Ante Tomic, Joventut: 'From the first day, I felt special here'

One of European basketball’s top centers over the last 15 years, Ante Tomic, will again headline Joventut Badalona as it aims to conquer the 7DAYS EuroCup in the season that starts Tuesday. Tomic, 35, begins his third season in Badalona with his unique skill set of low-post scoring and high-post passing still fully intact.  Joventut had the best record in the 2021-22 EuroCup Regular Season but was ambushed at home in the very next game, a do-or-die eighthfinals showdown with ratiopharm Ulm. Tomic averaged 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and a performance index rating of 15.6 in less than 21 minutes per game last season. He and Joventut have learned from that tough loss, he says. "You can have a bad day on offense," Tomic said in an interview with [EuroCupbasketball.com](http://EuroCupbasketball.com). "You can have a bad day in something else, but when it comes to concentration and desire, it always has to be there."

**Ante, how excited are you to start a new 7DAYS EuroCup season?** 

"We are always excited to start the season because the preseason is over, so everyone has lots of energy, lots of expectations. The truth is we didn't start very well in the domestic league, but now, in a few days, the new competition starts, the EuroCup, a very important competition for us. We all know what happened last year in the competition and maybe that's why all of us have extra motivation and extra desire to play and to compete."

**Going into your third season in Badalona, how comfortable do you feel at Joventut?** 

"Well, they ask me that question lots of times. And like I said before, from the first day, I felt special here, and that has not changed until now. From the players to the staff, and all the people in the club, I was welcomed and I felt excited and special to be here. Talking about the team, it changed a lot during the seasons and, of course, new players come in and some have been going, but all of them, they have been great teammates. That's another reason why I'm enjoying myself here in Badalona, because of its great people and great teammates."

"Concentration and desire, it always has to be there."

**Among those new teammates, Joventut found scoring weapons this season in Kyle Guy, William Howard and Henry Ellenson. How much did the team need that extra firepower?** 

"I'll tell you what, it's really difficult to replace Vladimir Brodziansky in a lot of things. Vlady was effective and gave us what we needed every day, and I don't want to say 'OK, the new guys need to replace Vlady' or whatever. They are going to bring something new. In these first games, we have seen some new things from them. We see where we can improve more, and I hope we are going to start doing that because we need to improve. We need to start winning games." 

**You are playing in the high post more often since joining Joventut. Is that your game evolving or something Coach Duran asked you to do?** 

"I have more chances now to pass the ball. I'm not passing better or worse than before. It is a little bit of everything, right? It also depends on the system, of course, what your coach asks from you, but also depends on your teammates. If you have Joel \[Parra\], who likes to cut a lot and play close to the basket, someone needs to go outside of the paint so he can have space, which we saw last year. I had maybe 60% or 70% of my assists to Joel, which is not a coincidence. I try to generate more for my teammates and create some open shots, that is basically it."

**Joventut exited early last season, losing in the EuroCup Eighthfinals at home. How hard was that after such a fantastic regular season?** 

"We had everything in our hands last year. We had the home-court advantage until the possible finals, but we didn't make it. The same thing happened to Partizan and later on, to Valencia. When I think about it, I would say maybe it's better to be third or fourth in your group and then later go even further. But no, we need to start playing good in our group. We need to go for first place because that's what gives you the home-court advantage and then learn from the mistakes from last year, and go even further this year." 

Ante Tomic Top Plays of the 2021-22 Regular Season

2021-22 EuroCup highlights Ante Tomic Joventut Badalona.mp4

**Which is the biggest lesson that you learned from that loss?** 

"It is the same lesson you keep learning every day: even if you play bad, you need to win some games, which means you can have a bad day on offense, you can have a bad day at something else, but when it comes to concentration and desire, it always has to be there."

**At FC Barcelona and now Jovenut, you have spent most of the last few years with Pau Ribas. How is your relationship?**

"He's a great, great teammate, a great friend. We understand each other very well on the court. I guess everyone recognizes that, not only us. We try at least to help the young guys and help the team to improve in any possible way, on and off the court. That's basically it. I mean, when you play with someone so many years, of course, you become friends and good teammates and everything, and that's what happened with me and Pau." 

"I hope I'm going to stay here until the end of my career."

**Looking around, which teams do you see as the main candidates to win the EuroCup this season?** 

"There are a lot of teams. And I think that, like last year, there are going to be a lot of surprises. The first thing I want to say is that the team from London, I think they are going to be a positive surprise. They have a good team. It's a new team in Europe and in the EuroCup, and it's going to be interesting to see them. About the favorites: well, at this moment, I don't know. I would say Bursaspor because of what they did last year. Cedevita also, they always had a good team. They've been playing EuroCup for a lot of years. Gran Canaria, too. These are the toughest teams, at least on paper, because the season didn't start. We will see how it goes during the season." 

**You always find ways to contribute. How much do you enjoy basketball after so many years?**

"I'm 35 and am enjoying playing basketball. I'm not sure if it's because I'm here, in this club, with these teammates, with this staff and everyone.. or it is just because of me. But let's say it's because of the team, the club, the game and everybody else, and that's why I am enjoying it. I hope I'm going to stay here until the end of my career."

A pair of do-it-all small forwards are likely to be at the center of the action all night on Wednesday as Prometey Slobozhanske hosts 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys in Riga, Latvia, for their first game in Group A of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season.

Kennedy returns to the EuroCup after eight seasons away still holding career averages of 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists. In the interim, he has made a name for himself as a perennial winner and sometimes MVP of The Basketball Tournament. He is not only a scorer, though, having led the FIBA Basketball Champions League in rebounding, with 8.4 per game for one season. Expect him to be involved in plenty of what Prometey does all season.

Another veteran, Lipkevius was a leader for Lietkabelis last season, averaging 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in almost 30 minutes per game. More than his numbers, which were enhanced by 57.1% two-point, 39.1% three-point and 91.5% free-throw accuracy, Lipkevicius was Mr. Hustle at all times for his team. His ability to lead by example will only be more important this year with many of his Lietkabelis teammates needing to learn fast what it takes to win at the EuroCup level.

Marquee matchup: D.J. Kennedy vs. Vytenis Lipkevicius

Prometey Slobozhanske v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2022-10-12T16:00:00.000Z)

The debut of Prometey Slobozhanske at a borrowed arena in Riga, Latvia, almost 1,500 kilometers from its home in war-torn Ukraine, is among the fascinating subplots of the 7DAYS EuroCup season. Prometey takes on a 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys team that finished last season with a winning EuroCup record and is looking for more.

Inspiration will be on Prometey's side, as veteran forward D.J. Stephens commented: "We are not just playing for Prometey, but for Ukraine as well." Stephens is returning to the EuroCup after many years, while his teammates Oleksandr Lypovyy, Denys Lukashov, Dustin Hogue, DJ Kennedy and Ondrej Balvin all have plenty of experience in the competition to fall back on

Despite its good run last season, Lietkabelis has many more new players to the EuroCup and will rely on the few who have such experience – Vytenis Lipkevicius, Gabrielius Maldunas, Stefan Peno and Paulius Murauskas – to lead. Watch out for young Estonian shooter Kristian Kullamae, too, who has already started his domestic league on fire.

A special debut for Prometey

### Andrej Urlep, Slask Wroclaw head coach

"We are on the winning track lately, because we play hard and fight even in very difficult situations. We have won two very tough away games and we are optimistic before our first 7DAYS EuroCup game. I appreciate the way our players fight, but to win in Gran Canaria we have to limit number of turnovers and be better in offensive rebounds." 

### Aleksander Dziewa, Slask Wroclaw player

"This season we definitely hope to win more games than in the previous competition. Then we have managed to advance to the next round, but it was due to the exclusion of Lokomotiv Kuban. Now we want to get to the playoffs again and then fight to move on to the next rounds. The first match against Gran Canaria will be an interesting experience for me, because as many as four Polish representatives will play on the court. Recently with A.J. Slaughter and Aleksander Balcerowski we have fought for EuroBasket medals, and now we will play against each other. We have lost in Las Palmas a few months ago, but now we believe we can achieve a better result." 

Pre-Game quotes: Gran Canaria vs. Slask

Gran Canaria v Slask Wroclaw (2022-10-12T19:00:00.000Z)

### Ronen Ginzburg, Prometey head coach

"We are not at 100 percent yet, just like all the other teams. The EuroCup is long and we will have to improve game to game. We are not fully prepared, but we will be ready to play this game. Letkabelis is a team with tradition in the EuroCup and Lithuanian basketball. They are good and they always fnish second or third in that league. They are a strong opponent and we expect a tough game. I hope my players fight from the first to the last minute and they follow the game plan. We have many new players and we have to keep adjusting."

### DJ Stephens, Prometey player

"These games are more important to us because they are in a European competition. We want to compete and to win. We want to represent the club and now it feels like we ae not just playing for Prometey, but for Ukraine as well. For me, playing in European competition is big for me, because as a player you want to play against the best players possible in those tough atmospheres. To be back in the EuroCup after about eight years away, it means something to me. But the goal now is to compete in every game." 

Pre-Game quotes: Prometey vs. Lietkabelis

### Walter De Raffaelle, Venice head coach

"We start this new adventurem this new journey, wih a new team with many new players. We are ready, with big curiosity to discover how the journey will turn out. We are in a tough group, as usual in the EuroCup. Ulm is historically a tough team with athletic skills. All road games in the EuroCup wil be difficult. Mobley, Jallow and Klepeisz are probably the key players in that team, and also all ther bigs. Their two young point guards, Yago and Nunez are also very interesting. We will have to be solid for 40 minutes."

### Jeff Brooks, Venice player

"We know it's the start of the EuroCup, and that's a huge game for every team. You want to make the right step, a positive one, to start with a win. We played Ulm a couple of times last year, so we know them, they know us. So it will come down to what it always comes down to: who wants it out for 40 minutes. We lost in Italy by one, and we'll try to get that bad taste off our mouths. We'll try to take the right step in the right direction."

Pre-Game quotes: Ulm vs. Venice

ratiopharm Ulm v Umana Reyer Venice (2022-10-11T17:15:00.000Z)

### Lele Molin, Trento head coach

"Promitheas is a solid team. I expect a tough game with plenty of contact and physicality. Having Matteo Spagnolo back from his injury is good news for us. We need more quality on the offensive end while trying to confirm the efficient team defense that we showed in our first few games in the Italian League."

#### Diego Flaccadori, Trento player

"We are looking forward to this game. We want to compete and to win games after a bad last season for us in the EuroCup. It's going to be a tough challenge, as always, but we are excited to be back and have the opportunity to prove doubters wrong."

### Makis Giatras, Promitheas head coach

"We are very happy for our participation for another season in the 7DAYS EuroCup. There is a lot of excitement, and we would like to have a good season. We will play against a good team as Trento that plays very physical and strong in their home court. We are going to try to set our tempo in the game in order to win the game."

### Trevis Simpson, Promitheas player

"We are looking forward for our first game in the 7DAYS EuroCup for the new season. We know that Trento is a very strong team and we have to be focused and determined to be able to start the competition with an important away win. In the Greek league we got a big win this weekend and we want to continue this momentum in Italy."

Pre-Game quotes: Trento vs. Patras

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Promitheas Patras (2022-10-12T18:00:00.000Z)

The new 7DAYS EuroCup season: A to Z

**A is for Alimpijevic.** After taking Frutti Extra Bursaspor all the way to last season's title decider, Dusan Alimpijevic was named EuroCup Coach of the Year. Repeating that feat will not be easy, but he can call upon quality reinforcements inside the paint with the arrivals of Ahmet Duverioglu and Zach Auguste.

**B is for Blocks.** One of the EuroCup's most imposing defenders around the basket will surely be new Germani Brescia signing Tai Odiase, who led the German league in blocked shots last season with 1.4 blocks per game. The 27-year-old now has the chance to shine in the EuroCup for the first time.

**C is for Cluj.** The Romanian city will host EuroCup basketball for the first time, with U-BT Cluj-Napoca making its debut in the competition. Cluj has won back-to-back domestic championships and a flurry of summer signings has given head coach Mihai Silvasan confidence that his team can progress to the playoffs.

**D is for Diop.** Gran Canaria can call upon one of the continent's best young players, with 20-year-old Khalifa Diop having won last season's EuroCup Rising Star award. Diop was rewarded with a new three-year contract over the summer, with Gran Canaria hoping he can make another jump as it pushes for the EuroCup title.

**E is for Erden.** Not many players make their EuroCup debut at 36, but Semih Erden will step into the competition for the first time with Turk Telekom Ankara. The big man has spent most of his career in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, making 160 appearances, but he will now look to make his mark in the EuroCup.

**F is for Far-flung.** With 20 clubs from 13 different countries – from Gran Canaria in the west to Tel Aviv in the east, from Patras in the south to Panevezys in the north – this season's edition of the EuroCup represents the full kaleidoscope of European basketball culture. And with five newcomers all eager to make their mark, there will be plenty to enjoy in the months ahead.

**G is for Ginzburg.** Does any coach in the EuroCup have a tougher task than Ronen Ginzburg of Prometey Slobozhanske? Not only is he leading his team into its first-ever season at this level, but he's doing so more than 1,000 kilometers away from home (see 'R'). Ginzburg will rely heavily on experienced center Ondrey Balvin along with the scoring skills of Gian Clavell.

**H is for Hapoel.** Another newcomer to the competition is Hapoel Tel Aviv, which is now aiming to step up to the continental level in its debut EuroCup campaign. Head coach Danny Franco has EuroCup experience with Hapoel Jerusalem, and he has assembled a restocked roster including former FC Barcelona and Frutti Extra Bursaspor scorer Xavier Munford.

**I is for Isiaha.** After falling just short of the playoffs last season, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse has its sights set on progressing to the last 16. Bourg has high hopes for new signing Isiaha Mike, a power forward who impressed with Niners Chemnitz of Germany, where he played alongside another new arrival, combo-guard Frantz Massenat.

**J is for Joventut.** For many, this year's EuroCup title favorite is Joventut Badalona. After keeping the majority of its core together, it has added sharpshooter Kyle Guy, Henry Ellenson and William Howard. Should head coach Carles Duran find the right mix, Joventut – the only team in this season's competition that has won the EuroCup title in the past – will take some stopping.

**K is for Koufos.** EuroCup newcomer London Lions made a splash over the summer by bringing in veteran big man Kosta Koufos, who adds plenty of experience to an untested roster. With two EuroLeague seasons under his belt, along with more than a decade in the NBA, Koufos will be a key player – on and off the floor – as the Lions attempt to roar.

**L is for Lietkabelis.** After advancing to the playoffs last season, 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys is aiming for at least the quarterfinals this time around. Securing home-court advantage could be crucial: Lietkabelis can always count upon a passionate fanbase, which was key in its 6-2 record at home in 2021-22. Playing as many games as possible in Lithuania is vital.

**M is for Malwaya.** European basketball's tradition of developing world-class young players is another reason to get excited about the new EuroCup season, with the latest top-level prodigy being Paris Basketball guard Killian Malwaya. The 17-year-old, named MVP of last season's Adidas Next Generation Tournament, is definitely going to be one to watch.

**N is for Nostalgia.** As the EuroCup celebrates its 20th anniversary, there will be plenty of opportunities to look back on some of this century's highlights. From Valencia's record four titles to Virtus Bologna's triumph against Bursaspor in last season's return to a single-game title decider, the competition has been packed with memorable moments for two decades. This season will provide many more.

**O is for Omic.** The most experienced player in the 2022-23 EuroCup is Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana center Alen Omic, who has made 114 appearances in the competition, the ninth-highest all-time and more than any other active player. This season should see Omic become the all-time EuroCup leader in rebounding, as he has 737 so far and needs just 28 more to overtake Bojan Dubljevic.

**P is for Patras.** Promitheas Patras finished bottom of Group B last season, so advancing to the playoffs is the minimum requirement for the team led by Makis Giatras, who returns for his third spell in charge. Roughly half of last year's roster remains, but there is excitement around newcomers Anthony Cowan, Vassilis Mouratos and Joe Young, son of 1993 EuroLeague champion Michael Young.

**Q is for Quality.** The EuroCup is becoming increasingly competitive with each passing season, and that is especially the case with the new format, which is entering its second season. There is no room for any team to drop its concentration, and the several upsets in last season's playoffs – notably Bursaspor's three straight road wins to reach the final – show that anything can happen.

**R is for Riga.** The Latvian capital does not boast a EuroCup team, but it will host games this season. How? The city is serving as the temporary home of Prometey, the Ukrainian team which has been forced away from its home location and will spend this season 1,400 kilometers to the north in Riga, where it will surely call upon a sizeable fanbase.

**S is for Sehovic.** One of the more familiar faces in the EuroCup is Buducnost VOLI Podgorica captain Sead Sehovic. The 35-year-old is entering his 10th season in the competition – his ninth with Buducnost – and, after being limited to six appearances due to injury, his ability to decide games from the bench, as well as his locker room leadership, could be valuable.

**T is for Tessitori.** At the end of last season, Amedeo Tessitori was celebrating after helping Virtus secure the EuroCup title. Tessitori has now swapped Italian clubs to join the ambitious project at Umana Reyer Venice, where he will look to enjoy more success in the competition. Another bench role is in store for him, but he will nonetheless be an important cog in Reyer's machine.

**U is for Udom.** Italy has three teams in the 2022-23 EuroCup – more than any other country – and very few players know the Italian basketball scene better than new Dolomiti Energia Trento signing Mattia Udom. The 29-year-old, who has spent his entire career in his native country, will be determined to boost a Trento team that is desperate to improve on last season's 1-15 record.

**V is for Virtus… and Valencia.** If any club competing in the EuroCup needs any extra motivation, they only have to look at the examples of Virtus and Valencia. Both teams are now preparing for the upcoming EuroLeague season, but only after they established themselves as two of the best EuroCup teams in the last few years. The EuroCup can be a springboard for greater things.

**W is for Wroclaw.** Slask Wroclaw is one of two teams in the EuroCup this season that reigns as a domestic champion, with the other being Cluj in Romania. After ending its 20-year wait for the Polish title, Slask is looking now to establish itself among the EuroCup contenders following its eighth-place group finish last season and early exit from the playoffs.

**X is for X factor.** As always in basketball, the eventual EuroCup title winner will surely be the team that takes care of the littlest of details: the X factors that can make all the difference between triumph and despair. This could be a multitude of things on the court, yet they will all go a long way toward deciding the destination of the trophy.

**Y is for Yago.** One of the most promising newcomers to the EuroCup is ratiopharm Ulm signing Yago Mateus. The 23-year-old guard arrives to Germany after having already starred on the international stage, averaging 11.7 points to help Brazil take the silver medal at FIBA AmeriCup. Mateus will form a backcourt loaded with potential alongside fellow new arrival Juan Nunez from Real Madrid and returning talent Fedor Zugic.

**Z is for Ziga.** Another young player in Germany to watch closely is Ziga Samar, who could be poised for a big season with Veolia Towers Hamburg. The 21-year-old Slovenian point guard was signed this summer by ALBA Berlin after shining with Fuenlabrada of Spain, but he was immediately loaned out to gain experience with Hamburg, where he will look to maintain his upward trajectory.

There are more intriguing angles and protagonists to the new 7DAYS EuroCup season than letters in the alphabet, but here are 26 of them to keep in mind as we head to the opening round of the new season.

The outcome of the Round 1 clash between Hapoel Tel Aviv and London Lions will come down to many things. Here are some keys to this game.

### Hapoel’s bigs can set the tone

London made a lot of headlines with its deep and experienced frontline with the likes of Kosta Koufos, Tomislav Zubcic, Sam Dekker and Ovie Soko, among others. However, Hapoel has an impressive and deep frontline of its own which has done a good job so far this season not only on the boards, but also in passing from the post. Backup center Idan Zalmanson was second on the team in assists with 5 in Friday’s domestic affair and he and starter Chris Horton combined to block 7 shots. If the hosts control the paint against London, it will make a major difference in the final result.

### London needs threes to fall

With its powerful players inside, there should be ample opportunity for the Lions’ perimeter players to strike. Thus far, that has not been the case with the team converting just 28.0% of its three-point tries in the British League. No player with more than 3 tries is shooting above 37% so far and Coach Ryan Schmidt’s charges could certainly use the threat of long-range shots to threaten in Tel Aviv this week. 

Keys to victory: Hapoel vs. London

Hapoel Tel Aviv v London Lions (2022-10-11T17:00:00.000Z)