When Gran Canaria completed [its 71-67 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/gran-canaria-turk-telekom-ankara/U2022/195/) over Turk Telekom Ankara in the 7DAYs EuroCup Final, one of the happiest players on the floor was playmaker [Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2022-23). It took Albicy 101 games over seven EuroCup seasons, the last three with Gran Canaria, to finally lift the EuroCup trophy. Albicy led Gran Canaria in PIR (18) in that game. He was already one of the competition's all-time greats when it came to assists and steals, ranking second and fourth all-time, respectively. A trophy was missing, but not anymore. He believes that losing a final before inspired Gran Canaria to not let this opportunity go away. "We have been to the final before, so this was their second time in the final. And for sure, when you lose once, you always want to come back and win after this loss," Albicy said. "And for me, it is also very special to win it with Gran Canaria. I love being here."

**Congratulations on winning the 7DAYS EuroCup!** 

"It's so nice, and it is a big accomplishment for me and the club. I'm just happy we did what we showed all season because, with this format, we know it is very difficult to go to the end. But we did it! We were solid at home, winning all 13 games here. So for us, it was a big step forwards not to lose at home, in front of our fans in Gran Canaria." 

**How special was it to win it with Gran Canaria, a team that chased the EuroCup title for so long?** 

"It is very special for the club. We have been to the final before, so this was their second time in the final. And for sure, when you lose once, you always want to come back and win after this loss. And for me, it is also very special to win it with Gran Canaria. I love being here. My girlfriend is from Gran Canaria, my baby was born in Gran Canaria so for me, it is a very special place. I am very comfortable and thankful to be here so if I can finish my career here, I will be very, very thankful for everything." 

"If I can finish my career here, I will be very, very, very thankful for everything."

**Let's talk about the final against Turk Telekom. You had a great start but Turk Telekom came back. What allowed you to hold them off down the stretch?** 

"I think some defensive actions changed the game a little bit. I remember a steal by Nico \[Brussino\] and a big shot by John \[Shurna\]. I took two offensive fouls and having that changed the game because it was close. They did a great job coming back and putting pressure on us but like I said, John made the big shot for us to be a little bit comfortable. We got stops after that and that's why we won this game."

**You, Shurna, A.J. Slaughter and Oliver Stevic won your first EuroCup title after more than 100 games in the competition. How great was it to win it together for the first time?** 

"Well, John was the first guy I went for after we won. It was easy because he was close, but it was very special for me to be with John and Stevic because they have been the teammates I have played longer with, six years with Stevic and five with John. So for us, it was a big moment because we lose two semifinals together in the past. We really wanted to win this competition and we did it. I was very happy, it was special for us to win this trophy." 

**Shurna played the final with back problems and still was chosen as the game's MVP. How much did he lead by example?** 

"John is an amazing player and an amazing guy and I am so happy that he won this trophy because I think he can play at a better level. He can reach the EuroLeague, for sure, and never had this opportunity. And next year, he will have it, so I am very happy for him. Like I said, after all the work he did for many years, it is great that he won the MVP and especially the EuroCup."

Andrew Albicy led Gran Canaria to the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup title!

Albicy's best assists this season

**You played with many young big guys. Have you seen such a competitive pair of centers of this age on the same team?** 

"I don't think so! They have very big potential to become even better players. They are good players now, but I think they can have a really great career, especially in the EuroLeague. They need a little bit of time to learn but they will do the job. They really want to learn. They listen every time we talk to them and I think they are improving every time on the court. I think they have a great future ahead of them, for sure." 

**Did your EuroCup experience, seven years in the competition, pay off in the final?** 

"Like I said, I know this competition and its format. It changed now, but I know the previous format was tough, too, maybe even tougher! It has more impact if you have a better team because, in one game, you can have a bad day, but if you play home and away, the better team is shown. So this format is very, very tough but you have only one way to win, which is winning every game. Then you don't have problems reaching the trophy. But it's true, experience was big for us. It is why we changed the game in the final minutes the other day, playing hard defense and hitting big shots, because we have the experience to do this at a high level. I think this is why we won the game, too, because maybe they had less experience than us." 

**We know you like to say you are second all-time in assists. How much would you like to go past Stefan Markovic and be first?** 

"Yes, it is something I want to reach. Why not? Like, I think I have five years in my legs, so why not try to reach this first place in assists? I am just happy to be part of the history of Gran Canaria and the EuroCup because now, I know my name is on the trophy, and that's most important for me."

"We forgot the trophy in the arena! When we got to the restaurant, I was like, 'Where is the trophy?'"

**Home-court advantage was big for you and your fans gave you a big push. How important were your fans to this success?** 

"They pushed us because especially the quarterfinal and semifinal were tough. And the eighthfinal was tough for us, too. When we were down, our fans pushed a lot and we felt this energy that helped us make a great play or do extra, do more than we normally do. I think everybody playing at home gets this power from their fans and that is definitely our case, especially this year. We didn't lose a home game in the EuroCup and haven't lost at home in the ACB since November. For us, it was very important to play at home." 

**How was the celebration?** 

"Nice! I wanted to enjoy more, but we had to come back to reality. But We enjoyed with our families, friends and teammates, and it was great. We forgot the trophy in the arena! When we got to the restaurant, I was like, 'Where is the trophy?' But it was good that it stayed in the arena because the people that work for us could take pictures with it and enjoy that moment, too. So it was not a bad thing to leave the trophy in Gran Canaria Arena."

Andrew Albicy, Gran Canaria: 'We really wanted to win this competition, and we did it'

John Shurna, Gran Canaria: 'It’s something special'

We are the EuroCup champions! It is definitely a special moment for our team, for our fans, for our club. We have worked really hard and played against a great Turk Telekom team that has shown fight throughout the entire season and the entire playoffs, so credit to them. They fought until the very end. So it was a hard-fought game but we are the champs! We are feeling good, going to celebrate and remember this for the rest of our lives! 

Like I said, it was a tough game, as everybody expected. Again, credit to Turk Telekom. They are an excellent team, and I think throughout the playoffs, that's what they have shown, that they never give up and they fight, especially in that second half, in which they turn it up a notch. It was a battle all the way to the end, so they deserve a lot of credit. We stayed poised at the very end and were able to get a win, and seeing Oliver \[Stevic\] lifting the trophy was something special. 

"This is something I will remember forever."

Everybody stepped up and made big plays for the team throughout the game. You could go down the whole roster and speak about their contributions to winning this title. I think Andrew \[Albicy\]'s play at the end really stands out, whether it was taking a charge, getting a steal, reading the game really well. I was fortunate to be on the receiving end of one of his passes at the end of the game.

I have been playing with Andrew for a long time now and we have a good connection, and he passed me the ball and believed in me. I just tried to shoot it with confidence and was fortunate to knock it down. Like I said before in this blog, Andrew, Oliver and I have played together since we were with Morabanc Andorra, and we had been to the semifinals twice before. We had lost a heartbreaking game to Andorra last year, too, so finding a way to win with these guys is something special. And like I said, those are two guys who are phenomenal basketball players, but do it all for the team. They are even better people, so I think to share that moment with them is something I will remember forever. 

Gran Canaria forward John Shurna completed a magical season with another individual accolade as the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals MVP. Shurna was the leading scorer with 18 points as Gran Canaria held off Turk Telekom Ankara 71-67 to win the EuroCup for the first time and earn a ticket to the 2023-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

John Shurna | Final MVP | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

In the end, we had a very successful EuroCup, but it has not been an easy EuroCup season for us, not at all. It was tough, especially traveling from the island. This competition is difficult, so I think that's a credit to our entire staff, whether it is trainers, coaches, players. Everyone knows we have a deep team and I think we showed that throughout the entire season. Everybody has stepped up and made plays. Everyone's done a great job preparing us for these moments, so I think this is truly a great team win. 

I was named the EuroCup Final MVP. I don't know. I was shocked, I guess! I think to see my teammates reactions and to get to share that with my oldest son, as well, was amazing. But I really think you could pick anyone from our team and everyone would say, "Yeah, that guy deserves." Like, you could pick anyone. We have, like I said, a deep roster and everybody stepped up and contributed, but I'm obviously happy to receive the honor and to share that with my son is something I'll remember forever as something really special. 

Also, this club, they have been forever in the EuroCup and they won it for the first time. There's a lot of staff members who have been here forever. This win is for all of them, from our president \[Sitapha Savane\] to Victor \[Garcia\] our assistant coach, who has been with this club for a long time, to everybody else. I think to share that moment with them is great. They have been here since the old gym \[Centro Insular de Deportes, where Gran Canaria played until 2014\], and they had great memories there. And I hope this one is near the top for them because it's something special. Everyone has worked really hard, and to share this moment with them, to see the joy on their face is something special. I am happy to be a part of it.

Also, a big "thank you" to our great fans. To have the home-court advantage was huge throughout these playoffs for us, in terms of not traveling, but also getting that support from our crowd each night was huge. It is definitely special to do this on our home court and celebrate with them. 

We are going to enjoy this! As for what's next, talk to me in a couple of days. I am just going to enjoy this moment for now and then we will go from there!

These are the best images from a night that will be remembered in the Canary Islands of Spain as it was the night that saw Gran Canaria become 7DAYS EuroCup champion!

The best photos of the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final

Gran Canaria featured several players who, despite having 7DAYS EuroCup veterans for a long time, never lifted the trophy. That circumstance came to a dramatic an end on Wednesday night when [Gran Canaria edged Turk Telekom Ankara 71-67](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/gran-canaria-turk-telekom-ankara/U2022/195/). All of the Gran Canaria players can now called themselves EuroCup champions.

Most of those veterans played a major role in the victory as Gran Canaria relied on its most experienced players to win.

[John Shurna earned EuroCup Final MVP honors](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/john-shurna-chosen-as-eurocup-finals-mvp/) with 18 points on 4-for-6 two-point and 3-for-5 three-point shooting. He hit a big bomb from downtown to stop Turk Telekom's fourth-quarter comeback and put Gran Canaria back on track to win the title. Shurna lifted the trophy in what was his 111st game in the competition, more than all but 13 other players in EuroCup history, over seven seasons.

[A.J. Slaughter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/aj-slaughter/003637/) had 12 first-quarter points and allowed Gran Canaria to build a 46-24 margin near halftime. Slaughter finished the game with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a PIR of 15. Like the other Gran Canaria veterans, Slaughter's first EuroCup title was a long time coming. This was his ninth EuroCup campaign. He ranks seventh in games played (124), third in scoring (1,418 points) and second in three-point shots made (224) all-time. He is also tied for 10th in assists (348).

A.J. Slaughter, Andrew Albicy and John Shurna combined for 47 points in Gran Canaria's 71-67 win against Turk Telekom Ankara in the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final!

Slaughter, Albicy, Shurna lead Gran Canaria to EuroCup glory!

[Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/andrew-albicy/003425/) had the highest PIR in the winning team, 18, finishing the game with 13 points, 3 assists, 3 steals and 8 fouls drawn. In 101 career games over seven EuroCup seasons, Albicy ranks second all-time in assists (518) and fourth in steals (144).

As Albicy pointed out after the game, he, Shurna and team captain [Oliver Stevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/oliver-stevic/000564/) go way back. All three were with MoraBanc Andorra when it lost against ALBA Berlin in the 2019 semifinals. They were in Gran Canaria when AS Monaco prevailed in the 2021 semifinals. The third time has been a charm for all of them.

"I think I don't realize it yet that we won the EuroCup. For me it's my first victory like this and I want to enjoy it, " Albicy said during the celebrations on-court. "I signed many years with Gran Canaria for this reason, to give them this trophy. And I fought with \[John Shurna\] and \[Oliver Stevic\] to do it for a long time, and I'm so happy to do it with them."

Stevic went scoreless in almost 6 minutes of action and pulled down a couple of rebounds. Those give him a total of 505 boards, fifth overall in the competition. At age 39, Stevic had the honor to lift the trophy as team captain.

"It's amazing, after so many years, after playing a couple of semifinals," Stevic said. "We wanted this night to happen, to have the possibility to play in the final, and what we accomplished tonight is just amazing."

It's been a long time coming, but all of them are now 7DAYS EuroCup champions. Congratulations!

Several Gran Canaria vets waited years to lift the trophy

Gran Canaria v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-05-03T19:00:00.000Z)

...**Gran Canaria** won the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup title! It has become the 15th team to win the competition.

...**Gran Canaria** finished the season with a  13-0, a new all-time record! No other team won 13 home games in a EuroCup season!

...**Gran Canaria** has become the fifth Spanish team to win the EuroCup! Valencia Basket lifted the trophy four times in 2003, 2010, 2019 and 2021. Real Madrid (2007), Joventut Badalona (2008) and Unicaja Malaga (2017) also lifted the trophy.

...head coach **Jaka Lakovic** won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as a player, and now is a EuroCup champion as a coach? Lakovic helped FC Barcelona lift the EuroLeague trophy in 2010. Velimir Perasovic did the same in the past.

...**Damien Inglis** has won his second EuroCup title? Inglis lifted the trophy with AS Monaco in 2021 and just did it again with Gran Canaria! As many as 20 other players have won the competition twice, and only one of them lifted the trophy three times: Rafa Martinez (Valencia **2010, 2014, 2019**).

...**Nico Brussino** is the first Argentinean to win the EuroCup in 20 years! Ale Montecchia, Fabricio Oberto and Fede Kammerichs led Valencia to the original EuroCup title in 2003.

...**Vitor Benite** is the first Brazilian player to win the EuroCup? J.P Batista, who played the 2008 final with Rytas Vilnius, was the closest Brazilian to get the trophy.

…**A.J. Slaughter** won his first EuroCup title in his 124th game in the competition. **Oliver Stevic** finally lifted the trophy in his 113rd EuroCup game, **John Shurna** (111 games) and **Andrew Albicy** (101) also had to wait over 100 games to win their first EuroCup title. Congratulations, Gran Canaria!

Gran Canaria celebrates on the court!

Gran Canaria: Facts of the champion!

Congratulations to Reinhold Eckert, who is the last [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge powered by Ardu Prime](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/home) weekly winner os the season! His team TribbleMac posted a score of 152.4 after the EuroCup final finished.

Eman's team featured the following lineup: team captain Tyrique Jones, Axel Bouteille and Jerian Grant, all of Turk Telekom Ankara, John Shurna and Andrew Albicy of Gran Canaria as starters; AJ Slaughter also of Granca as the sixth man; Nico Brussino and Olek Balcerowski of the champs and two more Turk Telekom players, Berk Demir and Batuhan Acar as bench players; and Jaka Lakovic of Granca as head coach. The prize for finishing first is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

The season is over and it has been a wonderful ride! See you again next season at the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Final winner!

John Shurna chosen as EuroCup Finals MVP

Gran Canaria forward John Shurna completed a magical season with another individual accolade as the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals MVP. Shurna was the leading scorer with 18 points as Gran Canaria held off Turk Telekom Ankara 71-67 to win the EuroCup for the first time and earn a ticket to the 2023-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Shurna, 23, is in his third season with Gran Canaria and seventh in the EuroCup and his experience was key in the final. An All-EuroCup First Team selection this season, he scored 13 points in the second quarter to help get Gran Canaria rocking as the hosts took a 50-33 lead into halftime. He also had the assist of Andrew Albicy's buzzer-beater at the end of the second quarter.

After 2 quick fouls in the third quarter, Shurna took a seat and watched as Turk Telekom rallied back, closing the gap to 64-62 midway through the fourth quarter. Shurna came through again with a triple to give Granca breathing room and his team held on the rest of the way. He finished having made 4 of 6 two-pointers, 3 of 5 threes and 1 of 2 free throws for his 18 points. Shurna also grabbed 3 rebounds. He led all players in +/- with +17 in 26:19 minutes.

Game News

Game Videos

There's something about playing in a final that can make players jittery, and especially when a place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is on the line. Well, in the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final, Gran Canaria's squad managed to avoid fewer turnovers than Turk Telekom Ankara, which was one of the key factors in the game.

Turnovers battle proved decisive in 2023 EuroCup Final

There's something about playing in a final that can make players jittery, and especially when a place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is on the line. Well, in the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final, Gran Canaria's squad managed to avoid fewer turnovers than Turk Telekom Ankara, which was one of the key factors in the game.

Gran Canaria came away with a 71-67 victory to become EuroCup champion for the first time, with the Spanish team committing a total of 14 turnovers compared to 19 for Turk Telekom. John Shurna, the EuroCup Final MVP, and Damien Inglis had a team-high 3 turnovers apiece for Gran Canaria, yet Turk Telekom's Jerian Grant was forced into 7 turnovers, a season high and a new record in a EuroCup Final.

Perhaps worse for Grant is the timing of his seventh turnover, as Andrew Albicy picked his pocket before racing the other way and scoring a layup to make it 71-64 with 0:08 left on the clock. The turnovers battle is always key in a final, and Turk Telekom will no doubt make the trip back to Ankara ruing those 5 extra possessions that it lost.

In the closing stages of the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final, it was impossible to miss Gran Canaria guard Andrew Albicy. The 33-year-old was everywhere and, even though the stats won't necessarily tell the whole story, he was key as his team defeated Turk Telekom Ankara.

Albicy stepped up in crunch time as Gran Canaria became EuroCup champion

In the closing stages of the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final, it was impossible to miss Gran Canaria guard Andrew Albicy. The 33-year-old was everywhere and, even though the stats won't necessarily tell the whole story, he was key as his team defeated Turk Telekom Ankara.

 

Albicy finished the night with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 8 fouls drawn. Yet, in the final 3:12, he made sure that his team got over the line.

Andrew Albicy had 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as Gran Canaria defeated Turk Telekom Ankara 71-67 to become the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup champion.

Andrew Albicy EuroCup Final highlights

First, he delivered the assist for John Shurna's crucial three-pointer at a point when Turk Telekom had got within 64-62. Next, he grabbed a defensive rebound after a missed triple by Nathan Sestina with 3:01 left on the clock. Although he went 0-for-2 from the line after drawing 2 fouls with 0:15 remaining, he stole the ball from EuroCup MVP Jerian Grant on the following possession before scoring a layup, which effectively put the win on ice, 71-64.

 

Albicy had the chance to add to his points total with 0:01 to go, but he didn’t seem too bothered about another fruitless trip to the line with the score at 71-67, as the job was already done. Gran Canaria is this year's EuroCup champion!