A perennial favorite welcomes the hottest team in the BKT EuroCup in one of Round 7’s premier matchups on Tuesday.

Joventut looks to overcome injuries, undefeated Paris

In a top-class BKT EuroCup showdown in Group A, [Joventut Badalona (3-3) will look for a much-needed win against undefeated Paris Basketball (6-0) at Palau Olimpic on Tuesday night](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/joventut-badalona-paris-basketball/U2023/62/).

In the last four EuroCup seasons, Joventut had a 33-5 home record (86.8%), going unbeaten at home in the 2019-20 campaign and losing once just in 2021-22. This season, Joventut is 2-2 at home, with one of those victories requiring overtime against Wolves Vilnius.

Why is Joventut struggling at home? Injuries, mainly. Right now, Joventut is without star playmaker Andres Feliz and big men Ante Tomic and Vladimir Brodziansky. One of the main off-season signings, power forward Chinanu Onuaku, left the club earlier this month. In times of need, Joventut is set to do what it has always done best: give playing time to homegrown talents from its fantastic youth program.

Ruben Prey is expected to be the team's starting center until either Brodziansky or Tomic return. Born in Portugal, Prey joined Joventut at age 15 and soon started playing with its Spanish fourth division team. Three years later, he is seeing quality playing time in the EuroCup. Prey had 7 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in a home loss against London Lions last week. Another top prospect, 17-year-old big man Michael Ruzic, has averaged 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in under 8 minutes on average since making his EuroCup debut against Veolia Hamburg Towers in Round 5.

Joventut, however, will rely a lot on guard Andrew Andrews to bounce back. Andrews has stepped up in recent games, getting 33 points in a Round 5 victory over Veolia Hamburg Towers and 20 against London last week. His points will be critical against a high-scoring team like Paris, led by playmaker T.J. Shorts, who has been almost unstoppable until now.

Joventut Badalona guard Andrew Andrews scored 33 points in a Round 5 victory over Veolia Hamburg Towers, and added 20 against London Lions in Round 6 last week.

Andrews steps up for Joventut

Shorts is averaging 17.0 points and leading the competition in assists (7.7) and steals (2.5). He ranks fourth in PIR (21.3) despite being completely off-target from beyond the arc (11.1% 3FG). Just like five of his teammates, Shorts played for head coach Tuomas Iisalo at Telekom Baskets Bonn last season and their adjustment to a new team and a new competition has been really fast.

Paris leads the competition in PIR (121.0), on track to set an all-time record that currently belongs to ratiopharm ulm at 111.6 per game last season. Paris is also first in scoring (101.2 ppg.), making 40.0% of its three-pointers despite Shorts's struggles from downtown. Bandja Sy (70.0% 3FG), Collin Malcolm (55.6%) and Tyson Ward (48.1%) are shooting over 45.0% from deep so far.

Stopping Shorts should be Joventut's first priority, and the hosts will rely on Pau Ribas to do so. Ribas has been one of the best defensive guards in European basketball over the last decade due to his off-the-charts basketball IQ and high intensity. He joined Joventut at age 5 and has always been linked to the club, so his commitment and ability to keep the team together will be critical in these injury-plagued times.

Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball averages 15.8 points, 3.0 assists and a PIR of 13.0 so far in this BKT EuroCup season.

Nadir Hifi is pure showtime

Fans at Palau Olimpic will have the chance to see some of the top candidates to win the EuroCup Rising Star award this season. Nadir Hifi, age 21, is having a great EuroCup debut campaign, coming off the bench to average 15.8 points, 3.0 assists and a PIR of 13.0. His flashy playing style, looking for spectacular assists, is well-loved by Paris and European basketball fans alike. Versatile forward Yannick Kraag is also having a groundbreaking season in Badalona, averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and a PIR of 10.0.

This game has everything to be a great showdown. Paris arrives with a perfect start in Group A, but Badalona is always a tough place to play. Joventut has a chance to please its fans with a bounce-back victory, and many young players can showcase their talent.

Joventut Badalona v Paris Basketball (2023-11-14T19:30:00.000Z)

### Simone Pianigiani, Cedevita Olimpija head coach

"We always have to be focused on us and our game, because we have to work on creating our identity. We have a challenging match with Hamburg ahead of us, regardless of the fact that both of us are still without a win in the EuroCup. It is a quality team that has a large number of points in its hands. In the German national championship, they have the same win-loss record as Bayern, so it is definitely a team that is of high quality, but the results in the EuroCup do not show it. In the last league match, our rivals showed all their qualities and won it after a turnaround and overtime. We have to be positive and try to win as many matches as possible. I'm glad the guys are working hard. We have to fight, try to reduce the number of turnovers and do everything to win the first game in the EuroCup."

### Rok Radovic, Cedevita Olimpija player

"We want the first victory in the BKT EuroCup. We learned from the defeat against Umana Reyer in Venice that we have to play consistently for the whole 40 minutes, without ups and downs, and I hope  it's time to get on the winning track in the European Cup on Wednesday."

Pre-game quotes: Cedevita vs. Hamburg

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-11-15T17:30:00.000Z)

The Romanian club is off to a great start in its second BKT EuroCup season and maybe can even start dreaming about the EuroLeague.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca can be the next big thing

While everyone is focused on traditional powers or the up-and-comers from London and Paris, there's another EuroCup team that is steadily improving and proving that it can be a factor in the European basketball landscape.

While you were not watching, U-BT Cluj-Napoca has a 5-1 record - including a pair of road wins - and everything in place to take the next step.

Not bad for a team that made its EuroCup debut last season and remains pretty much an unknown quantity in European basketball. However, if you look closer, it's easy to understand why this is happening and why Cluj-Napoca is here to stay.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurocup/1581458/u-bt-cluj-napoca-can-be-the-next-big-thing/)

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers some very interesting opportunities in the seventh round of the regular season.

Fantasy tips for Round 7: New players stepping up

It seems like it was only yesterday when the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup started, and we are getting closer and close to the regular season's halfway mark. Paris Basketball and defending champion Dreamland Gran Canaria remain undefeated, but players across the continent continue to step up on a weekly basis. We made a selection of players, not particularly expensive, who can help managers do better at the [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home). Here are our recommendations before Round 7.

[Kris Bankston, Aris Egalia Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/kristeon-lamar-bankston/012760/) (9.1 credits) – Bankston comes off a fantastic week in which he barely missed any shots. He had 14 points on 7 of 7 two-pointers and a PIR of 18 in Round 6 against Buducnost, and then got 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting and a PIR of 20 in the Greek League against Panathinaikos.

[Prentiss Hubb, Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/prentiss-hubb/012595/) (9.6 credits) – Trento is on a three-game winning streak. Hubb did a little bit of everything to lead Trento past Slask in Round 6: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and a PIR of 18. We like the many ways Hubb can contribute to his team, which gives him a lot of fantasy value.

Rasheed Sulaimon, Aleksander Dziewa, Kristeon Bankston, Prentiss Hubb and Derek Needham are featured in this week's article.

EuroCup Fantasy tips: Round 6

[Aleksander Dziewa, Veolia Towers Hamburg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/aleksander-dziewa/011168/) (11.6 credits) – Fully established as one of the best big men in the EuroCup, Dziewa keeps proving his value night in and night out. In Round 6, Dziewa had 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 fouls drawn against Besiktas, good for a PIR of 23. Dziewa should do well against high-scoring Cedevita.  

[Derek Needham, Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/derek-needham/008945/) (10.4 credits) – Needham has been playing for head coach Dusan Alimpijevic for a while, and now that he is back and healthy, he is expected to lead. He did exactly that in Round 6: 15 points, 4 assists and a PIR of 18. Needham is Besiktas's floor general, as his team faces a run-and-gun game against London.

[Rasheed Sulaimon, Wolves Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/rasheed-sulaimon/011150/) (11.4 credits) – The man of the moment! Sulaimon earned Round 6 MVP honors and has been unstoppable lately, averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 assists and a PIR of 30.0 in the last two games. Wolves went on to beat Zalgiris in the Lithuanian League. If he is playing well and his team is winning, buy him now!

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-11-14T17:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Slask Wroclaw (2023-11-15T20:00:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-11-15T19:00:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-11-14T18:30:00.000Z)

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2023-11-14T18:30:00.000Z)

Wolves Vilnius v Umana Reyer Venice (2023-11-15T17:00:00.000Z)

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul v London Lions (2023-11-15T17:00:00.000Z)

Prometey Slobozhanske v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2023-11-14T17:00:00.000Z)

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys put an end to a three-game losing streak in Group B by downing Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 100-96 last week at home thanks to Deividas Sirvydis, who stepped up with career-highs of 27 points and a PIR of 35.

Deividas Sirvydis, Lietkabelis: 'We are showing everyone that we can win'

A former ANGT MVP, [Deividas Sirvydis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/deividas-sirvydis/007029/) returned to Europe this summer and has been one of Lietkabelis's pillars this season, averaging 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a PIR of 15.2 in five BKT EuroCup games. His father, Virginijus Sirvydis, was a shooting guard who guided his career since Deividas started playing basketball at age 7. He still tries to give him advice, as he told Javier Gancedo in this exclusive interview. "Basically after every game, I speak with them, mom and dad, and they also watch my games," Sirvydis said. "My dad was also a shooter who has a lot of guidance for me. That's why I am right now where I am, thanks to him."

**Congratulations on the win over Bourg and snapping the losing streak. You were very focused from the beginning. Did that make the difference?**

"I wouldn't say like more focused, but probably it was because of a couple losses before, we were probably more hyped for the game and just wanted to start a winning streak, and that's what happened. And in the end, we just enjoyed playing basketball with each other. And when you enjoy basketball, then the results come."

**Coach Canak is back with the team and most players in the team are used to playing for him. Is that an advantage?**

"Yeah, I think so. The first day when he came back here, most of, or at least some of the guys who played with him the last seasons, they knew him and were in a good mood, you know? And everyone was smiling. Everyone was happy about it. Basically, he proved that he knows all of our team because he was coaching Lietkebalis in the last couple of years and most of our \[new\] guys played in different teams in Lithuania. As for me, he watched me playing in the United States, so he knew everyone. We feel that, and it's really nice to play for him."

"When you enjoy basketball then the results come."

**I am sure you had many options when you came back from the United States. Why did you choose Lietkabelis?**

"First of all, as I said before, not only Coach \[Canak\] but also our general manager Martynas Purlys showed a big, big interest in me a couple of years ago. So starting from that and talking about how I came here, it's basically that when I spoke with Martynas Purlys and our previous coach \[Roberts Stelmahers\], they said that it was going to be a good platform for me to play here, and I'm going to get playing minutes and this exact role on the court. And of course, the main reason was the EuroCup."

**You are the only team in the EuroLeague or the EuroCup with no Americans. In fact, you only have two foreign players. Does it show the power of Lithuanian basketball?**

"Definitely. I mean, I wouldn't say all the people, but most of the people say that we couldn't play because we didn't have Americans or players from other countries. And everyone in Lithuania thinks that Lithuanians only can be like a kind of role player or something. But with our team, we are showing everyone that we can win, and Lithuanians are also really good players."

**Like you said, you have a new role in this team, with the ball in your hands, making things happen. How are you enjoying this?**

"I love it! I just like to play basketball and basketball is not all about scoring points but for me. I like having the ball. I like to pass the ball to others, make big plays, and it just feels good to know what I can do, and that Coach knows what I can do. It is just incredible."

Deividas Sirvydis of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys is averaging 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a PIR of 15.2 in 5 BKT EuroCup games until now.

2023-24 EuroCup highlights: Deividas Sirvydis, Lietkabelis

**Vytenis Lipkevicius and Gediminas Orelik have led this team lately. How have they embraced you and accepted your role as another important player in the team?**

"I think we had no problems, only maybe in the first couple of games. It was kind of a little bit harder for us because no one knew what I could do and I didn't know what I could do when we were on the court. But after the first couple of games, we figured everything out and right now we are just easy. And as I said, it feels good to play in this team because we have really good chemistry. We just enjoy being with each other."

**You were a star in the ANGT tournament and earned MVP honors in 2018 playing for U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius. What do you remember about it?**

"Really good memories! I think that was the maybe second or third time in the team's history that we won that championship. So it was great. It was funny that we played the qualifying tournament in Kaunas and played against the same team in the big tournament final. When we knew we were going to play against Stellazzurra in the finals in Belgrade, we knew it was going to be a very tough game. And it was a very tough game! It is even more fun when you win after a tough game, so only good memories!"

**Your father Virginijus Sirvydis was a professional player, too. How much of an impact has he had on your career?**

"A lot. I mean, not only him, also my mom. She played basketball before, too, but my dad was a professional basketball player. Right now he's a coach and basically after every game, I speak with them, mom and dad, and they also watch my games. If they somehow miss any of my games, they will watch it later. My dad was also a shooter who has a lot of guidance for me. That's why I am right now where I am, thanks to him. He was a good shooter. You know, I was still a kid, but yeah, I remember watching him and yes, he was crazy good."

"It just feels good to know what I can do and that Coach knows what I can do."

**He also played in Russia, Cyprus, Germany and the Czech Republic. Did you travel with him to all those places when you were young?**

"When he played in Russia, I was like a little kid, so I didn't remember much, but, I was living with him for a while in Germany, the Czech Republic and Cyprus. I think these three countries, maybe I'm missing something, but these three countries for sure. I was 7 years old when I started playing here in Lithuania, but when I was visiting my dad over in those countries, I always watched practices and after them we stayed on the court. And, I was learning to shoot, and he was also rebounding the ball for me. So yeah, basketball was everywhere."

**You finish the first round of games on the road against Slask and at home against Cluj. What does the team need to keep winning and get close to the playoff zone?**

"As our coach is saying every time, we need to start everything from our defense. And in the last couple of games, our defense was not the best, of course, but in the last game, in those key moments, it was pretty solid. But we have to figure it out. I mean, our tactics and game plan is, we're doing exactly as we are told but usually, it is more psychological issues than one-on-one defense, probably. We have to be better at that and I think that's the main goal because on offense, we score a lot of points. We share the ball and all shooters get good looks. So the main thing is our defense."

### Fred Fauthoux, Bourg head coach

"We need to rediscover a little of the identity that we had since the start of the season. We need to regain all that after a little slump. It's an experienced, rough team, which keeps a lot of control. ball in attack, we have to get into the match quickly."

### Giannis Kastritis, Aris head coach

"This is our second away game in a row against a team that are doing great in both BKT Eurocup and their domestic league. This means a lot for their quality and how demanding it will be for us. We have to be very focused in our game plan, control their fastbreak points and make smart decisions in our offense."

### Ronnie Harrell, Aris player

"Two days after a very strong game against Panathinaikos, we face a very good team for the BKT EuroCup. Bourg is having a very good season so far and they deserve it, as they have a deep roster with a lot of quality. We play everywhere for the win and we made it twice so far away from our gym. To get the result we want, we have to overcome the fatigue and have energy in defense, so that we low their scoring and in the same time, be effective in the offensive part."

Game News

Pre-game quotes: Bourg vs. Aris

### Ronen Ginzburg, Prometey head coach

"It's good to win, but it is not great for us right now. Hapoel is a talented team, especially at guard. They have quality players and they score a lot of points. We have to avoid them from running and scoring. Then we have to be more aggressive on defense, we know what everyone can do, but it all starts with their fastbreak."

### Caleb Agada, Prometey player

"We are feeling well. It's been a while since we son, but everybody contributed their positive energy to push us ahead. They have a great roster and a great team. It will be a good challenge for us."

Pre-game quotes: Prometey vs. Hapoel

The order of the BKT EuroCup Regular Season Round 9 and 18 games between 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and U-BT Cluj-Napoca will switch to accomodate arena unavailability.

The order of the games will be as follows:

Round 9: U-BT Cluj-Napoca – 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys Wednesday, November 29 at 19:00 Local time.

Round 18: 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys - U-BT Cluj-Napoca Wednesday,  February 7 at 19:00 Local time.

Order of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, U-BT Cluj-Napoca games switched 

The BKT EuroCup Regular Season Rounds 9 and 18 games between 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and U-BT Cluj-Napoca will switch in order due to arena unavailability.

The BKT EuroCup Regular Season Rounds 9 and 18 games between 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and U-BT Cluj-Napoca will switch in order due to arena unavailability.

The new order of the games will be as follows:

**Round 9:** U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys Wednesday, November 29 at 19:00 Local time.

**Round 18:** 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca Wednesday, February 7 at 19:00 Local time.

Order of games between Lietkabelis and Cluj is switched

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2023-11-29T17:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2024-02-07T17:00:00.000Z)