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EuroCup First Round Recap

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eurocup1After a pair of qualifying games determined the last team to play in the group stage, the main portion of the competition started this week with games spread across Wednesday and Thursday.  The 32 teams were divided roughly geographically with 16 teams from the more eastern half of Europe split among Groups A through D.  Group E through H consisted of 16 teams from the more western half of Europe.  In this round, each teams plays a six game double round robin schedule.  The top two teams in each group will advance to the next round.

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Natalie Achonwa Finally Joins Napoli

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Natalie AchonwaCanadian national team player and center for WNBA’s Indiana fever will be joining Italian Serie A1’s 5th place team Napoli. Coming of a tough loss of the WNBA championship to the Minnesota Lynx she has had a little time to get some rest. Achonwa arrives at a crucial time with Napoli’s next opponent being first place team Familia Schio. Napoli will also compete in this season’s euro cup competition where they are placed in group G.  She will be a great addition to the team after having a very successful first campaign as a professional in the W.

EuroCup 2016

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eurocupWith a crowded field in this years Euro Cup which kicks off on October 28, 2015 there are several teams who stand a chance to bring home the championship this season. Last season’s Euro Cup champions ESB Villeneuve-d’Ascq and runner up Royal Castors Braine have both moved on to the Euro League leaving the title up for grabs.

There are several heavy hitters participating in this years competition. The club with the most history having won four Euro League titles is Spartak Vidnoje. Rounding out Group A are Besiktas who recently signed WNBA champion, All-star and no stranger to Euro competition Cappie Pondexter, Adani Aski SC, and little known underdogs from the Slovak Republic Piestanske Cajky.

Group B‘s most notable team is three time Euro Cup champion Dynamo Moscow who won most recently in 2013 and 2014.  Also in Group B are TTT Riga who won the last spot in the competition by beating the Flying Foxes Vienna on aggregate in the qualifying round. The other two teams are Udominante Basket and Orduspor Sportif Faaliyetler AS. For both teams this is their second year in the competition.

Several Teams in Group C have little experience in european competition with two teams hailing from Russia. Newcomers from Turkey are  Edirne Belediyesi Edirnespor. With only one season under their belt in the euro cup Enisey Krasnoyarsk Territory looks to make an impact in this group.  Tsmoki Minsk hasn’t faired well in their past euro cup outings and BC Chevakata is probably one of the most experienced teams in euro cup competition having competed in eleven straight. [Read more…]