New Hapoel Tel Aviv BC head coach Dimitris Itoudis was formally presented at a press conference at Hapoel’s arena in Tel Aviv, where for nearly an hour, he spoke about the team’s goals, his relationship with Ofer Yannay, working alongside Stefanos Dedas again and much more. 

Dimitris Itoudis is 'motivated' and 'honored' to take over at Hapoel Tel Aviv

Ofer Yannay has a lot to be proud of since taking over as Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv's owner. He reached a new high last week with the signing of two-time EuroLeague champion Dimitris Itoudis as the club's new head coach. Itoudis will step in as head coach, while the previous head coach, Stefanos Dedas, will remain as an assistant coach, the same role he held under Itoudis before at CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

On Sunday, Itoudis was formally presented at a press conference at Hapoel’s arena in Tel Aviv, where for nearly an hour, he spoke about the team’s goals, his relationship with Yannay, working alongside Dedas again and much more.

"Hapoel always had the best fan base and what we did in the summer, we managed to get to have a pretty good roster and now we have the best coaching staff," Yannay said while introducing Itoudis. "If you want to be competitive, if you want to build something for the long term, all of the things are extremely important and I'm very very happy to have Coach Itoudis with us and I am looking forward to see what's going to happen next."

When it was Itoudis’s turn to talk, he said that Yannai's "passion and his vision matches my expectations of trying to build something great."

The coach went on to liken the building of a team to building a house, commenting on a new home he recently built in Greece. While the original timetable was planned for before the spring, he did not get the keys until after the summer. Likewise, there is no rush on getting Hapoel to be its best version of itself, there is time for that later.

Dimitris Itoudis's introductory press conference

"We're still looking how we gonna become a better team. As I said, with all the coaching staff, we had a four-hour meeting yesterday and a practice. I cannot get deeply into the details because I want to be honest with you, I haven't seen the team in action in full roster. I scouted the team. I watched games. I talked with Stef \[Dedas\] a lot of times about the team, but still, if I'm not coaching the team then, I cannot go into more details. The expectations and the wish to accomplish things is great. We need to also be in reality sometimes because basketball you're not playing alone, you have great opponents," Itoudis continued.

The coach lamented the fact that the timing of the FIBA national team window will keep several players away from training this week, including center Bruno Caboclo, who will not practice under Itoudis until after the team travels to Bulgaria for Thursday's game against ratiopharm Ulm.

He later explained how important being able to work with the players one-on-one is to building the team he envisions. "I need to challenge some of the players to see how they're gonna react under pressure. You know people that they work with me, they know how much I'm gonna get deeply into the criticism because I believe in eye-to-eye contact and criticism. The picture never lies. I do spend a lot of time watching film."

Naturally, both Yannay and Itoudis were asked about the status of star center Johnathan Motley, who was one of the club’s marquee signings over the summer, but left the club abruptly several weeks ago. The big man has a relationship with Itoudis from their time together at Fenerbahce.

"Jonathan Motley is a great player. The contract with him is valid and we expect him to return. I can say that his agent communicated with George Hinas on Friday evening," Yannay said. "I hope this is the first step to him coming back to Hapoel."

Itoudis followed by saying: "Mot is a point of emphasis for us. It’s a completely different team when Mot is in and contributes offensively and defensively and when he’s not. We as a coaching staff, we would love to know the situation sooner than later because this is how we can move to the next step."

More Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv news

The two-time EuroLeague champion head coach was introduced in Tel Aviv on Sunday

Itoudis is 'motivated' and 'honored' to take over at Hapoel

Aris adds Cooper to backcourt

Aris Midea Thessaloniki strengthened its perimeter by signing guard Sharife Cooper until the end of the season, the club announced Friday. Cooper (1.85 meters, 23 years old) arrives from the Turkish side Merkezefendi where he averaged 15.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals this season.

For the young guard this is already his fourth professional season. Cooper played only 12 games in college at Auburn University, before splitting time between the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA and College Park SkyHawks in the G-League during his first pro campaign in the 2021-22. The next two seasons, Cooper played with the Cleveland Charge in the G-League, before finishing last season with Liaoning in China. He is now set to make his BKT EuroCup debut.

<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCoWQVBMIZx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCoWQVBMIZx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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Rimantas Kaukenas, a European basketball star as a player, has made sure he leaves a positive impact in his native Lithuania long after retiring thanks to his Rimantas Kaukenas Charitable Foundation.

Rimantas Kaukenas Charitable Foundation: Providing joy for ill children

[Rimantas Kaukenas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/rimantas-kaukenas/bjr/) was a European basketball star as a player and has made sure he leaves a positive impact in his native Lithuania since retiring. In 2011, he founded the Rimantas Kaukenas Charitable Foundation while he was still an active player. More than 13 years later, Kaukenas is now president of BKT EuroCup club [Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-twinsbet-vilnius/wol/) and his foundation is one of the biggest and most recognized in the Baltics.

His foundation is a nonprofit charity that provides help to seriously ill children, supporting families raising children with oncological, genetic and other critical diseases. From surprises involving basketball players, singers or athletes to activities in hospitals and many different sorts of events, the Rimantas Kaukenas Charitable Foundation makes sure it brings joy to the daily lives of seriously ill children. It also cooperates with several hospitals in the country. The foundation has created a community involving the children's heroes and their parents, ready to help each other whenever it is needed. In this video, Kaukenas talk about his foundation's achievements, its growth over the years, and how committed he is to it.

Veolia Hamburg Towers have signed shooting guard Johnathan Stove for the remainder of the season

Hamburg looks to cook with Johnathan Stove

Veolia Hamburg Towers have signed shooting guard Johnathan Stove for the remainder of the season. He will be eligible to make his BKT EuroCup debut later this week when Hamburg visits Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Stove (1.93 meters, 28 years old) arrives from Greek side Maroussi Athens, where he averaged 10.2 points in five games this season. He return to Germany after averaging a team-high 16.4 points per game last season for SYNTAINICS MBC, including a memorable 41-point effort against Niners Chemnitz.

Veolia Hamburg Towers head coach

"We were looking for reinforcements and believe that we have found exactly the player we need in Johnathan. His physique at both ends of the court will do us good. He also proved last year that he can have an impact in the German league, so he brings a certain amount of experience with him. I'm looking forward to working with him."

After playing college basketball at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Stove began his professional career in 2021 in Albania with Vllaznia Shkodra. After an impressive start, he was signed by Israeli club Hapoel Galil Elyon, with which he won the Balkan League. Stove played for BC Nokia in Finland in 2022-23 and then in Germany last season.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">🚨 TRANSFER ALERT 🚨<br><br>Die <a href="https://twitter.com/hamburgtowers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hamburgtowers</a> verpflichten Jonathan Stove! 🏀 <br><br>Der <a href="https://twitter.com/syntainicsmbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@syntainicsmbc</a> Topscorer der <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/easycreditbbl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#easycreditbbl</a>-Saison 23/24 (inkl. 41-Punkte-Game) kehrt aus Griechenland (Maroussi BC) zurück nach Deutschland. 🇬🇷➡️🇩🇪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/welcometowow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#welcometowow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/madetowow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#madetowow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/welcometohamburg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#welcometohamburg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/news?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#news</a> <a href="https://t.co/55F1fPRwLD">pic.twitter.com/55F1fPRwLD</a></p>&mdash; easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/easyCreditBBL/status/1859628340803490013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The shooting guard returns to Germany after leading SYNTAINICS MBC in scoring last season

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2024-11-28T17:30:00.000Z)

Tarik Phillip has switched EuroCup teams by joining Hapoel Jerusalem from Trefl Sopot.

Hapoel Jerusalem brings in star guard Tarik Phillip

[Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-bank-yahav-jerusalem/jer/) has strengthened its backcourt by bringing in playmaker [Tarik Phillip](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tarik-phillip/009649/), who has signed from another BKT EuroCup side in [Trefl Sopot](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/trefl-sopot/tso/), on a deal until the end of the 2024-25 season.

Phillip (1.91 meters, 31 years old) started the season with Trefl, averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.2 steals in eight EuroCup games, ranking eighth overall in PIR (19.2).

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">טאריק פיליפ חתם בהפועל!<br>לידיעה המלאה &gt;&gt; <a href="https://t.co/GikfBKoGEL">https://t.co/GikfBKoGEL</a> <a href="https://t.co/dzsYZ8uDwc">pic.twitter.com/dzsYZ8uDwc</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Jerusalem BC (@JerusalemBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerusalemBasket/status/1859644982027747626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jerusalem will be Phillip's fifth team in the competition after his previous experiences with Tofas Bursa of Turkiye (2019-20), Umana Reyer Venice of Italy (2021-22) and the London Lions of Great Britain (2023-24). In 53 EuroCup career games, Phillip has posted averages of 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals.

The best plays of Tarik Phillip with Trefl Sopot through the first eight rounds of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season.

Tarik Phillip's top plays this season

Curiously, he briefly played for Jerusalem in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, playing a total of seven games. Phillip started his professional basketball career with Szolnoki Olajbanyasz of Hungary, and also played for Clavijo Logrono and San Pablo Burgos of Spain, as well as for the Memphis Hustle in the G League. 

He has also been a member of the British national team. He helped the Lions win back-to-back British League titles in 2023 and 2024.

More Jerusalem News

He joins from fellow EuroCup side Trefl Sopot

Jerusalem brings in star guard Tarik Phillip

When it comes to players who can most appreciate the current five-game winning streak for BC Wolves, there are Kristupas Zemaitis and Regimantas Miniotas, who have been there from the very beginning. But Jeffery Taylor can also lay claim to a huge part of the club’s success after he was sold immediately on the idea of the club in its infancy.

Jeffery Taylor is proud of Wolves' growth and his role in it

When it comes to players who can most appreciate the current five-game winning streak for [Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-twinsbet-vilnius/wol/), there are Kristupas Zemaitis and Regimantas Miniotas, who have been there from the very beginning. But [Jeffery Taylor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jeffery-taylor/006546/) can also lay claim to a huge part of the club’s success after he was sold immediately on the idea of the club in its infancy.

Zemaitis and Miniotas are the only two players from the opening-day roster in 2022 when Wolves debuted in the Lithuanian top flight. Taylor joined the club just before Christmas that year – only days after a chat with club president Rimantas Kaukenas. 

“Rimantas called me and was explaining the project to me. And I was just very, very interested and motivated from the start to come here and help. Just being part of something from the ground up and being able to potentially make history and keep making history, growing this brand and growing this club is something very, very interesting and fun to do as a competitor,” recalled Taylor, who in December 2022 was at home in Sweden without a job after having spent the previous seven years with [Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/). 

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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6ydZ2mIhz4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Jeffery Taylor (@jefferytaylor_44)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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Taylor’s agent spoke with Kaunkenas and then brought the idea to the then-33-year-old forward. About a week after speaking with Kaukenas, Taylor signed a one-year deal.

“Kaukenas is known as a great competitor. And he just sold me on the idea of coming here and competing and making history and taking this thing to the next level. And for me, after we had that talk, it was a no-brainer. I was sold,” he said.

Kaukenas played professionally in Europe from 2000 to 2017 in his native Lithuania, Israel, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain. The former shooting guard found his greatest success in Italy, where he played five seasons in the EuroLeague with Montepaschi Siena and helped the team reach the Final Four in 2008. Kaukenas also competed in the EuroLeague with Real Madrid, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zalgiris Kaunas.

The Vilnius native also played more than a decade for the Lithuanian national team and appeared in many big tournaments, including a third-place finish at EuroBasket 2007 and a semifinal berth at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Manned with the experience of winning the 2018 EuroLeague crown as well as four Spanish League titles with Real Madrid, Taylor was an integral part in Wolves taking third place in the Lithuanian League in its first season.

Taylor decided to stay in Vilnius and see what else the club could do. [He signed a two-year contract](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bc-wolves-lock-up-jeffery-taylor-for-2-more-years/) with an option for an additional season. 

“It's been a really fun, interesting ride to see this thing basically from the beginning up until now, how much we've grown from the very beginning up until the position we're in today in 2024,” Taylor said.

The best plays of Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius forward Jeffery Taylor through the first eight rounds of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season.

Jeffery Taylor's top plays in 2024-25

Last season, Wolves went 8-8 in the regular season in its EuroCup debut, missing the playoffs by just one victory. The club also finished third in the Lithuanian League again and then beat Neptunas in the first round of the playoffs before taking Rytas Vilnius to five games in the semifinals. 

“I think that throughout the first years, we've grown a lot. We've shown that we want to be around for the long run. We want to be competitive. We want to be in the playoffs and play for something every season and get to places where the team hasn't been before,” Taylor said. 

This current five-game winning streak has seen Taylor and co. win at Joventut Badalona, Trefl Sopot and Dreamland Gran Canaria in addition to home wins over Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul and Dolomiti Energia Trento. During that stretch, Wolves also defeated EuroLeague side Zalgiris Kaunas 100-82 in the domestic league. 

“For us, the focus every game is to be really, really solid on defense; play with physicality, sticking with our principles and our details. And I think that's kind of what changed the most during this winning streak. We really just kind of came together in those different departments,” said Taylor, who could not help Wolves from losing its first three games of the EuroCup season. 

“It was never a problem of scoring the ball. We have a lot of guys who can score the ball. For us, it was just always going to be about defense and playing with a high level of physicality and going from there.”

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And what about being in Vilnius, which is well known as a basketball hotbed but dominated by two-time EuroCup winners and seven-time national champions Rytas Vilnius.

"I do believe Vilnius is big enough to have two teams. More good basketball anywhere is always a good thing in my opinion,” Taylor countered. “The city has been historically Rytas's city. They have so much history. It's a well accomplished club. But for our part we want to just keep growing, keep making history, keep making our own history.”

Just like how Taylor was convinced from the beginning. 

More Wolves News

The former EuroLeague champ was sold immediately on Wolves' project in its infancy by club president Rimantas Kaukenas

Eight rounds into the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup and the first break of the regular season is here. It seems like a fitting time to note the players who have stood out so far in the current campaign and give them their flowers.

2024-25 EuroCup early season awards by Eurohoops

Eight rounds into the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup and the first break of the regular season is here.

It seems like a fitting time to note the players who have stood out so far in the current campaign and give them their flowers.

### MVP

### Jared Harper – Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem

Not only is [Jared Harper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jared-harper/011970/) arguably the most offensively dominant player in the EuroCup right now, but his team is also collecting one victory after the other. [Hapoel Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-bank-yahav-jerusalem/jer/) currently stands second in Group B at 6-2, second only to the one undefeated team in the competition, [Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/valencia-basket/pam/), Harper’s ex-team.

Harper is generating points in abundance for him and his teammates. He’s the EuroCup leading scorer with 21.4 points – the only one among his peers above the 20.0 ppg. mark – while dishing out 6.9 assists, the third-best average in the competition. This lethal combination of skills has seen him cause plenty of headaches for his team’s opponents. Indeed, Harper is more or less the definition of unstoppable, winning a league-high 8.4 fouls per game.

Read more about the other awards winners [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1745441/2024-25-eurocup-early-season-awards-by-eurohoops/).

The MVP, First Team, Second Team, Rising Star and Best Coach are all selected

Vassilis Toliopoulos is putting the lessons he learned from Vassilis Spanoulis, his idol, ex-teammate and current national team head coach, into action with Aris BC.

Vassilis Toliopoulos: 'Spanoulis taught me to be a better leader' 

Part of being a superstar is being a role model and inspiration for younger people. [Vassilis Toliopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/vassilis-toliopoulos/004292/) got to experience his idol [Vassilis Spanoulis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/vassilis-spanoulis/juo/) both as a teammate and head coach and that helped the [Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-midea-thessaloniki/ari/) captain become a better leader for his team. 

Toliopoulos was just 19 years old when he joined [Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/) in 2015 after playing with Ikaros Chalkidas and Kolossos Rhodos beforehand. Spanoulis was still one of the best in Europe back then at 33 years of age. 

“I learned a lot from Vassilis. As a teammate, I was there for three and a half years. I didn’t have a chance to play with him a lot, but it was great just seeing him and how he was as a captain with Olympiacos, one of the best teams in Europe," said Toliopoulos, who was with Olympiacos until early 2019, which is when he moved to Aris for the first time.

"What he said in the locker room and how he pushes everybody to be their best version on the court and how competitive he was, even in practices and scrimmages that didn’t count. He never wanted to lose. That was something that helped build my mentality.” 

Nine years after joining Spanoulis as a teammate, Toliopoulos got the chance to play for him. The three-time EuroLeague champion was installed as Greece national team coach in October 2023 and he called the sharpshooting Toliopoulos into his squad for his coaching debut in the February 2024 window of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. 

Toliopoulos, who had played for Greece in qualifying games in 2020 and 2021, scored 2 points in the first game of the window and then pulled off his best Spanoulis imitation in the second game. He totaled 26 points with 4 three-pointers, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals as well as the game-winning layup with 29 seconds left in a 74-72 win over the Netherlands. 

“Having him call me to the national team – my idol and one of my favorite teammates – meant a lot to me. I really appreciate what he did for me and how he showed that he believed in me,” Toliopoulos said about the call-up from Spanoulis. 

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That wouldn’t be the last time the two former teammates hooked up for Greece in 2024. Spanoulis included Toliopoulos in his roster for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. It was the first major tournament for Toliopoulos, who is nicknamed “Pistoliopoulos”, and he averaged 8.3 points and 2.0 assists as Greece won the event and qualified for the Olympics. And that came on the court where he and Spanoulis played together – Olympiacos’s famed home, the famed Peace and Friendship Stadium. 

“I really enjoyed the moment. I tried my best to help the team qualify,” said Toliopoulos, who also got to experience NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as a teammate. “He’s such an amazing guy. He’s the hardest worker I have seen in my life. He really does everything to help the team. He talks in the locker room. He really pushes everybody on the court to be their best self. I am really such a lucky guy to have seen all those things from him and the other guys there.”

Winning the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) of course also meant a date for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“The Olympics are the best thing that can happen to an athlete. It’s an amazing dream that came true," he revealed. "I couldn’t believe after the OQT that it would really happen. I didn’t understand that until I was there at the opening ceremony. I will never forget that experience. It’s such an amazing experience and I hope that every athlete that dreams of it can live it.”

Toliopoulos averaged 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in Paris, where Greece lost to Germany in the quarterfinals. 

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The summer saw another big moment for Toliopoulos as he signed a two-year extension with Aris despite interest from clubs abroad, including Turk Telekom Ankara and others within Greece. 

“It was nice to know that I had interest from abroad and also from Greece. I wanted to stay with the team, but first of all, I wanted the contract that I deserved after the last two great seasons,” said Toliopoulos, who played for Aris for the remainder of the 2018-19 season as well as since 2022. 

"I am really happy the team understood what I brought to this club and how passionate I am to be here. They did everything they could to keep me in the team. It was really important to me that they showed how important I am to the team.”

Vassilis Toliopoulos's top plays in Rounds 1-8

Toliopoulos was honored for his excellent 2023-24 season by being named the Most Improved Player in the Greek League.

“That meant a lot to me because it shows all the work I put into my game and that everybody appreciated everything I did on the court. It gave me motivation to keep working and keep getting better,” he said. 

Toliopoulos also helped Aris – which celebrated its last of 10 league championships in 1991 – make club history last season. 

In the third and final game of the Greek League quarterfinal playoffs, Aris was down 2 points with 4.7 seconds left. Toliopoulos was on the free-throw line and missed his second foul shot, managed to grab the loose ball rebound, move beyond the three-point line and toss up a fall-away high arching three-pointer that fell to give Aris the victory over Promitheas Patras. 

“That was one of the best moments in my career. Maybe the best,” he recalled. 

The shot sent Aris to the Greek League semifinals for the first time since 2017. 

“It was important for Aris to have this success, for me, for all the players.” 

Toliopoulos and Aris have struggled thus far in the EuroCup with a 2-6 record, but the 28-year-old is doing his best to lead the team after learning important lessons from his idol, Vassilis Spanoulis. 

The Aris guard is fourth in the EuroCup in scoring (18.4 ppg.) so far this season

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana secured the services of one of the best young players in the BKT EuroCup, signing a long term deal with center Joan Beringer, the club announced. Beringer turned 18 years of age earlier this month, and inked his first professional contract that ties him with the club from the Slovenian capital until the summer of 2028.

Cedevita locks up big man Beringer long term

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana secured the services of one of the best young players in the BKT EuroCup, signing a long term deal with center [Joan Beringer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/joan-beringer/012996/), the club announced. Beringer (2.07 meters, 18 years old) turned 18 years of age earlier this month, and inked his first professional contract that ties him with the club from the Slovenian capital until the summer of 2028.

Beringer has shined in his EuroCup debut this season. He made 7 appearances through the first eight rounds of the season, averaging 4.0 points on 75.0% shooting and 5.4 rebounds, second most on the team. He also had totaled 5 steals and 4 blocks.

His best performance came in Round 6 loss against Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem with 10 points and 6 rebounds. In each of the two games since then, Beringer pulled down 8 rebounds.

Prior to joining Cedevita this past summer, Beringer played with Strasbourg junior teams in his native France.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">Nadarjeni 18-letni Joan Beringer je s Cedevito Olimpijo podpisal svojo prvo profesionalno pogodbo do leta 2028! <br><br>Joan se je ljubljanskemu klubu pridružil letošnje poletje, v kratkem času pa je postal eden od ključnih Zmajev v članski zasedbi!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZmajevaDruzina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZmajevaDruzina</a> <a href="https://t.co/bxPkiQiRTj">pic.twitter.com/bxPkiQiRTj</a></p>&mdash; Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (@KKCedOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL/status/1858842686024798495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The 18-year old is averaging 4.0 points on 75.0% shooting and 5.4 rebounds.