Yoan Makoundou and Andrija Grbovic both shined in Coach Zakelj's debut.
Young guns, new coach give Buducnost win
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Buducnost VOLI Podgorica entered Round 8 of the BKT EuroCup Regular Season on a four-game losing streak and a new coach, Andrej Zakelj, set to make his EuroCup debut. Coach Zakelj led Buducnost to a hard-fought 98-96 home victory.
Despite trailing most of the way, Buducnost found the way to send the game to overtime and win it down the stretch.
"First of all, I am very happy for the guys. It is a tough period for them: no matter the quality, it is not easy to lose a few games in a row and having to win," Coach Zakelj said after the game. "This is my first game and I have been here for one day, so there is a lot of work in front of us. They have to be positive and work further."
Buducnost fans could see hints of what Coach Zakelj wants to bring to the table. Two of the team's youngest players stepped up big and played major roles in this victory.
Yoan Makoundou was all over the place against Trento, posting new career highs of 23 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots for a PIR of 33. He shot the ball well, making 4-of-5 two-pointers and 5-of-7 three-pointers. What mattered most, however, were not the numbers Makoundou posted against Trento, but the way he played when the game was on the line.
Makoundou scored a three-pointer to give Buducnost an 83-82 lead with a minute left. Once the game went to overtime, Makoundou stopped the show with an outstanding one-handed put-back slam that gave his team a 98-92 lead with 1:12 remaining. Even though Trento kept its chances open until the final second, Makoundou was among the biggest reasons Buducnost turned things around.
"We lost the game due to a crazy game by Makoundou, who scored 5 threes and 4 [of them] in a row," Trento head coach Paolo Galbiati said after the game. "That's basketball."
Andrija Grbovic also made the most of his playing time. He just needed a couple of minutes to draw a foul on a dunk attempt, make both free throw attempts and bury back-to-back three-pointers. He finished the game with 10 points, no missed shots, 3 fouls drawn and a PIR of 11 in less than 11 minutes. Grbovic, a 20-year-old power forward, averaged 3.6 points and a PIR of 3.0 before this game.
Buducnost is back on track and has an opportunity to show its improvements in perhaps the most difficult game it will play in Group B: on the road against defending champion Dreamland Gran Canaria next Wednesday.