels/u-bt-cluj-napoca/?q=%7B%22articleId%22%3A%22%22%2C%22categoryId%22%3A%22%22%2C%22linkedId%22%3A%7B%22sourceSystem%22%3A%22FS_BASKETBALL_TEAM%22%2C%22sourceSystemId%22%3A%22clu%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%22%7D%7D&carouselTitle=U-BT%20Cluj-Napoca) big man’s love of animals goes much, much deeper than most. In fact, Hankins’ post-playing career dream is to own a safari park.

The 28-year-old admits that he has put a lot of thought into his big plan, which is basically a zoo without fences.

“That's a huge motivation for me,” Hankins tells David Hein. “I have studied a lot and gotten much more knowledgeable of the different animals that I would like to have: how to get them, how to fence them, how to care for them properly, how to give them a good life and make something really, really natural and beautiful. I've done a lot of work in understanding that.”

Hankins’ hometown of Charlevoix in northern Michigan has 2,500 people and the Cluj center grew up with horses, chicken and sheep, while he would explore the woods. He went on to receive a degree in environmental biology from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, central Michigan.

While there, Hankins not only helped the Ferris State Bulldogs win the NCAA Division II title in 2018, but he also studied hawks and looked at butterflies and bear hair snare – the latter being a barbed-wire corral around trees with a bait in the center to help study bears’ behavior.

His professional basketball career took him to Czechia and Israel in 2019-20 and then after missing the 2020-21 season due to a torn ACL, he played in the NBA G League and Puerto Rico in 2021-22.

The 2022-23 season was by far Hankins’ most successful, helping Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem reach the final of the Basketball Champions League and guiding the team to the Israeli Cup, with Jerusalem beating Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the final. He also was named the 2022-23 Israeli League’s MVP.

The best plays of U-BT Cluj-Napoca center Zach Hankins through the first five rounds of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season.

Zach Hankins' top plays in 2024-25

Despite all that success, maybe the thing that Hankins will remember most long term about his nearly two seasons with Jerusalem was last season, when he spent his off days volunteering at the Biblical Zoo in the city. 

“That was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Hankins says. “I'm still in their group chat on WhatsApp. I get updates from the guys. I got to see they just got their second rhino. They brought in one rhino while I was there and I got to work with him. They just brought in their second one. So now they're figuring out how to have two rhinos together, along with having these rhinos in a mixed exhibit with giraffes and other antelope species and ostriches. And it's a really, really unique zoo.”

Since his wife had returned to the United States due to the Israel-Hamas war last season, Hankins had free time on his own. He visited the zoo and started talking to the head keeper for the grass eaters.

“I was just asking him a bunch of questions, like really, really in-depth questions about these animals,” Hankins continues. “And he's like, ‘Do you want to come and volunteer with us?’ I was like, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ So from then on, I spent almost all of my off days dressing up like a zookeeper and going there and learning how to take care of these animals and work with them and also develop some really, really great relationships with the keepers there as well.”

During his time there, Hankins was training a rhino and working with giraffes and studying zebras.

“The number one thing would be working with a rhino,” Hankins recalls. “Rhinos are like dogs. They are really like dogs. He loves getting scratched. He comes when you call him and you give him some food. He gets scared of loud noises and jogs away from you. But having an animal that large, that close to you, like just petting him on his face and his horn, it's a really surreal experience.”

<center>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5xrtT4A5Yl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5xrtT4A5Yl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5xrtT4A5Yl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Hapoel Jerusalem BC (@jerusalembasket)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

Hankins also talked about the zookeepers asking him what animal he would be and he came up with an oryx, which is a really unique antelope species – very strong body, very agile and has some deadly horns when you get too close to them.

“It's a very underestimated animal. It's a very deadly animal. They actually named one after me, which is really cool,” he says of an oryx named Zachy.

All that experience in the Biblical Zoo also helped him deal with the emotional burden of the political situation in Israel and everything involved with it.

“I definitely had to use it as a tool last year to allow myself to decompress away from the situations that were around me,” he comments. “It was a very difficult year in Israel, very difficult travel, very difficult playing. It was tough. And so to have that as a tool that I could use to separate myself from basketball was important. The guys I worked with didn't care too much about basketball. They cared more about me as a person and having great conversations. So that was great.”

That experience also gave him a lot of information and motivation to pursue his big dream.

“Some of the understanding was basically my little internship at the zoo, actually getting hands-on work with some of these animals that I want to own someday,” he adds. “And that was one of the coolest things I've gotten to do. And I really want to do that a lot more in my life. So definitely is still a number one goal for me.”

Hankins also has a location for that – in Oklahoma, where his wife is from.

“I’m now an Oklahoman. Love it there,” he says. “They got beautiful spaces, beautiful land. Yeah, it's a great place.”

Hankins’ future dream will have to be put on hold as he is trying to lead Cluj to big things in the EuroCup.

“When we play the right way, man, we're a really, really good team and we can do a lot of things later on in the season,” Hankins says.

Until then, Hankins will have more time to think about his future safari park.

The EuroCup rookie has big goals, on and off the court

What a difference a week makes. Paolo Galbiati knows that just about better than anybody else as, in the space of a couple of weeks, the Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach went from being a disheartened and apologizing play-caller to the man of the night after his team pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the early BKT EuroCup season.

Trento goes from massive disappoint to overjoy after upsetting Hapoel 

What a difference a week makes. Paolo Galbiati knows that just about better than anybody else as, in the space of a couple of weeks, the Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach went from being a disheartened and apologizing play-caller to the man of the night after his team pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the early BKT EuroCup season.

Galbiati was full of joy after his team [surprised title contender Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 79-73](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/trento-shocks-hapoel-with-fourth-quarter-comeback-79-73/) to snap a two-game losing skid.

“It’s a sweet win. (Hapoel) are unbelievable, the talent they have. But we played with a great heart and a great desire,” Galbiati recognized after the game. “I’m happy for the players. We have to keep pushing. The key was the desire we put on the floor with everybody, no matter the mistakes.”

Those statements came just seven days after Trento fans saw a completely different Galbiati following his team’s 110-70 loss at Bahcesehir College Istanbul in Round 4. Bahcesehir set a number of club records in that win: most points in a game (110), most points in a quarter (37), most points in a half (63), biggest winning margin (40) and most offensive rebounds (17). 

The 40-year-old Galbiati said after the loss to Bahcesehir: “We were awful. It happens, we are young without a lot of experience at this level. We have to grow to stay in this competition and prove that we are not this. I want to apologize to our management, our club, our fans, everybody. We played awful. I’m so sad because I am responsible for this.”

The spirits in Trento were much higher after the win over Hapoel.

“This was a great night for us. A great bounce back after the very bad loss we had last week. I think it will be a sweet night for the players because it was a huge win over an unbelievable roster with incredible players,” Galbiati noted.

<center>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBgZrTktXrs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBgZrTktXrs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBgZrTktXrs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Aquila Basket Trento (@aquilabaskettrento)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

Stats junkies probably didn’t see this win coming. Not only was Hapoel a much more talented team, but Trento had been playing poorly most of the season.

The team ranked 18th of 20 teams in the league in opposition PIR at 106.8 and 17th in opposition scoring at 89.3 points. Trento ranked 19th in offensive rebounds allowed at 13.3 and created only 11.3 turnovers a game for 18th place.

But Trento held Hapoel to a season-low 73 points, as well as a PIR of 78, just 8 offensive rebounds and 16 turnovers. Hapoel also was second in the league in two-point shooting at 63.0 percent but made just 56.8 percent against Trento’s defense.

The hosts’ offense also showed a better side than usual with 4.2 points more than its scoring average while also shooting 36.8 percent on three-pointers – better than the fourth-worst three-point shooting of 28.6 percent.

“We won this game on defense because we were almost perfect. We will celebrate a little bit and then get back to work,” the Italian coach said.

It really is funny how much difference a week can make.

More Trento News

The Italian side responded in style after a couple of difficult weeks

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2024-10-23T18:00:00.000Z)

Look back at all the action in Round 5 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos from Round 5

Look back at all the action from Round 5 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Two extraordinary individual performances in respective winning efforts allowed Marko Pecarski of 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and Axel Bouteille of Bahcesehir College Istanbul to share co-MVP honors in Round 5 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season.

Round 5 co-MVPs: Marko Pecarski and Axel Bouteille

Two extraordinary individual performances in respective winning efforts allowed Marko Pecarski of 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and Axel Bouteille of Bahcesehir College Istanbul to share co-MVP honors in Round 5 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season.

Pecarski helped Lietkabelis record its first win of the campaign, having dominated in an 84-80 win over the previously unbeaten Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse. Pecarski had a career-high 34 PIR and scored a career-best 22 points on perfect shooting after going 8 for 8 on two-pointers, 1 for 1 from three-point range and 3 for 3 on free throws. His 22 points without missing a shot are the eighth most in EuroCup history and a record for a Lietkabelis player. Pecarski also posted 8 rebounds, his second-highest tally this season, and tied his career high with 2 blocks. He drew 3 fouls, too. Bouteille led Bahcesehir to a 75-92 road win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. He had a season-high 21 points on 5-of-6 two-pointers, 3-of-7 three-pointers and 2-of-3 free throws, adding a career-high 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 34, his highest mark in 78 EuroCup career games.

The third-best PIR in Round 5 belonged to Dreamland Gran Canaria’s Miquel Salvo, who had a career-best 32 PIR in his team’s 125-78 win over ratiopharm Ulm. Salvo netted a career-high 20 points, going 2 for 3 on two-pointers, 2 for 2 on three-pointers and 10 for 11 on free throws, while he also recorded 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 6 drawn fouls. His +36 in the plus-minus column is the second-highest mark of any player this season. Jaka Blazic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana posted a PIR of 29 after amassing 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in his team’s 75-82 win at Aris Midea Thessaloniki. Rounding out the list of top performers is Umana Reyer Venice’s Rodney McGruder, who had a PIR of 28 on his club and EuroCup debut, as the guard finished with 28 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 4 steals in an 80-68 win against Veolia Towers Hamburg.

### Individual highs: Rodney McGruder, Reyer, 28 points

Reyer’s Rodney McGruder scored a round-high 28 points on his club and EuroCup debut. Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem is the competition's top scorer at 20.4 points per game.

Axel Bouteille of Bahcesehir College Istanbul led all rebounders by pulling down 12 in Round 5. Mfiondu Kabengele ranks first overall at 10.2 rebounds per night.

Six players – Hapoel Sholomo Tel Aviv's Patrick Beverley, Cedevita’s Devante Jones, Valencia Basket's Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, Trefl Sopot’s Tarik Phillip and Jakub Schenk, and Hamburg’s Brae Ivey – dished 7 assists, the most in Round 5. Zavier Simpson of U-BT Cluj-Napoca ranks first overall with 7.5 assists per contest on average.

McGruder, Harper and Dreamland Gran Canaria’s Carlos Alocen each recorded 4 steals in Round 5, the most in this round. Beverley leads the overall standings with 2.4 per game.

Two players – Buducnost's Aleksa Ilic and Aris’ Joshua Roberts – had a round-high 3 blocks. Ilic and Jaen-Marc Pansa of Bourg are tied for first overall with 2.0 blocks per night.

Bouteille (21 points, 12 rebounds) was the only player to post a double-double.

Two players share the MVP honor for Round 5.

Congratulations to Rokas Joneliunas, our fifth winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Rokas's team, Rubšta GOAT, posted a score of 191.7.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 5 winner

Congratulations to Rokas Joneliunas, our fifth winner in the 2024-25 [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Rokas's team, Rubšta GOAT, posted a score of 191.7.

The team featured the following lineup: Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem as team captain, Noa Essengue of ratiopharm Ulm, Semi Ojeleje of Valencia Basket, Nico Brussino of Dreamland Gran Canaria and Marko Pecarski of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys as the other starters. Carl Wheatle of Umana Reyer Venice was his sixth man, while Adam Mokoka of U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Jaime Pradilla of Valencia and Lietkabelis duo of Georgios Kalaitzakis and Mantas Rubstavicius made up the rest of the bench. Nenad Canak of Lietkabelis was the head coach.

The prize for finishing first in Round 5 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season!

We have a steady leader in the overall standings, too, as Bert Bjelobradic's squad named Rodijaci i Kumovi has a total of 876.05 points after the first five rounds and is ahead everyone else. Trades are now open for Round 6. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

Trento forward Anthony Lamb had a key role as his team stunned Hapoel Tel Aviv BC to win in Round 5 of the 2024-25 EuroCup season.

Anthony Lamb shined for Trento in surprise win over Hapoel

[Anthony Lamb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-lamb/013272/) played a major role in [Dolomiti Energia Trento upsetting Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/trento-shocks-hapoel-with-fourth-quarter-comeback-79-73/) in the best game of his young BKT EuroCup career.

The European rookie scored a game-high 23 points in Trento’s 79-73 shocker over Hapoel to snap a two-game losing streak in Group A. Lamb also collected 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block – the latter coming with 15 seconds left – for a PIR of 24. He also clinched the game with two free throws with 15 seconds remaining.

Game Videos

“My teammates put me in a great spot and we took advantage of mismatches and we made the most of it,” said Lamb, who played last season in the Australian NBL for the New Zealand Breakers in his first season outside the United States.

“My teammates played unbelievably hard. We cleaned up the rebounds and a lot of the turnovers. Hapoel is an amazing team and they played so hard the whole game. It was a really tough win.”

Lamb was big throughout the game, scoring six of Trento’s first 12 points to get the team rolling right away. And the 26-year-old tallied nine points in the game-deciding 20-5 run over the final seven minutes to get the win.

“Anthony was clutch,” stated Trento coach Paolo Galbati.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Crazy 🖤🦅🔥</p>&mdash; Dolomiti Energia Trento (@AquilaBasketTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AquilaBasketTN/status/1849181894988243268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The forward has been strong all season for Trento, coming into the game averaging 11.8 points, though he had struggled from long range at just 22% three-point shooting entering the game. Lamb has shown he can handle the ball and be a playmaker at times with 7 assists against Trefl Sopot in Round 2. And he demonstrated against Hapoel that he knows how to step up in big moments.

Lamb came to Trento with some decent pedigree, being named as the All-American East Conference Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020 at the University of Vermont, winning the NBA G League title in 2022 with Rio Grande Valley Vipers and playing for United States at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022. Lamb also reached the NBA Western Conference semifinals in 2023 with the Golden State Warriors, albeit as a bit-part player.

He is definitely someone the rest of the EuroCup teams will not take lightly anymore.

Game News

The former Golden State Warrior was clutch down the stretch

Bahcesehir College Istanbul registered it fourth win of the EuroCup season on Wednesday, securing a 17-point triumph in the Montenegrin capital over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. This 75-92 win was a classic tale of two halves.

'Way better defense' saw Bahcesehir flip the script at Buducnost

Bahcesehir College Istanbul registered it fourth win of the BKT EuroCup season on Wednesday, [securing a 17-point triumph in the Montenegrin capital](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-sinks-buducnost-on-the-road-75-92/) over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. This 75-92 win was a classic tale of two halves.

In the first, Buducnost nailed 10 three-pointers and led by as many as eight points. The hosts scored 49 points behind [Fletcher Magee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/fletcher-magee/012630/), who had 23 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting.

In the second, Bahcesehir allowed just 26 points, including just 7 in the third quarter. The visitors finished the quarter on a 0-17 run, which allowed them to open a 56-70 lead and cruise the rest of the way.

"We needed to improve our defense," Bahcesehir head coach Dejan Radonjic said of his team's adjustments between the second and third quarters. "We did a lot of good things in the second half, and also offensively we played smart."

Bahcesehir's defense held Buducnost to just 34.5% on two-pointers in this game, and also just 3-for-15 three-point shooting in the second half. What's more, the Turkish side forced 13 turnovers, including 11 in the last two quarters.

"I think our offense was good the whole game, but our defense was way better in the second half," admitted Bahcesehir's [Axel Bouteille](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/axel-bouteille/003840/), who finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 0 turnovers.

"I think we played consistently on offense and that's why we won tonight," Bouteille added.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Buduċnost VOLI galibiyetimizin MVP&#39;si 21 sayı, 12 ribaund, 6 asist, 34 verimlilik puanı performansıyla Axel Bouteille oldu. <a href="https://t.co/EY4OLDWsNZ">pic.twitter.com/EY4OLDWsNZ</a></p>&mdash; Bahçeşehir Koleji Spor Kulübü (@BKBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKBasketbol/status/1849182128078254485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Alongside Bouteille, [Sehmus Hazer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sehmus-hazer/011201/) had an all-round performance of 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/) netted 20 points.

With four wins after five rounds, and the EuroCup's second-best point difference (+86), Bahcesehir has shown that it is aiming high this season.

The visitors allowed just 7 third-quarter points en route to a big road win

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2024-10-23T17:30:00.000Z)

Jaka Blazic inspired KK Cedevita Olimpija to an impressive road win at Aris BC in Round 4 of the 2024-25 EuroCup season.

Jaka Blazic turned back the clock to inspire Cedevita past Aris

There are not many players who can boast [Jaka Blazic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaka-blazic/003452/)’s on-court experience in the BKT EuroCup. On Wednesday night, the Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana captain proved on the road at Aris Midea Thessaloniki that time hasn’t dimmed his star.

The 34-year-old guard put together a player-of-the-game display on Greek soil and led his team to [a 75-82 road victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/cedevita-rallies-back-to-down-aris-75-82/) that allowed Cedevita to improve to a 4-1 record. In fact, Cedevita’s 4-1 start is made all the more impressive given that the club had gone 4-32 over the last two EuroCup seasons.

Boosted by the crowd at Palais De Sports, Aris took a 48-37 lead into the second half. Meanwhile, Cedevita struggled to get stops on defense and didn’t manage to find its flow on the other end. The player who carried the Slovenian side on his shoulders was none other than Blazic, who produced a mature performance. The Cedevita guard recorded 10 first-half points, going a perfect 3 for 3 from inside the arc and 4 for 4 from the charity stripe.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">📊 Končna statistika tekme:<br><br>➡ Blažič 19 točk / 5 skokov / valorizacija 29<br>➡ Robinson 18 točk <br>➡ Stewart 15 točk / 8 skokov / valorizacija 23<br>➡ Radović 10 točk / 5 skokov<br>➡ Nikolić 6 točk<br>➡ Geben 6 točk<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevaDruzina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevaDruzina</a> <a href="https://t.co/4ve5lxKALT">pic.twitter.com/4ve5lxKALT</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (@KKCedOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL/status/1849168557814223173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The guests turned the tide after the break, putting an emphasis on their defense and holding Aris to 13 and 14 points, respectively, in the last two quarters to pull off a hard-fought comeback. Blazic spearheaded Cedevita’s effort on both ends, playing a key role in its fourth-quarter run. In the last seven minutes of the game, the experienced guard recorded 7 points, 2 assists and 2 important steals to help Cedevita gain back the momentum, outscore Aris 14-28 and seal the victory.

“We showed character in the second half, especially on defense and through that we got easy points on offense and confidence,” Blazic said after the game. “At the end we also showed character when the game was close. On defense we were aggressive, we changed some things and it worked. We will build on this and hope to get more wins in the EuroCup.”

Blazic nailed 4 free throws that saw him move into sixth place all-time in EuroCup charts with 284 free throws made. He ended the duel with a game-high 19 points, as well as 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn for a season-high PIR of 29.

Had he added another 3 points to his tally, he would be now tied with E.J. Rowland in sixth place overall in the scoring charts. Yet, Blazic will surely enjoy reaching that milestone on home soil next week, when Cedevita is set to host Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem at Arena Stozice.

The veteran guard was instrumental in the Slovenian side grabbing its fourth win of the season

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2024-10-23T17:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca showed impressive fight and determination as it beat Hapoel Jerusalem in the EuroCup on Wednesday night.

Cluj outmuscled Hapoel with steely defense and hustle 

Flying after a 67-103 demolition of Veolia Towers Hamburg in the previous round of the BTK EuroCup, U-BT Cluj-Napoca carried its momentum into Round 5 for [an impressive 73-81 victory at Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/resilient-cluj-holds-firm-to-stun-hapoel-jerusalem-73-81/).

[Karel Guzman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/karel-guzman/011797/) stood out with a career-high 20 points for Cluj, which prevailed in almost all departments as the visitors won the battle of the boards 46-34 and nailed 11-of-26 three-pointers against a mere 6 of 23 sank by the Israeli outfit.

In addition, Cluj was clinical from the foul line as the visitors buried 10-of-12 free throws while Hapoel made 19 of 30, highlighting the home team’s scoring woes. With both sides hustling and playing aggressive defense, turnovers piled up at both ends as Cluj committed 22 and Hapoel had 16.

However, Cluj did a better job sharing the ball as it racked up 17 assists while Hapoel only managed 12 against a stingy visiting defense which cut out the supply routes to the home side’s shooters.

Despite Guzman’s heroics, including a clutch three-pointer which completed Cluj’s 0-13 run for an unassailable 67-80 lead in the closing stages, it was the relentless [Adam Mokoka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/adam-mokoka/012698/) who won the player of the game award with 14 points and 9 boards.

“It’s a good team and very talented offensively but we never stopped fighting,” Mokoka said in a post-game courtside interview. “We had ups and downs, but from the beginning to the end we kept playing together and that’s how we got this win. We are in a good spell right now and we will try to build from here."

<center>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBetlgnNlVH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBetlgnNlVH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBetlgnNlVH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by U-BT Cluj-Napoca (@ubancatransilvania)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

Cluj head coach Mihai Silvasan was pleased with his team’s effort but also rued a serious injury suffered by captain [Patrick Richard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/patrick-richard/011801/).

“I am very happy with the performance and the fact that we won on a very difficult court against a good team,” he said.

“It’s a sign that we are growing from game to game in our effort to become a better team. Unfortunately, we just found out that our captain Patrick Richard suffered a double fracture to his hand and we’re very sad about that. We need to move forward step by step and be a team in every sense of the word.”

In Round 6, Cluj is at home to Umana Reyer Venice while Hapoel visits Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana as the battle for postseason spots in Group B intensifies.

The hosts endured a torrid night against the physical Romanian outfit, which forced a barrage of tough shots and dominated the boards

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-10-23T16:30:00.000Z)