Rafa Martinez announced Saturday that his professional career has come to an end. Martinez, age 40, retires as the only player to win the 7DAYS EuroCup title three times. 


7DAYS EuroCup great Rafa Martinez retires 

Martinez has also played more EuroCup games than anyone, 144, all of them with Valencia Basket, where he played for 11 seasons. He helped Valencia win three EuroCup titles in 2010, 2014 and 2019, and reach two other finals in 2012 and 2017. Martinez briefly led the EuroCup's all-time scoring list, and now ranks fourth overall with 1,240 points. He is second in three-point shots made (233), only trailing Jamar Smith (264). In those 144 EuroCup games, Martinez averaged 8.6 points, burying 41.1% of his three-point shots and 87.7% of his free throw attempts. 

Martinez played in Spain for his entire professional career. He started it with Basquet Manresa and also played for Valls before joining Valencia in 2008. Added to his EuroCup achievements, Martinez also helped Valencia reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs in 2011, as well as lifting the Spanish League trophy in 2017. After his 11 years with Valencia, Martinez went on to play for Bilbao Basket and Manresa, which he helped reach the BCL championship game this season. He ranks fourth in three-point shots made (885) in the Spanish League. 

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana took a 2-0 lead in the Slovenian League finals by downing Helios Suns 87-75 in the Slovenian capital on Sunday. 


Domestic leagues: Cedevita gets closer to Slovenian title

Cedevita is one win away from winning its second consecutive league title. Helios hosts Game 3 on Tuesday. Jaka Blazic, Alen Omic and Zoran Dragic led the winners with 14 points apiece. Omic added 12 rebounds for a double-double. Alen Hodzic added 12 points while Zach Auguste and Marko Radovanovic each had 10 for Cedevita, which outrebounded Helios by 50-34, pulling down 17 offensive boards. Leon Santelj led Helios with 18 points. Cedevita made 1 of its opening 20 three-point shots but Hodzic dynamited the game from beyond the arc in crunch time. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">ZMAGA! Le še korak do novega naslova državnega prvaka!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevoSrce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevoSrce</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LigaNovaKBM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LigaNovaKBM</a> <a href="https://t.co/QlTpgxkzSG">pic.twitter.com/QlTpgxkzSG</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (@KKCedOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL/status/1530596621788008449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Helios used an 0-8 run to get a 24-28 edge at the end of the first quarter. Radovanovic and Auguste stepped up for Cedevita and Blazic scored off a steal to tie the game, 47-47, at halftime. Dragic had 6 points in an 8-0 run that allowed Cedevita to get a 61-56 lead late in the third quarter. Helios bounced back and took the lead, 66-68, with over 9 minutes left. Auguste followed a dunk with a jumper, igniting a 17-2 run in which Hodzic struck three times from downtown to break the game open, 83-70, giving Cedevita full control of the game until the final buzzer. 

Alen Omic - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21-EF

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica booked a place in the Montenegrin League finals with a 61-73 win over city rival Podgorica, sweeping their best-of-three series. 

Domestic leagues: Buducnost into Montenegrin finals

Slask won the Polish League crown for the first time in 20 years after 90-77 win over Legia Warsaw in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series on Friday night. The most decorated basketball club in Poland, Slask won its 18th title with a 4-1 finals win. It was a rollercoaster-game in which Slask stormed out of the gates and held 31-13 lead after 3 minutes of play in the second quarter, only for Legia to put together a 2-25 run and take 33-38 lead into halftime. However, Kerem Kanter and Travis Trice fueled a 14-2 run to open the third quarter. More baskets from Kanter restored a double-digit margin late in the third q, then his back-to-back three-pointer in the fourth, followed by a triple from Kodi Justice opened 79-61 with 6 minutes to go, paving the way to victory. Kanter led the way with 26 points, Aleksander Dziewa scored 16, Justice had 14 and Trice finished with 11 points and 7 assists.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="pl" dir="ltr">🇮🇹 WKS ŚLĄSK WROCŁAW - MISTRZ POLSKI 2022 🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hej%C5%9Al%C4%85sk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HejŚląsk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/plkpl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#plkpl</a> <a href="https://t.co/B1q6cpfFmU">pic.twitter.com/B1q6cpfFmU</a></p>&mdash; WKS Śląsk Wrocław - koszykówka (@WKS_SlaskBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/WKS_SlaskBasket/status/1530291694142373888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

In Italy, Marco Belinelli scored 10 points in the final 3 minutes as Virtus Segafredo Bologna rallied to beat the visiting Tortona 77-73 and take 1-0 lead in their best-of-five semifinal series. Tortona took a lead 3 minutes into the second half on a three-pointer from Jamarr Sanders, and held a lead of up to 6 points. The visitors were up 66-71 with 3 minutes to go when Belinelli went on a run, which included a transition triple with 52.6 seconds to go to finally give Virtus 75-73 lead, which the EuroCup champs knew how to preserve. Belinelli scored 24 points, Mam Jaiteh had 13, Tornike Shengelia collected 11 plus 8 rebounds, and Milos Teodosic had 10 points and 9 assists.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">GARA1 È NOSTRAAAAAAA ⚪️⚫️<br>Nonostante una Tortona mai doma la Virtus si aggiudica il primo atto della semifinale ⚡️<br>25 per Belinelli 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WatchUs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WatchUs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TuttoUnAltroSport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TuttoUnAltroSport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LBAPlayoff2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LBAPlayoff2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/ISdGVrIOdF">pic.twitter.com/ISdGVrIOdF</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@Virtusbo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virtusbo/status/1530289413518917635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica booked a place in the Montenegrin League finals with a 61-73 win over city rival Podgorica, sweeping their best-of-three series on Friday night. The hosts led for majority of the first half, and led by as many as 34-24 midway through the second quarter. But Zoran Nikolic strung together 6 unanswered points, and Buducnost cut it to 39-36 at halftime. Buducnost then opened the second half with a 0-10 run, with Petar Popovic netting 7 points and Vladimir Micov scoring a three-point play. The hosts for within 59-62 in the fourth quarter, but Popovic had a three-point play in a 0-7 run that restored a double-digit advantage for Buducnost, sealing the deal. Popovic led the way with 17 points, and Zoran Nikolic scored 16 in a win. Buducnost will play Mornar Bar in the best-of-five finals.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🔵🔵🔵🔵<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ajmoplavobijeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ajmoplavobijeli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKB</a> <a href="https://t.co/pFp2xK5W90">pic.twitter.com/pFp2xK5W90</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1530246768067325954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade defeated Partizan NIS Belgrade 90-76 to take 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Adriatic League final series. Teams traded leads in the first half, with Balsa Koprivica giving Partizan an early spark. Aleksa Avramovic and Kevin Punter each hit a three-pointer and the visitors held 19-23 after the first quarter, but Ognjen Dobric, Dejan Davidovac and Nikola Ivanovic got Zvezda going in the second quarter with teams trading leads before a three-pointer from Ivanovic made it 42-39 at the half. Zvezda took control with an 8-0 run to open the third quarter, sparked by a triple from Nate Wolters. A pair of triples from Dobric opened 56-43 after 4 minutes in the third and Zvezda never looked back. Punter did score 11 points third-quarter points to cut into deficit and Dallas Moore hit back-to-back triple to get Partizan within 70-64. But consecutive three-pointers from Ivanovic restored a double-digit margin and Zvezda took 1-0 series lead. Ivanovic led Zvezda with 18 points while Luka Mitrovic and Dobric scored 14 apiece. Wolters had 11 and Davidovac 10 points in a victory. Punter led Partizan with 15 points, Moore netted 12, Zach LeDay scored 11 and Avramovic 10 points in defeat.

Slask Wroclaw got back on the Polish throne after two decades while 7DAYS EuroCup champion Virtus Segafredo Bologna rallied late behind Marco Belinelli to win semifinals opener of the Italian League playoffs.

Domestic leagues: Slask wins Polish League after 20 years

Slask Wroclaw (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21-RS15

After almost two decades, Virtus Segafredo Bologna finally lifted another European title. Take a look at the best images of the 7DAYS EuroCup trophy celebration of the team last May 11 in Bologna, Italy!

Gallery: Virtus Segafredo Bologna celebrates!

Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Milos Teodosic MVP - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Sergio Scariolo - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Tornike Shengelia - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Milos Teodosic - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Mam Jaiteh - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Daniel Hackett - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Kyle Weems - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 10- EC21-Final

Jakarr Sampson - Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 - EC21-Final

Virtus Segafredo Bologna champ Final Bologna 2022 11- EC21-Final

Lietkabelis takes Lithuanian League finals opener on the road at Rytas Vilnius, 68-77.

Domestic leagues: Lietkabelis takes finals opener against Rytas

After upsetting the champs in semifinals, Lietkabelis Panevezys continued rolling in the Lithuanian League on Thursday night with irs first win in the final series against Rytas Vilnius. When the dust settled, Lietkabelis was on top of the scoreboard, 68-77, making it a 0-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Young Panagiotis Kalaitzakis was the top scorer for the guests with his 16 points, Djordje Gagic added 15, Vtenis Lipkevicius posted 11 and two more players had 10 points apiece: Kristupas Zemaitis and Gabrielius Maldunas, the latter also adding 10 boards to his tally. For Rytas, Margiris Normantas led the way with 11 points.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Game 1 of the finals serie ends with <a href="https://twitter.com/BCLietkabelis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bclietkabelis</a> victory ⚔️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/betsafeLKL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#betsafeLKL</a> <a href="https://t.co/e4PGjyoJRV">pic.twitter.com/e4PGjyoJRV</a></p>&mdash; Betsafe LKL (@betsafeLKL) <a href="https://twitter.com/betsafeLKL/status/1529883019439484936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lietkabelis did not start the game so well as the hosts managed to jump ahead by 26-17 after 10 minutes. The two following quarters were all Lietkabelis however, as they managed to making it a combined 27-46 score bridging the second and third quarters, despite a final 5 of 23 from the arc after the final buzzer. A 60% in two-point shots was the key stat that allowed the guests to strike first in the series. The next game will take place next Sunday in Lietkabelis, in a series that could end in June 12 if it goes the distance to the last game.

Panagiotis Kalaitzakis - Lietkabelis Panevezys (photo Karolio Kavolelio - Lietkabelis) EC21

Even though Isaia Cordinier was a late addition to Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s roster, the do-it-all swingman became a key player for Coach Scariolo as they claimed the 7DAYS EuroCup crown.

Tribute to the Champs: Isaia Cordinier

Even though [Isaia Cordinier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/isaia-cordinier/009549/) was a late addition to Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s roster, the do-it-all swingman became a key player for Coach Scariolo as they claimed the 7DAYS EuroCup crown.

A member of the 2020-21 All-EuroCup First Team with JSF Nanterre, Cordinier joined Virtus after presumed starting small forward Awudu Abass suffered a torn ACL in September that would sideline him for the season. Cordinier was uniform in the Italian League 10 days after signing and made an instant impact in the team’s EuroCup opener with 12 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting. From that point on, the consistency that Cordinier brought was to be ready to fill any task on either side of the floor.

Isaia Cordinier | Season Dunks | 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup

Cordinier’s best game on offense came in Round 16 of the regular season at Promitheas Patras where he scored 22 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting and dished 6 assists. He had multiple steals in five different games and Virtus won all but one of those, including a victory over ratiopharm Ulm in the quarterfinals and Frutti Extra Bursaspor in the championship game. For the season, Cordinier played the fourth-most minutes on his team (382:33) and came off the bench in two-thirds of his 18 appearances. He averaged 9.1 points on 63.5% two-point shooting, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 steals per game. 

 

In the final, Cordinier came on with 3 minutes left in the first quarter and helped extend a 6-point lead to a 25-12 advantage after 10 minutes. His first steal of the game led to a Marco Belinelli triple. The lead grew to 14 when Cordinier was called for his second foul. That foul trouble limited Cordinier to just 12:38 of playing time in the final, which was his only scoreless performance of the season, but he still posted a +/- of 7 in the game. He provided 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for a PIR of 9 with a +/- of 10 in 20:22 of Virtus’s semifinal victory at Valencia Basket. Four of those points as well as the steal came in the fourth quarter as Virtus wrapped up the win. 

Isaia Cordinier - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-QF

Isaia Cordinier - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-RS21

Isaia Cordinier - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-RS17

Isaia Cordinier - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21

Isaia Cordinier - Virtus Segafredo Bologna - EC21

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana stole the home-court advantage in the Slovenian League finals by downing Helios Suns 66-81 in Game 1 of their best-of-five series on Wednesday. 


Domestic leagues: Cedevita gets first win in Slovenian finals

Yogi Ferrell and Alen Omic allowed Cedevita to get an early 10-13 lead. Helios answered with an 11-0 run that gave the hosts a 21-13 lead early in the second quarter. Ferrell kept pacing Cedevita, getting help from Jaka Blazic and Zach Auguste to get the guests within 35-33 at halftime. Omic scored down low to complete Cedevita's comeback, 35-37, right after the break. Zoran Dragic, Blazic and Jacob Pullen each struck from downtown to boost their team's margin to 51-55 at the end of the third quarter. Pullen hit back-to-back triples and Auguste added a layup to make it a double-digit game, 52-63, with over 7 minutes left. Cedveita boosted its margin to 59-74 and never looked back. 

Ferrell led the winners with 19 points. Pullen added 16, Dragic had 14, Blazic got 12 while Omic pulled down 16 rebounds for Cedevita, which hosts Game 2 on Saturday. Carlbe Ervin led Helios with 21 points. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">ZMAGA! 1:0 za Zmaje v finalu.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevoSrce?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevoSrce</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LigaNovaKBM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LigaNovaKBM</a> <a href="https://t.co/HuEQGPu8XP">pic.twitter.com/HuEQGPu8XP</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (@KKCedOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL/status/1529559047761960962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana stole the home-court advantage in the Slovenian League finals by downing Helios Suns 66-81 in Game 1 of their best-of-five series on Wednesday. 



Yogi Ferrell - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21

After Sergio Scariolo added to his coaching legacy by leading Virtus Segafredo Bologna to the 7DAYS EuroCup crown, he summed up his team's strong season in this interview.

Coach Sergio Scariolo, Virtus: ‘The team and the fans were one’

Sergio Scariolo will go down as one of the best and most versatile coaches in European basketball history. He was 29 years old when he led Scavolini Pesaro to the Italian League championship and helped Unicaja Malaga win its first domestic titles, the 2005 Copa del Rey and the 2006 Spanish League championship. Scariolo also helped Scavolini and Unicaja reach the EuroLeague Final Four for the first - and to date only - time and won another Spanish championship with Real Madrid. Scariolo has been hugely successful with the Spanish national team, which he has led to a Basketball World Cup title, three EuroBasket crowns and two Olympic medals, among other highlights. In the NBA, he helped Toronto win the title in 2019 as one of the team's assistant coaches. One of the only things lacking in his trophy case was a continental title and Scariolo just captured that by leading Virtus Segafredo Bologna to the 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup crown. He has a reputation for getting his teams to peak at the right time and that’s what Virtus did by winning nine of its last 10 games to lift the trophy. "Winning teams usually have to do that. If not, then they are not winning teams," Scariolo said. "When you have to do it is when it matters most: at the start of the playoffs, in do-or-die games when final verdicts are delivered." 

**Hello, Sergio, congratulations on winning the 7DAYS EuroCup. It has been a long, tough season and Virtus went all the way? How satisfied are you with the final outcome and the way your team competed, especially in the final two months of the season?** 

"Thank you. I am satisfied with the whole season, the way we started. We played great basketball in the pre-season, at a level that I rarely remember in any of my teams, in terms of quality. Regrettably, we had two really unfortunate accidents that can break your season open: Ekpe Udoh and Awudu Abass, two of our defensive pillars, got injured for the entire season. And then we had more injuries - Jaiteh, Belinelli, Pajola, Teodosic, even Sampson when he arrived. It was a horrible streak of injuries that didn't allow us to play with good rhythm. In February, after the Italian Cup tournament, we started to be healthy and play with continuity. And then we completed the team's structure by signing Toko Shengelia and Daniel Hackett, who gave us a touch of maturity, experience and solidity that we maybe didn't have." 

"In Bologna, when you light the fuse, the city responds." 

**You played a EuroCup final with Khimki Moscow Region in 2009, but this is your first title. Was winning the EuroCup a pending issue for you after losing that final?** 

"No, it has been a long time! I won a lot of titles and played a lot of finals after that and I have been through a lot… I have to say I thought about it at some point because obviously, like you said, I played a EuroCup final before, but I didn't feel it was a pending issue for me. It was more of a great opportunity to win a title at home. I had never won a title at home. All the titles and medals that I won were on the road."

**It is not the first time that one of your teams struggled a bit early in the season but finished really strong, bringing out its best basketball at the right time. Is it something that, as a coach, you look for?** 

"Winning teams usually have to do that. If not, then they are not winning teams. If you are a good team from October to June, fantastic, you are outstanding. But winning teams are good when it matters most, when it is time to win. Also, there are thousands of circumstances that may have an impact on your final outcome. Sometimes you don't win and your team did a great job, too. But when you have to do it is when it matters most: at the start of the playoffs, in do-or-die games, when final verdicts are delivered." 

**You talked about Shengelia and Hackett. How important was their commitment and their winning mentality?** 

"Like I said, this is a team that was already playing very well and at times, incredibly well. But at the same time, it lacked that ability to make the right play in the key moment. We won almost all Italian League games but in the EuroCup, a more physical league, you really notice it when you are missing three or four players. You don't have the bench depth for those absences not to be noticed. In the EuroCup, we lacked that extra toughness, experience and physicality. Toko and Dani knew how to adjust to the team, without looking for a role that they had in their previous teams which we couldn't give them now. They came in and brought out their best version, being experienced players that know how to help a team win." 

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Guys celebrated with the coach 🥰😂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WatchUs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WatchUs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSEuroCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/lvtZK77kTX">pic.twitter.com/lvtZK77kTX</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@Virtusbo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virtusbo/status/1524503612247920641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

**Speaking of winners, Mam Jaiteh made the most out of his opportunity and became this season's EuroCup MVP. How do you evaluate the step forwards he took in his career?** 

"He surely was the most improved player of the year, too. He came from a lower level and his initial role was to complement a more experienced player \[Udoh\] who would theoretically teach him and help him grow. That was our initial plan, but soon he found himself catapulted into a main role. It was hard for him at the beginning because he had physical problems and didn't feel well until December. He kept learning and getting better. He is very humble and always says 'thank you', always wants to learn and improve his game. He is the paradigm of what we always say: that hard work pays off. I am happy for him because of that; he grew as a player during the season, working hard, listening to us and being confident, and accepting criticism and corrections. I got to know him a little bit in the last few months and I trust him not to change that mentality because he still has room for improvement." 

**In the playoffs, you had three home wins and a single road victory against four-time champion Valencia Basket in the semifinals. Your first half was fantastic, arguably some of the best basketball in the EuroCup this season. What was the game plan against them?** 

"What we really wanted was to play at a high rhythm, which is what defines us as a team and to keep it as long as we could, as many minutes as possible. Controlling the boards was really important, as well as limiting Bojan Dubljevic's performance as effectively as we could. We tried to limit the connection between him and the rest of his teammates, especially against their other big man on the court. We had to try to be able to play good defense against him, inside and outside the paint, without sending big helps. And in that sense, Toko Shengelia did a great job, he used his versatility to go against him on both sides of the court, guarding 'Dubi' well inside and outside, one-on-one, without using big helps." 

Virtus Segafredo Bologna is the 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup champion! Virtus became the first Italian team to ever win the competition by downing Frutti Extra Bursaspor 80-67 in front of a wild sellout crowd at Virtus Segafredo Arena on Wednesday. Virtus lifted its sixth continental trophy and earned the right to play in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs Frutti Extra Bursaspor | Highlights | Final

**As we discussed, it's been a while since you last coached in the EuroCup. How did the competition change? Is it stronger than before?** 

"It is hard for me to compare because it has been a really long time. What I heard from a lot of people who followed the EuroCup a lot closer is that it has been the best and toughest season in the last few years. Again, it is hard for me to compare, but I can say that it had a really high playing level. For instance, our regular season group had a really high level and it was shown in the bracket; I wouldn't call it playoffs, it was a bracket, call it what you will. Our regular season group had a really strong level and the competition featured great teams with great players. That makes us have some extra pride, too, being able to finish on top in such a good, demanding competition." 

**In the final, there was the first sellout crowd at Virtus Segafredo Arena. Elite basketball is back to Basket City. How great is that?** 

"Bologna is a basketball city. Of course, results trigger the fans' enthusiasm and lead to massive crowds. But in Bologna, when you light the fuse, the city responds. Not many cities can brag about their passion and interest in basketball. It is at the same level as football, even when the football team is a consolidated first division team. It is not a normal situation. Like I said before, winning my first final at home has been special, because of the atmosphere. It generated certain pressure in the days before the game due to the high expectations. There is no doubt that we had some of that, but of course, the team and the fans were one. It was far from being a high-pressure situation, like all of Bursaspor's playoffs rivals. It was a strong motivation, an extra push." 

"Jaiteh is the paradigm of what we always say: that hard work pays off. I am happy for him because of that."

**AX Armani Exchange Milan made it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four last season and Virtus is the first Italian team to win the EuroCup. How much of a good sign in this for Italian basketball going forward?** 

"Right now, we have a good technical level. The league doesn't have an extraordinary physical level but has a good technical level, without any question. Some teams are getting there - Reyer and Sassari are always up there, then Brescia and Tortona are new teams, with solid management, ambitious, and ready to keep growing. That can only be good for Italian and European basketball because, in the end, Italy has been one of the basketball cradles in Europe, especially in terms of coaches, speaking about what I do. It has been one of the greatest coaching schools in world basketball and one of the countries to see as a reference. Milan deserves a lot of credit to get back up there, pushed by Giorgio Armani, whose support has been fantastic. And then Massimo Zanetti deserves even more credit, I think, because he took Virtus in the Italian second division. He had the vision to bring to the only place that a basketball city like Bologna deserves. The City of Bologna gives you back like no other in terms of support, but you have to bring it up there. Our owner's effort has really been tremendous. Like I said, other teams are pushing, too, and I am intrigued to see where they reach, what they will be able to do." 

**Virtus locked up a spot in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. How satisfying is it for you to bring Virtus back where it belongs, the very elite of European basketball?** 

"I feel happy and also relieved. When I got here, Virtus had just won the Italian championships in kind of an unexpected way. I could feel the disappointment for not reaching the EuroCup Finals last season, which gave you a spot in the EuroLeague, more than the joy for winning the Italian League title, which was an unbelievable win. I felt it and I was even surprised; 'the Kazan spirit' was in the air and all around, all season long, I have to admit it. It was a painful loss and this is why I wanted to include Sasa \[Djordjevic\] and his coaching staff in this win. Other than that, a wise man once said that big success is an entry ticket to a more difficult challenge and we all have to be fully aware of it, each and every one in the club, no matter what role they have. It is what it is. If we want to raise the bar, we need to have the skills and strong legs to jump over it again. That is our next challenge and everybody is willing to work in the same direction. We hope we will make the right decisions to do even better."

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-05-11T18:30:00.000Z)

Travis Trice scored all points in a 0-7 run in the final 3 minutes of the game that lifted Slask to a road win that gave it 3-1 lead in the final series. It's been 20 years since Slask, the most decorated basketball club in Polish history, last won the Polish League crown. In Game 4, team changed leads throughout the 40 minutes. Legia held 63-59 lead entering the final 3 minutes, but Travis Trice hit a three-pointer, then split free throws to tie the game at 63-63 with 1:06 left, before knocking down a game-winning triple with 33 second left. Trice finished with 21 points, making 4-of-7 triples, grabbed 9 rebounds and dished 8 assists. His brother D'mitrik Trice scored 13 points and Lukasz Kolenda scored 11 in a victory.

It's the third straight road win in four final games so far. After Slask opened the series with 76-72 home win, Legia won Game 2 with 85-88 decision. But Slask beat Legia 74-81 on Sunday to take 2-1 lead, and now is a game away from winning its 18th Polish League title.

Slask Wroclaw is one win away from winning the Polish League title after a 63-66 win over Legia Warsaw in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series on Tuesday.