These five players impressed enough in Round 14 to earn their place in the roll call after the first week of BKT EuroCup games in 2024.
Round 14 roll call: Klassen, Phillip, Cate, Kariniauskas, Saybir
Article
5 Mins read
Klassen has strong Slask debut
Joining the EuroCup midway through the season is always tough, but that has not been the case for Marek Klassen, who had a stellar return to the competition with Slask Wroclaw. Klassen led Slask to its second victory in Group B, downing ratiopharm Ulm 100-88 at home. He posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists. Klassen made 3 of 5 shots from beyond the arc and added 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 fouls drawn for a PIR of 14. At age 31, Klassen is back in Poland after playing in Romania, England, Turkey, the United States, Ukraine, Sweden, Canada, the Czech Republic, France and Greece, so, of course, adjusting to the new team so quickly has been easy for him.
Tarik Phillip sewed up London's big win
Six teammates may have scored more than him, but London Lions guard Tarik Phillip had everything to do with his team pulling out a crucial 96-100 road win over the team above it in the Group A standings, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. With Jordan Taylor out of the lineup, Phillip dedicated himself to defense and assist-making, pulling 6 rebounds and dishing 7 dimes to go with his 9 points, including 2 free throws to ice the outcome with 5 seconds left. While his teammates poured in the points, his plus/minus rating of +9 led London and his poise at the finish made sure to get the job done against a dangerous opponent.
Cate helps Cluj punch playoff ticket
It was a historic night for U-BT Cluj-Napoca, which qualified for the EuroCup Playoffs for the first time in club history. Cluj downed Aris Midea Thessaloniki, taking off after the break and never looking back. Emanuel Cate needed less than 19 minutes to get 18 points on 8 of 10 two-point shooting and 2-of-2 on free throws off the bench. Cate also had time to grab 4 rebounds and get 1 steal, 1 block and 2 fouls drawn for a team-high PIR of 23. Cate has been highly effective all season, providing instant offense off the bench. He is averaging 8.6 points on 63.7% two-point shooting in just over 17 minutes. And his season has been extended as Cluj will keep fighting for EuroCup glory after the regular season!
Kariniauskas was key for Wolves
In his first EuroCup season at 30 years old, Vaidas Kariniauskas picked the right moment for his best game yet with Wolves Vilnius. The former Zalgiris product made his EuroLeague debut more than 10 years ago and since then has played in five other countries before returning again to Lithuania this summer. Wolves faced possible elimination as soon as next week, but might now live longer in the Group A race after Kariniauskas put up season highs of 15 points and 19 PIR on 6-for-7 two-point and 3-for-3 free throw shooting in a cliff-hanger 91-81 home win on Tuesday against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana that ended his team's eight-game losing streak.
Saybir leads Turk Telekom to critical win
Turk Telekom Ankara increased its chances of reaching the playoffs from Group B by downing Dolomiti Energia Trento 78-70. Forward Yigitcan Saybir played a critical role in the win, amassing a personal-best PIR of 25. He led Turk Telekom with a career-high 21 points of 4-of-7 two-point shooting, 3-of-4 on three-pointers and 4-of-5 free throws, which was well over his season scoring average (6.8 ppg.). It was just his second double-digit scoring night this season and came at the right time. Saybir added 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 fouls drawn to lead Turk Telekom to its fifth victory. After a 1-8 start, Turk Telekom has won four of its last five games to get closer and closer to the playoff zone in Group B.