Many players made an impact in the opening week of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season, but here are a few who stood out over three days of Round 1 action..
Roll call, Round 1: Season-opening impacts
Stats
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Keene got Prometey rolling
Prometey Slobozhanske waltzed to a 97-77 win over Veolia Towers Hamburg with new point guard Marcus Keene in the driver's seat. Keened hit a pair of triples among 9 points in the game's first 5 minutes as Prometey opened a 21-9 lead and never looked back. Keene would finish with a team-high 19 points, making 4 of 5 two-point shots and 3 of 8 triples. He also dished a career-best 6 assists. Keene has previously played four EuroCup games with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in the 2021-22 campaign.
Albicy started Gran Canaria's title-defense as a silent hero
Dreamland Gran Canaria started its attempt to become the first back-to-back EuroCup champion with a big road victory at Aris Midea Thessaloniki. In the Spanish team's 66-82 victory, veteran guard Andrew Albicy played an instrumental role. In addition to scoring 8 points, Albicy dished 5 assists and tied his career-best with 5 steals. However, nothing says more of how much of an impact Albicy had than the fact that Gran Canaria outscored Aris by 30 points during the 26:17 minutes when Albicy was on the floor.
Trento's Alviti was hot from long-range
Davide Alviti might not have started his first full EuroCup campaign the way he hoped, but that does not take away from the fact he knocked down more three-point shots than any other player in Round 1. Dolomiti Energia Trento lost on the road against ratiopharm Ulm, 80-70, but Alviti was Trento's top scored with 15 points, netting 5 triples on 6 attempts. For Alviti, this was his second EuroCup appearance, after he played 46 seconds in the 2014-15 season when he was with Virtus Rome.
Bourg's Benitez opened the season with a career game
Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse had a winning start to the 2023-24 campaign with a 90-74 dismissal of Slask Wroclaw in which 22-year old guard Hugo Benitez put all his talents on display. To start his fourth EuroCup season, Benitez scored a career-high 19 points, surpassing his previous best of 16. He made 5 two-point shots for the second time in his career, and hit multiple three-pointers for the fourth time among his 51st career appearance. Benitez also had 5 assists and 3 steals, and finished the game with a performance index rating of 25, smashing his previous career-best of 18.
Slask's Miletic had a coming-out performance
In that same clash, Slask had a star of his own in center Dusan Miletic, who amassed 19 points and 13 rebounds for a 29 PIR in defeat. Over six previous EuroCup appearances, all with Partizan Belgrade, Miletic had 0 points, 4 rebounds and an accumulated a PIR of 1. In his first appearance in Slask uniform, Miletic made 9 two-point shots on 13 attempts. No player scored more field goals in Round 1 than Miletic. Slask might have ended up on the losing side, but might have a new inside force to be reckoned with.