Aris BC was on a five-game losing run and had not won at home all season, but Trey Woodbury's career night saw him finish with 25 points and 8 rebounds as his team won 81-66 against Lietkabelis Panevezys.

Trey Woodbury came to the fore on an important night for Aris

With [Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-midea-thessaloniki/ari/) still missing star guard [Vassilis Toliopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/vassilis-toliopoulos/004292/) due to injury, it needed somebody to step up and address its slide in the BKT EuroCup. Coming into Tuesday night’s Round 12 clash against [7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys/lkb/), Aris had lost five straight and failed to win at home all season long. Fortunately for coach Ioannis Kastritis, he could count on first-year guard [Trey Woodbury](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/trey-woodbury/013251/).

The 25-year-old set the tone early by scoring Aris’s first 5 points to give the hosts a 5-4 lead, before adding another 6 points in the final 4:11 minutes of the first quarter to move to 11 points personal. Lietkabelis, however, finished the first quarter with a slender 18-19 advantage.

While he netted just 2 points in the second quarter, with the score 32-34 at the break, Woodbury scored the opening basket of the second half and sparked a 7-0 run that put the wind back in Aris’s sails. He was also very active on the glass, grabbing 6 first-half rebounds, and he entered the fourth period with a stat line of 17 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist.

In the end, it was Woodbury who helped put the game to bed in the final frame. After making it 67-70 to Aris with a layup halfway through the quarter, he appeared again shortly after by knocking down back-to-back threes to move the score to 75-62 and provide a gut punch to Lietkabelis. Once he saw his second three-pointer fall in quick succession, Woodbury celebrated by imitating Steph Curry’s night-night celebration and [Aris went on to win 81-66](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/aris-downs-lietkabelis-81-66-to-record-first-home-win-this-season/).

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Aris has certainly given itself a lot to do in its bid to make the EuroCup Playoffs, as the team is now 3-9 and in ninth place in Group B, but with Woodbury scoring a career-best 25 points and tying his personal best with 8 boards, he has shown that he is up for the task. 

Several players on Aris’s roster have displayed their quality in recent weeks, namely [Landers Nolley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/landers-nolley/013249/) and new recruits [Sharife Cooper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sharife-cooper/013500/) and [Darral Willis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/darral-willis/010397/), but it has resulted in losses. Now that it has the monkey off its back, let’s see if Aris can make a late run towards the postseason, starting on the road at [Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-bank-yahav-jerusalem/jer/) on January 2.

Game News

In beating Lietkabelis, the American’s team stayed alive in the playoff race

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2024-12-17T18:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv announced early on Wednesday that point guard Noam Yaacov has suffered a small tear in his quadriceps muscle

Hapoel guard Noam Yaacov to miss time with muscle tear

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv announced early on Wednesday that point guard [Noam Yaacov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/noam-yaacov/011386/) has suffered a small tear in his quadriceps muscle. He will be sideline for a minimum of one week at which point he will be reevaluated. Yaacov, 20, is on loan to Hapoel this season from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague side LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. He has averaged 3.2 points and 2.0 assists in 12:33 minutes in five EuroCup appearances this season.  

More Hapoel Tel Aviv news

The Hamburg Towers beat Hapoel Jerusalem 82-80 in Round 12 to improve to 3-9, while the visitors dropped to 7-5.

Hamburg secures hard-fought win over Jerusalem, 82-80

Veolia Towers Hamburg improved to a 3-9 record in the BKT EuroCup by beating Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 82-80 in Round 12 on Tuesday night, with the hosts still bottom of the Group B standings but now 3-3 on their home floor. Jerusalem, in third place in Group B, dropped to 7-5.

Jaizec Lottie netted 18 points, Kur Kuath had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, Brae Ivey and Niklas Wimberg scored 12 points apiece, and Johnathan Stove finished with 10 points. Jerusalem, which had just eight minutes play more than one minute, had Jared Harper net 26 points, Tarik Phillip score 13, Khadeen Carrington add 11, and Derek Ogbeide contribute 10.

Game Videos

Kuath got Hamburg going early by scoring 6 points to make it 10-4, with the hosts starting the game hot. Jerusalem showed glimpses of its talent, with an Ogbeide dunk and a Harper three-pointer quickly making it a one-point ballgame (10-9), but Wimberg’s 5 straight points gave Hamburg some breathing room once again at 15-9. However, the Harper-led Jerusalem outscored Hamburg 4-11 over the next four and a half minutes to lead 19-22 in the final seconds of the quarter, only for Wimberg to score off a smart out-of-bounds play by Lottie which made it 21-22 after 10 minutes.

Back-to-back threes by Lottie helped Hamburg regain momentum, and the hosts ended up staying in front until the final 2:30 minutes of the quarter. A big Ogbeide dunk saw Jerusalem take the lead for the first time in the period at 39-40, but Hamburg scored 4 straight before Harper tied it up at 43-43 entering the halftime break.

The lead kept changing hands in the third quarter, but Hamburg was finding ways to stay in front with Kuath, Stove and Lottie all heavily involved. When Lottie and Kuath combined for an alley-oop to make it 58-53 with 2:45 minutes to go, that was the biggest lead either team had in the quarter, and Jared Grey maintained that five-point lead with a backdoor cut and layup to push the score to 60-55. At the end of the quarter, five points by Phillip allowed Jerusalem to get within 62-60.

Hamburg stayed in front for almost the first nine minutes of the fourth, even if the lead never extended beyond four points, but Chris Johnson’s corner three with 1:12 minutes remaining to make it 78-79 almost took the air out of the arena. Jeremy Morgan went 1 for 2 from the line, 78-80, but Lottie scored an amazing layup while being fouled and then converted the and-one free throw to nudge Hamburg ahead once more, 81-80. Even if Kuath went 0 for 2 with seven seconds left, the ball ended up in the hands of Wimberg, who had a 1-for-2 trip to the line and put the 82-80 win on ice.

In a very tight game, it was the German side which managed to come out on top

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2024-12-17T18:30:00.000Z)

Aris BC improved to a 3-9 record in the EuroCup by beating Lietkabelis Panevezys 81-66, with Trey Woodbury netting a game-high 25 points.

Aris downs Lietkabelis, 81-66, to record first home win this season

Aris Midea Thessaloniki will be hoping that Tuesday night's 81-66 triumph over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys kickstarts its season, with Ioannis Kastritis's men winning at Nick Galis Hall for the first time this season. The legendary Greek outfit is now 3-9 in Group B, while Lietkabelis – which has a game in hand – is 3-8. 

Trey Woodbury was Aris's star on the offensive end, netting 25 points. The hosts also had Sharife Cooper (12 points), D'Moi Hodge (11), and Landers Nolley (10) finish in double figures. Martynas Varnas was Lietkabelis's leading scorer with 11, while Dovis Bickauskis and Georgios Kalaitzakis had 10 apiece.

There was little to separate the two teams in the early going, but Woodbury scored Aris’s first 5 points to give the hosts an early 5-4 edge. Kalaitzakis, playing back in his native Greece, also had a strong start to the game, and his layup four minutes in saw him move to 6 points and give Lietkabelis a 5-11 lead. Woodbury scored 6 points in the final 4:11 minutes of the quarter to move to 11 overall, but Bickauskis’s tough layup made it 18-19 after 10 minutes.

The largest lead either team had in the second quarter was two points as the chess match continued; one score for Aris would be followed by one for Lietkabelis, and vice versa. It looked like they were going to head into the halftime break with the score tied at 32-32, but Bickauskis’s finger-roll layup on the fast break ensured it was 32-34 after the first two quarters.

Aris had a strong start to the third, with Woodbury moving to 17 points with a layup high off the glass to level it at 34-34 before Sharife Cooper reeled off 5 straight points to give the hosts a 39-34 advantage. Lietkabelis responded with two quick threes by Varnas and Danielius Lavrinovicius to retake the lead, 39-40. The lead kept changing hands the rest of the way, but after D’Moi Hodge gave Aris a four-point advantage, 56-52, in the closing stages, Bickauskis had a perfect trip to the line to make it 56-54 after 30 minutes.

Lietkabelis scored the first 4 points of the final frame, but things quickly went south for the visitors. In response to a Maldunas dunk, Roberts netted 4 straight points, Cooper added a three-point play, Woodbury scored a layup, and Roberts had another big dunk to give Aris a 69-60 lead with 4:48 minutes remaining. Varnas’s mid-range make made things interesting at 69-62, but back-to-back three-pointers by Woodbury all but put the game to bed at 75-62, with the Aris guard doing the Steph Curry sleeping celebration after the second. The hosts then coasted towards an eventual 81-66 victory.

Trey Woodbury scored 8 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Greek side's faint playoff hopes alive

Coach Dejan Radonjic's team stayed out of trouble 


Bahcesehir's focus leads to key victory 

In a battle of giants in Group A, [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/roster/bah/?season=2024-25) kept full control of the game to [claim a 73-65 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-beats-gran-canaria-73-65-to-take-control-in-group-a/) over [Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2024-25) and take sole possession of first place.

Bahcesehir used an outstanding start of the game to get a 20-point lead, 36-16, making 8 of 13 two-pointers and 6 of 8 three-pointers in the opening 12 minutes. Sehmus Hazer led the way with 10 points in those opening minutes but Bahcesehir got a solid contribution from everybody that stepped on the court.

Indeed, Bahcesehir shot 1 for 14 from beyond the arc the rest of the way but its ball circulation and a rare ability not to foul when being in the penalty allowed the hosts to control the game until the final buzzer. Its main players stepped up, too. [Axel Bouteille](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/axel-bouteille/003840/) finished the game with 15 points and a PIR of 18. [Tyler Cavanaugh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tyler-cavanaugh/009601/) had his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds for a PIR of 19.

"I think it was a tough game, very intense. We played a good first half and I think in the second half they came back, but we didn't go back, we still play our game," Bouteille said. "We tried to fight for the whole game and are very happy with this win."

Tyler Cavanaugh and Axel Bouteille led Bahcesehir College Istanbul to a pivotal 73-65 home victory over Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 12 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Cavanaugh, Bouteille step up in big home win

Bahcesehir finished the game with just 8 turnovers and committed only 3 in the first half as it built a double-digit lead, 44-32. It also had 17 assists, 2 more than Gran Canaria, which also finished with 13 turnovers.

Despite finishing the game with the same number of fouls, Bahcesehir went to the foul line a lot more (17 attempts) than Gran Canaria (10). Bahcesehir was in the foul penalty in all foul quarters, having 4 or more team fouls for a total time of 13 minutes and 14 seconds throughout the game. During that time with the foul bonus, Gran Canaria only went to the foul line 6 times. Being able to play strong defense without sending its opponents to the foul line allowed Bahcesehir to use its initial lead and keep it for the better part of the game.

In addition to the win, Bahcesehir also earned the head-to-head tiebreak advantage over Gran Canaria, which had beaten Coach Radonjic's team 66-53 earlier this season.

"It was a good game for us and also very important because we won by more than 4, so it is some kind of a double win. After two, I can say, bad defensive games, today it was totally different. Our focus was good, we did a lot of good things defensively," Coach Radonjic said. "Offensively we lost a little bit of control during the second quarter but anyway, we won."

Coach Dejan Radonjic's team started strong and stayed out of trouble 


Bahcesehir's focus led to key victory 

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2024-12-17T16:00:00.000Z)

Bahcesehir Istanbul also claimed the head-to-head tiebreaker against Gran Canaria, its closest rival in the standings

Bahcesehir beats Gran Canaria, 73-65, to take control of Group A

In a battle for first place in Group A, Bahcesehir College Istanbul downed Dreamland Gran Canaria 73-65 at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in Round 12 on Tuesday. Bahcesehir improved to 10-2 and earned the tiebreak advantage over Gran Canaria, which dropped to 9-3. 

Tai Odiase led the winners with 16 points. Axel Bouteille added 15, Mateusz Ponitka had 11 while Tyler Cavanaugh and Sehmus Hazer each scored 10 for Bahcesehir. Cavanaugh added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Joe Thomasson paced Gran Canaria with 17 points, Mike Tobey netted 16 and Pierre Pelos had 11 for the visitors.

Hazer got Bajcesehir going with a driving layup. Nico Brussino made a triple and Thomasson added a floater for a 2-5 Gran Canaria lead. Jaleen Smith and Hazer each struck from downtown in an 8-0 run that Cavanaugh capped with a layup. Pelos downed a five-meter jumper and Tobey's jump hook kept the visitors within 10-9. Cavanaugh and Bouteille each had 5 points in a 12-0 run that Odiase capped with a put-back basket for a 22-9 lead. After Odiase matched Pelos's layup with a dunk, Bouteille insisted from beyond the arc and Ponitka added an off-balance basket. Jovan Kljajic beat the buzzer with a layup that fixed the score at 29-16 after 10 minutes.

Hazer took over with a backdoor layup and a three-pointer early in the second quarter. CJ Massinburg soon added a layup in transition that made it a 20-point game. John Shurna nailed a corner triple off a Gran Canaria timeout. Carlos Alocen added a driving layup and Mike Tobey's tip-in gave the visitors hope at 36-23. Tobey capped a 0-10 Gran Canaria run with a bomb from downtown. Odiase dunked and Cavanaigh soon gave Bahcesehir fresh air at 40-26. George Conditt and Odiase traded tip-ins, then Bouteille buried a fallaway jumper for a 44-28 score. Thomasson scored in penetration and Brussino's dunk brought the visitors within 44-32 at halftime.

Thomasson swished a jumper soon after the break. Odiase improved on that with a three-point play. After Pelos scored down low, Massinburg restored a 15-point Bahcesehir margin. Thomasson scored in penetration, Odiase buried his trademark jump hook and Caleb Homesley's three-pointer got Gran Canaria within 54-41. Pelos buried a step-back jumper and Homesley soon made it a 10-point game. Bouteille hit a jump hook in the lane, getting help from Odiase and Smith to keep Bahcesehir in control, 61-45, after 30 minutes.

Thomasson took over with a put-back layup early in the fourth quarter. Ponitka answered with consecutive backdoor layups for a 65-47 score with 7 minutes left. Thomasson kept pacing Gran Canaria with a fastbreak layup and followed Tobey's close basket with a three-pointer in transition that prompted the hosts to call timeout at 65-54. Thonasson capped a 0-9 run with free throws, as Odiase buried another jump hook. Tobey struck from beyond the arc and Alocen got the visitors within 67-61 with 4:10 remaining. Bouteille buried a critical jumper and Ponitka added a put-back basket, but Tobey drew Gran Canaria within 71-65 with 1:16 left. Ponitka made a floater to seal the outcome.

The Turkish club also claimed the head-to-head tiebreaker against its closest rival in the standings

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem announced on Monday that it signed swingman Egor Koulechov. 

Jerusalem inks swingman Egor Koulechov to short-term deal

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem announced on Monday that it signed swingman Egor Koulechov. The deal is for three months with an option for the remainder of the season. Koulechov (1.96 meters, 30 years old) started the season with Russian side Avtodor Saratov where he averaged 4.4 points on 37.2% three-point shooting and 2.2 rebounds in 16 VTB United League this season.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">הפועל ״בנק יהב״ ירושלים שמחה להודיע על החתמתו של הגארד/פורוורד איגור קולשוב (30, 1.96) על חוזה לשלושה חודשים עם אופציה עד סוף העונה. קולשוב פתח את העונה הנוכחית באבוטדור סראטוב ברוסיה ויצטרף לאימוני הקבוצה מייד כשתחזור מגרמניה.<br><br>מאמן הקבוצה יונתן אלון אמר: ״איגור יוסיף לנו עומק,… <a href="https://t.co/BM9lYRWOrF">pic.twitter.com/BM9lYRWOrF</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Jerusalem BC (@JerusalemBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerusalemBasket/status/1868679783879409935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Born in Russia, Koulechov’s family moved to Israel when he was six years old and he has played professionally in the country for Maccabi Rishon Lezion, Hapoel Holon, Ironi Nahariya, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Beersheba and in Russia for UNICS Kazan. He also played college basketball in the United States at Arizona State, Rica and Florida.  

More Jerusalem news

The former Israeli junior international will make his EuroCup debut with Jerusalem

Javier Gancedo is joined by Ismet Akpinar of Turk Telekom for this week’s EuroCup interview

Ismet Akpinar, Turk Telekom: 'We set the goal very, very high'

Turk Telekom Ankara is deep in the fight to reach the BKT EuroCup Eighthfinals from Group B, ranking sixth with a 6-5 record. It comes off a tough home win against Aris Midea Thessaloniki without one of its leaders, Braian Angola. When the team needed a boost, it found [Ismet Akpinar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ismet-akpinar/004056/), who stepped up big time with 19 points on 4-of-6 two-point shooting and 7-of-8 on free throws plus 4 assists for a PIR of 26. Akpinar is in his seventh EuroCup season after previous experiences with ALBA Berlin, ratiopharm Ulm and Bahcesehir College Istanbul. At age 29, he is right at the prime of his career and playing for a basketball mastermind, Erdem Can, the 2022-23 EuroCup Coach of the Year. 

Akpinar has found a new home in Ankara and loves his new team, as he told Javier Gancedo in this [EuroCupBasketball.com](http://EuroCupBasketball.com) interview. "This is one of the most professional clubs I have worked in. We have from a sports psychologist to a nutritionist to a yoga teacher. We have great facilities. We have two weightlifting coaches. We have different masseuses, physiotherapists..." Akpinar said. "So in order for us to perform on the highest level, the club, the president, the coach, the management does everything. So I really have to say this is a high, high level team, a great basketball organization."

**Hello, Ismet. Well, let's begin with the victory against Aris. You were without Braian Angola, who got injured right before the game, but you and Olivier Hanlan really stepped up. What allowed you to win this game and what was important to do it?** 

"Thanks. First of all, the biggest problems we had in the first half were offensive rebounds and turnovers. I don't have the exact numbers, but I know that they had way more possessions than we did and this is just a numbers game. It's not easy to win that way and we controlled that a lot better in the second half. This was our main focus: to control the offensive rebounds from the opponent and not to turn over the ball so much, and this allowed us to win the games. And like you said, people stepped up. This shows the quality of the team we have. We have a great, professional team, and we secured a very important win at home."

**You are back in the EuroCup after three seasons. How do you find the competition with an improved format?** 

"I like the new system with the two groups, to be honest. And I also like the quality of the EuroCup. I like it a lot. Of course, after the Euroleague, the EuroCup is the second-best competition in Europe, in my opinion, for sure." 

"After the Euroleague, the EuroCup is the second-best competition in Europe in my opinion." 

**Turk Telekom has Erden Can as head coach. He was the EuroCup Coach of the Year two years ago. How do you like the way he sees basketball and his coaching style?** 

"He is a very, very good coach. I mean, he didn't win that Coach of the Year trophy two years ago by accident. His basketball knowledge is top-level, he worked with great coaches. He worked with Obradovic for many years and was in the NBA. You can see the influence of these two, let's say, very high basketball IQs, also in his way of teaching basketball. The best thing about him is the way he communicates. When you have a game plan, you know exactly what he wants. You know exactly how he wants to attack and you know exactly how he wants to defend, so there are no question marks or gray areas. This is something he does exceptionally well."

**Over the years, you have played for Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, so you probably know more than anybody about basketball rivalries in Istanbul. How would you describe the basketball vibe in Istanbul with so many good teams out there, including two in the EuroCup now, Besiktas and Bahcesehir?** 

"Like you said, Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are the three biggest sport clubs by names, but there is also a huge basketball powerhouse like Anadolu Efes. You can also add to show how crazy this city is. Everybody who has ever been to Istanbul knows what's going on there and this also reflects in basketball or sports in general. Turkish people are very euphoric about their clubs, so the rivalries are always special. These are special games." 

Ismet Akpinar in in his first season with Turk Telekom Ankara. This is his seventh BKT EuroCup campaign.

2024-25 highlights, Rounds 1-11: Ismet Akpinar, Turk Telekom

**I also wanted to ask you about one of your former clubs, ratiopharm Ulm. Their program has been really interesting for years, developing young talents but also signing good players. How do you like what they are doing and the big turnaround in this club?**

"They are doing an exceptional job. I think this it's maybe the best program in Europe for young players or let's say, NBA superstar talents. I am still very close to the management. I spend time in Ulm every summer because they have a crazy \[practice\] facility. I don't know if you have been there, but this is a crazy gym with multiple practice courts, with a three-floor weightlifting area and top-notch equipment. They did everything for young talents to develop if they want to work. And they have shown in the last years that they not only develop people, but they are also very successful. They won the German championship, beating ALBA and Bayern in the playoffs and knocking out the BCL champions, Telekom Bonn with TJ Shorts, in the finals. So they are doing an exceptional job in the last few years. If I were a young prospect who was dreaming about the NBA, I would go to Ulm."

**You are a young veteran at age 29 with a lot of experience. Is that experience paying off right now, at the prime of your career?** 

"Yes, it's paying off. I realized a lot that things don't bother me that much. What do I mean? That when you are younger and you have a bad start in a game, you think 'Today is not my game'. You get frustrated, but with age, you think 'Okay, if you got 30 more minutes, 20 more minutes, this is so much time to turn around the game or your individual performance'. My experience allows me to talk with my teammates more. This is my first year as a captain at this kind of level, so this is also a new experience for me. You just know what you can do, and you have proven it to yourself so many times that you can turn around a bad game into a new game. And that gives you a lot of calmness and self-confidence. This is, I think, the biggest difference over the years."

"This is my first year as a captain at this kind of level, so this is also a new experience for me."

**Turk Telekom faces Cedevita Olimpija this week. You managed to beat them in Ankara and limit them to a season-low 70 points. Is that the key, strong defense against a really solid team?** 

"Definitely. I think this is our biggest strength, which we have to emphasize because we have such an athletic and tall team. This has to be our focus, I think when we are very focused on defense, this affects also on offense. We have to continue to play like we did in the last game, control the offensive rebounds, don't turn over the ball, defend hard. All this will give us a lot of chances to win the game."

**After many years in Istanbul, this is your first year with Turk Telekom and living in Ankara. After a few months already, how is life in your new club and your new city?** 

"I have to say I am extremely positive about the club. This is one of the most professional clubs I have worked in. We have from a sports psychologist to a nutritionist to a yoga teacher. We have great facilities. We have two weightlifting coaches. We have different masseuses, physiotherapists... So in order for us to perform on the highest level, the club, the president, the coach, the management does everything. So I really have to say this is a high, high level team, a great basketball organization. From that point of view, I am very, very happy to be here. I didn't expect it to be on that high of a level, I have to admit. It is great to experience it, to play here. And of course, it is hard to beat Istanbul. For me, it is one of the craziest cities, most fun cities with a crazy history. So Istanbul has a different place in my heart. But Ankara is also a very beautiful city. It's a huge city with over 5 million people living here. So you have everything you want, from restaurants to bars to nice parks. I would say it's a better place for a family type of player, which I am also looking forward to having here."

**This is your seventh EuroCup season and you never had a big post-season run. How much are you looking forward to challenging for the EuroCup title for the first time in your career?** 

"I'm really looking forward to that and this is our goal. We set the goal very, very high but in order to reach that, we have to play more consistent on that level. We show phases where we really play amazing, let's say three quarters, three and a half quarters. We play amazing at our highest level, but this is, like I said, the second-best league in Europe. You got to play 40 minutes at your highest level. And we are still a very new team. This is pretty much a 100% new roster. We are still learning how to play with each other to adjust to coach's game plans. But like I said, we have an extremely talented roster which can go very, very far, and I'm really looking forward to reaching that goal." 

**Last but not least, how was that homecoming game in Hamburg? There was a pre-game ceremony to honor you. How much did it mean to you?** 

"Unfortunately, this was a terrible game for us and also for me. It was my worst game. But for me, this was a very emotional game. Even though, like you said, I'm a young veteran and I'm not so nervous anymore before games, this was still very special in my heart because I never played before against Veolia Towers Hamburg. When I joined ALBA Berlin, they played in the second division, then I left to Turkiye 5-6 years ago and then they went up to the German first division. So this was my very first game against the club where everything started for me as a young kid, so to see all my people where my journey started, at the EuroCup level, was something very emotional. My friends and family were also there. This game was special and I will never forget it."

More on Turk Telekom

Fantasy Challenge guru Javier Gancedo shares some tips for the week ahead

EuroCup Fantasy tips, Round 12: There are still some steals out there!

It is not even the end of 2024 and we've reached Round 12 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup Regular Season. At this point, all teams know each other well and it looks like there is less room for EuroCup Fantasy Challenge managers in this year's game. Well, think again, as players keep stepping up and delivering great performances. And of course, I am here to help. Here are my five recommendations this week.

 

[Anthony Cowan, Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (14.5 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-cowan-jr/012003/)

When you are hot, you are hot. Cowan has everything to be a EuroCup superstar: experience in the competition, talent and playing in a friendly, high-scoring environment. He's been delivering lately, averaging 23.0 points on 12-of-20 three-point shooting, 5.3 assists and 6.3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 28.0. Wow!

 

[Yam Madar, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (12.6 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yam-madar/011052/)

Madar had one of those performances that cannot be ignored. In Round 11, Madar had 28 points, missing just three shots, 7 assists, 3 steals and 7 fouls drawn for a PIR of 41. It looks like Madar is just getting started, too, as he arrived in Tel Aviv to have a stellar role. Expect a lot more from him. 

Oleksandr Kovliar, Juwan Morgan, Chris Johnson, Yam Madar and Anthony Cowan are featured in this week's article.

EuroCup Fantasy tips: Round 12

[Chris Johnson, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (10.9 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/chris-johnson/013277/)

A relatively cheap option that could give an edge, as Johnson is owned by just 1.5% of fantasy managers out there. He has been doing really well lately, averaging 14.0 points on 10-of-13 two-point shooting and 9.5 rebounds for a PIR of 22.0 in the last couple of games. Johnson can be your X-factor in Round 12!

 

[Juwan Morgan, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (12.3 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/juwan-morgan/013256/)

Slowly but steadily, Morgan has improved his numbers and numbers-wise, is one of the best players in the competition right now. He is shooting 23-of-24 from two-point range this season (95.8%). Over the last three games, Morgan has averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals for a PIR of 20.7.

 

[Oleksandr Kovliar, 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (8.7 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/oleksandr-kovliar/013247/)

I like everything about Kovliar: his looks, his flashy passes, his fearless game. He has been playing really well lately, too, getting a double-digit PIR in his last five games. Kovliar boosted his numbers to 17.5 points and 5.5 assists fora PIR of 19.5 in the last two games. At 8.7 credits, what's not to like?