Valencia Basket is a great example of the benefits of having a deep roster, but other EuroCup teams are also thriving with their bench units.

Stats review: The value of a strong bench

Round 8 of the BKT EuroCup was highlighted by several key wins as things remain very tight, with a half dozen teams vying for position in the middle of Group A and [Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/valencia-basket/pam/) continuing to stand out in Group B. Scoring over 100 points for the fifth time in seven games, the Spanish club featured seven scorers in double figures including three off the bench.

Roster depth matters in the EuroCup; each of the last two teams to win the competition ranked among the top three in the percentage of minutes played by their bench at the end of the season. Despite the recent correlation with winning, the definition of a deep team remains nebulous. For some groups it is rooted in the quality of their sixth and seventh men, for others it’s the feeling that they have seven starters allowing them to mix and match, and some even benefit from being able to play 10 or 11 players. Regardless of the details, it’s the impact of that depth on the floor that is meaningful.

That has been especially true for Valencia through the first months of the season. With a mixture of perhaps the league’s highest talent level from top to bottom and how coach Pedro Martinez has chosen to exploit it, the Spanish club has leveraged its depth as effectively as any team in EuroCup history. Without a single player averaging 23 or more minutes per game but 11 players who have been in the team’s starting five and 14 who have seen game action, no team in the league has used its reserves and mixed up its lineups as liberally as the Group A leaders. The result has been a surprising level of consistency. 

Not only has Valencia scored 100 points five times, but its second-ranked offensive efficiency has been nearly flat quarter to quarter. Its bench has outscored opposing reserves by 19 points per game as the way this roster can maintain a high standard of play for 40 minutes has been an unsolvable puzzle for opposing teams so far this season. No team has used its bench more than its starters for a full season in recent EuroCup history, but early returns suggest it may work in Valencia’s favor to become the first.

[Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/cosea-jl-bourg-en-bresse/bou/) has this season’s second-highest bench scoring differential. In contrast to Valencia, Bourg used the same starting lineup in their first four games before some injuries led to some reshuffling. When healthy, the French club has used a platoon system; its two most used lineups this season did not feature any common players until last round. Even as its bench has played some 10% fewer minutes than Valencia’s, the value of those true second-unit minutes has been apparent early on as the bench has outscored opposing reserves by 74 points, explaining most of their fifth-ranked +48 point differential.

The fluidity of Valencia’s rotations and the chemistry of Bourg’s bench have had an obvious impact on the standings, but there are plenty of other nuggets to be found looking across the EuroCup this season. 

[Jordan Ford](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jordan-ford/013270/) may be coming off the bench for [Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dolomiti-energia-trento/trn/), but that has not stopped him from ranking sixth among all players in points per-game. His production has made Trento the only team other than Valencia getting as much scoring from its bench as its starters. 

No team has leaned on its starters more heavily than [Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/ttk/), which has played them a league-high 67% of the time through eight games despite using 10 different starters. While some of these numbers will flatten out as the year goes on, it will be interesting to see if that continues to work now that teams have settled into the rhythm of the season.

Let's dive into how important teams' production off the bench has been to winning

Hapoel Tel Aviv BC has confirmed that Dimitris Itoudis, a two-time EuroLeague champion and two-time EuroLeague Coach of the Year, has been appointed as its new head coach.

Hapoel appoints two-time EuroLeague champ Dimitris Itoudis as head coach

[Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/) has announced the appointment of Dimitris Itoudis – a two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion and two-time EuroLeague Coach of the Year – as its new head coach. 

The Greek tactician has penned a three-year deal with the Israeli side that includes an option to extend his contract 'for additional seasons'.

Itoudis had been without a club since being let go by [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) in December 2023, and he is now entrusted with guiding an ambitious Hapoel team to the BKT EuroCup and Israeli League championships.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">מועדון הכדורסל הפועל &quot;שלמה&quot; ת&quot;א גאה ומתרגש להודיע על החתמתו של המאמן המעוטר דימטריס איטודיס, שחתם לשלוש שנים עם אופציה להארכה לעונות נוספות. <br><br>סטפנוס דדאס ישאר כעוזרו של איטודיס לצידם של ברק לדרר, גיל סלטר, דניס טימקוב ומאמן הכושר אנדראה קבלארי.<br><br>איטודיס, מגדולי מאמני הכדורסל… <a href="https://t.co/kE0wkw2nTN">pic.twitter.com/kE0wkw2nTN</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC/status/1857462377081393450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The 54-year-old certainly has plenty of pedigree after leading CSKA Moscow to the EuroLeague title in 2016 and 2019, while he was an assistant to Zeljko Obradovic at [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/) as the Greens won five EuroLeague trophies in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

In the EuroLeague this century, Itoudis has accrued the seventh most wins (218) of any coach; 191 came with CSKA and 27 were with Fenerbahce. Overall, he has a 218-89 record in 307 EuroLeague games.

Beyond the bench: Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA Moscow

This will be the second time that Itoudis has been in charge of a EuroCup club after leading Banvit Bandirma to an 8-8 record in the 2013-14 campaign. That was his first season as a head coach after leaving Panathinaikos.

Between 2014 and 2022, the Greek play-caller was the head coach at CSKA and achieved great success with the Russian club, then he moved to Fenerbahce and guided the Turkish side back to the EuroLeague Playoffs.

Stefanos Dedas, who has led Hapoel this season and was previously Itoudis’s No. 2 at CSKA (2022) and Fenerbahce (2022-23), will remain at the club as an assistant coach.

The team is currently in third place in Group A with a 5-3 record

The BKT EuroCup Round 9 game between Turk Telekom Ankara and Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem will be played at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia. The game will be played on Thursday, November 28 at 19:30 local time.

Round 9 matchup between Turk Telekom and Hapoel Jerusalem relocated

The BKT EuroCup Round 9 game between Turk Telekom Ankara and Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem will be played at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia. The game will be played on Thursday, November 28 at 19:30 local time.

This decision has been taken considering recommendations from the Turkish and Israeli governments.

Turk Telekom Ankara v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2024-11-28T16:30:00.000Z)

Look back at all the action in Round 8 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos from Round 8

Look back at all the action from Round 8 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Against Bourg, Hapoel Jerusalem's Gabriel Chachashvili exploded with a monster double-double of 20 points and 11 boards, going 8 of 12 from two, good for a 29 PIR that shattered all his previous marks.

Chachashvili’s magic night boosted Jerusalem over Bourg

[Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-bank-yahav-jerusalem/jer/) survived [a hard fight against BKT EuroCup runner-up Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/jerusalem-used-big-second-half-to-beat-bourg-86-77/) at Samokov Arena on Wednesday night. Both teams entered the game with 5-2 records, and a win would confirm second place in Group B for one of them.

It seemed Bourg was in good disposition of achieving it, as it dominated 37-41 at halftime, but a fierce reaction after the intermission with a 21-8 run in the 6 first minutes of the third period turned the tables and set the foundations for a valuable and well-deserved victory.

“We elevated our aggressiveness in the third quarter," explained Hapoel head coach Yonatan Alon. “Second quarter was we already better, but we were aggressive defensively and offensively.”

But besides mentioning team effort, Yalon had some words for a couple of players who took turns in the spotlight despite a non-starring role in previous games.

“I think we have a very talented team. People don't understand how talented players like [\[Gabriel\] Chachashvili](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/gabriel-chachashvili/013279/) and [\[Or\] Cornelius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/or-cornelius/013281/) really are.”, he said. “They can give us a lot and I don't want them to look at [Jared Harper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jared-harper/011970/) and [Khadeen Carrington](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/khadeen-carrington/008912/) and ask them to score for us. No, we have every time on the floor five talented players, and they need to perform and to believe in themselves”

Chachashvili’s magic night boosted Hapoel over Bourg

Speaking specifically about Chachashvili, the truth is that he seemed to believe in himself more than anyone, anytime. The 24-year-old center was among the top talents of his generation in Israel and signed with Jerusalem in the summer of 2023 after a season in Germany with high expectations. However, injuries cost him to miss most of the season and the start of this one. But then, when Jerusalem lost [Austin Wiley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/austin-wiley/013278/) and [Justin Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/justin-smith/013276/) to injuries, the opportunity was there for Chachashvili.

He enjoyed good playing minutes this season, averaging 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.6 PIR in 18:21 minutes on the court, but had never scored more than 7 points, grabbed more than 6 boards or recorded more than 8 PIR in any of his 7 games in his debut season.

Against Bourg, Chachashvili exploded with a monster double-double of 20 points and 11 boards, going 8 of 12 from two, good for a 29 PIR that shattered all his previous marks. He first showed up in the second quarter, scoring 8 of Jerusalem's last 10 points before halftime, and played a major role in his team’s reaction early in the third period with 6 more points and key rebounds and steals to construct a double-digit lead, 72-59, that proved definitive.

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“We talked at halftime. We said that we really wanted to pick up the aggressiveness on defense and get more stops, and play a little bit more simple on offense”, Chachashvili said. “And I think we did both of those things. Everybody had a really good game. \[…\] Everybody did their part to beat such a good team."

With Chachashvili looking strong and Derek Ogbeide adding more power with 6 points and 7 rebounds in less than 13 minutes in his second game with the club, Jerusalem has plenty of reasons for optimism.

Game News

The center shattered personal records in points, rebounds and PIR

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem v Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (2024-11-13T18:00:00.000Z)

A record-breaking performance in a winning effort allowed Zavier Simpson of U-BT Cluj-Napoca to earn EuroCup Regular Season Round 8 MVP honors with a PIR of 34.

Round 8 MVP: Zavier Simpson, U-BT Cluj-Napoca

A record-breaking performance in a winning effort allowed [Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) of [U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/clu/) to earn BKT EuroCup Regular Season Round 8 MVP honors with a PIR of 34.

Simpson led Cluj to a 100-93 home win over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys with 32 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He made 7 of 11 two-pointers, 2 of 4 three-pointers and 12 of 13 free throws and drew 9 fouls to compile a PIR of 34, which was the highest of any player in Round 8. Simpson is the first Cluj player to earn MVP of the Round honors this season and the third in competition history after Karel Guzman and Emanuel Cate.

[Devon Dotson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/devon-durrell-dotson/013285/) of Joventut Badalona had the round's next-highest PIR with a 32 in his team's 78-72 home win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. Dotson led Joventut with 26 points on 7-of-10 two-point shooting, 3-of-4 on three-pointers and 3-of-3 on free throws, plus 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 6 fouls drawn. 

[Gabriel Chachashvili](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/gabriel-chachashvili/013279/) helped Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem beat Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse 86-77 with 20 points on 8-of-11 two-point shooting and 4 free throws without a miss, 11 rebounds, 1 steal and 4 fouls drawn for a PIR of 29. 

[Mateusz Ponitka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/mateusz-ponitka/004172/) of Bahcesehir College Istanbul (28 PIR) and [Mantas Rubstavicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/mantas-rubstavicius/009299/) of Lietkabelis (27 PIR) complete the list of top individual performances in Round 8.

### Individual highs: Mfiondu Kabengele, Reyer, 15 rebounds

The Round 8 MVP, Cluj's Zavier Simpson, led all scorers with a club-record 32 points. [Jared Harper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jared-harper/011970/) of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem is the competition's top scorer with 21.4 points per game.

[Mfiondu Kabengele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/mfiondu-tshimanga-kabengele/012796/) of Umana Reyer Venice pulled down 15 rebounds against Turk Telekom Ankara to lead the weekly standings. He is also this season's top rebounder with 10.4 per game.

Jerusalem point guard Harper dished 9 assists, more than anyone in Round 8. Simpson is the EuroCup's assist leader with 6.9 per game.

Three players had 4 steals apiece this round: [Sehmus Hazer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sehmus-hazer/011201/) of Bahcesehir, [Gabrielius Maldunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/gabrielius-maldunas/010461/) of Lietkabelis and [Tarik Phillip](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tarik-phillip/009649/) of Trefl Sopot. Phillip and Dreamland Gran Canaria's [Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/andrew-albicy/003425/) share the lead for the season, each averaging 2.3 steals.

[Kur Kuath](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kur-kuath/013313/) of Veolia Hamburg Towers had 5 blocks in this round, a new EuroCup season high. He also leads the overall standings with 2.2 per night.

Four players had double-doubles in this round: Kabengele (10 points, 15 rebounds), Chachashvili (20 points, 11 rebounds), [Matas Jogela](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/matas-jogela/006853/) of Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (10 points, 12 rebounds) and [Andrija Stipanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/andrija-stipanovic/005113/) of Lietkabelis (11 points, 12 rebounds).

Congratulations to Matej Karamarko, our eighth winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Matej's team, 'm199', posted a score of 225.75.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 8 winner

Congratulations to Matej Karamarko, our eighth winner in the 2024-25 [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Matej's team, 'm199', posted a score of 225.75.

Matej had the following lineup: Zavier Simpson of U-BT Cluj-Napoca as team captain, then the rest of his starting five included Anthony Brown of Turk Telekom Ankara, Kur Kuath of Veolia Towers Hamburg, Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem and Tre'Shawn Thurman of Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius. Mantas Rubstavicius of 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys was his sixth man

His team's head coach was Hamburg's Benka Barloschky, while the four bench players were ratiopharm Ulm's Noa Essengue, Maxime Courby of Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse, Tarik Phillip of Trefl Sopot and Gabriel Chachashvili of Jerusalem.

The prize for finishing first in Round 8 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Matej!

The new leader in the overall standings is Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallsLife', which has a total of 1,349.15 points after the first eight rounds. Trades are now open for Round 9. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season.

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Following the suspension of the Round 6 game between Valencia Basket and 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, the game has been rescheduled for Friday, December 20, 2024.

Following the suspension of the Round 6 game between Valencia Basket and 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, the game has been rescheduled to be played on the following date: Friday, December 20, 2024 at 20:30 local time.

Euroleague Basketball announces rescheduled game

Joventut Badalona had to battle until the final minute to beat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 78-72 at home in Round 8. Newcomer Sam Dekker showed hints of his great talent, too. 


Sam Dekker stepped up for Joventut in his first game 

[Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/roster/jov/) had to battle until the final minute to beat [Buducnost VOLI Podgorica ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/roster/bud/)[78-72 at home in Round 8](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/dotson-leads-joventut-past-buducnost-78-72/) in a game that saw newcomer [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sam-dekker/009672/) flash hints of his great talent, too. 

Dekker had not played an official basketball game since winning the British League title with the London Lions. His contract is still being honored by the Lions, but Dekker cannot play in the British League due to budget restrictions. Joventut saw an opportunity and signed him. Dekker was a [2022-23 All-EuroCup Second Team](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/ec-2022-23-all-eurocup-second-team/) selection and helped London reach the EuroCup semifinals last season.

Despite being a little out of rhythm, Dekker knows the competition well and his talent did the rest. He did not have spectacular numbers, finishing the game with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a PIR of 3, but Dekker stepped up in two critical moments during the game. When [Devon Dotson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/devon-durrell-dotson/013285/) briefly left the game with a small injury, Dekker had 4 points which allowed Joventut to keep a 61-60 lead after 30 minutes.

And when Buducnost completed its comeback, 70-72, with over 2 minutes remaining, Joventut needed a go-to guy, as Buducnost had limited the hosts to just 2 points in the previous 5 minutes. After a timeout, [Guillem Vives](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/guillem-vives/002361/) found Dekker for the go-ahead three-pointer from the left corner. After a defensive stop, [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/adam-hanga/005099/) also struck from downtown to put Joventut on the right track, 76-72. Defense did the rest, as Buducnost was held scoreless in the last 2 minutes.

Sam Dekker started his fourth BKT EuroCup season. Joventut Badalona is his third team in the competition.

Sam Dekker is back in the EuroCup!

Dotson had been sensational before his injury, and still finished the game with career-highs of 26 points and a PIR of 32. He had 23 of those points in the opening 23 minutes before getting injured on his first missed shot, but was able to come back and help his team win.

"A great win today. We emphasized before the game to come out with a lot of energy and a lot of motivation. In the past games, we have played tight, every game has been really close," Dotson said after the game. "Today, we wanted to change that and really finish the game and just get this win. It was a great victory. I am glad the team played well and helped me, uplifted me to play well, also."

Game Videos

Head coach [Dani Miret](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/jov/miret-daniel/) took in some fresh air once his team broke a four-game losing streak in the competition. He believes that enjoying themselves playing good basketball is the next step for the team after the upcoming break.

"I think that in other games, we deserved victories because we are worrying and putting all the effort, making a lot of solid things. Right now, this victory will help us shine a little bit more because when we are competing, we are nor enjoying what we need to enjoy," Coach Miret said. "We are doing the job but good basketball teams also enjoy. It is easy when you are winning and this is what the team needs right now, have confidence, start to enjoy playing with each other. It is a great victory for the team."

The talented forward has been with the club for less than a week

Joventut Badalona v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2024-11-13T19:30:00.000Z)