BC Khimki Moscow Region won the Eurocup
for the first time in club history on Sunday by downing Valencia Basket
77-68 in a thrilling final at Basketball Center of Moscow Region. Zoran
Planinic was named Eurocup Finals MVP after amassing 19 points and 4
assists in 24 minutes for Khimki, which also secured a return ticket to
the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the 2012-13 season. Khimki grabbed
an early lead and then rode the red-hot Zoran Planinic to a 37-30
halftime lead. The duo of Serhiy Lishchuk and Nik Caner-Medley combined
for all but 1 points in Valencia’s 2-13 third-quarter run, which put
the visitors ahead 43-45. The teams then battled back and forth and
arrived to the closing minutes even at 66-66 after a Caner-Medely
three-pointer with 2:13 left. But Vitaly Fridzon answered with a huge
three and Chris Quinn tacked on 4 free throws, while Valencia turned it
over twice, all of which allowed Khimki to grab the win. Read more here.
April 15, 2012 - All-Eurocup First Team players receive trophies
On
Sunday in between the third-place and championship games at the Eurocup
Finals in Khimki, Russia, the members of the All-Eurocup First Team
were honored on the court. The full compliment of 2011-12 Eurocup award
winners joined together to receive their trophies for Euroleague
Basketball President and CEO Jordi Bertomeu. Eurocup MVP Patrick
Beverley of Spartak St. Petersburg, Coach of the Year Jure Zdovc of St.
Petersburg and Rising Star Award winner Jonas Valanciunas of Lietuvos
Rytas all received their trophies. Read more here.
April 15, 2012 - Third-place game
Lietuvos Rytas led from start to finish in beating Spartak St. Petersburg
71-62 to finish the 2011-12 Eurocup season in third place. Ronnie
Seibutis scored 21 and Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double as
Rytas controlled the paint and outrebounded Spartak 38-25. The winners
started hot from downtown and finished 8 of 15 from behind the arc,
while Spartak never found its groove. A pair of Seibutis threes made it
15-5 midway through the opening quarter and Rytas cruised the rest of
the way. The lead peaked at 19 in the second quarter, but Spartak
rallied late to get within 4. However Steponas Babrauskas stepped up
when needed and Rytas regained control en route to the victory.
Seibutis went 4 for 6 from behind the arc and 9 for 10 from the line in
addition to 4 assists for the winners. Read more here.
Lietuvos Rytas vs. Spartak St. Petersburg 71:62 - Stats
April 14, 2012 - Eurocup Finals, Semifinals
BC Khimki 77 - 73 Spartak St. Petersburg
B.C.
Khimki Moscow Region has made it to the Eurocup finals! Khimki managed
to make it to the title game for the second time in club history by
edging Spartak St. Petersburg 77-73 in the second semifinal on Saturday
night. Khimki now has the chance to battle for its first Eurocup title
against two-time champion Valencia Basket. The winner will also earn
the right to play in the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Spartak
will try to bounce back right away in the third place game against
Lietuvos Rytas. Vitaliy Frizon led the winners with 16 points. Kresimir
Loncar added 13 and 9 rebounds, Zoran Planinic had 12 points while
Thomas Kelati got 10 for Khimki. Patrick Beverley and Yotam Halperin
led Spartak with 15 points apiece. Valery Likhodey added 12 while
Vladimir Dragicevic got 10 for Spartak. Read more here.
Valencia Basket 80 - 70 Lietuvos Rytas
Valencia
Basket has reached the Eurocup title game! Valencia became the first
team to advance to the Eurocup final by downing Lietuvos Rytas 80-70 in
the first semifinal in Khimki, Russia on Saturday. Valencia kept the
chance to become the first team to get a third Eurocup title after
winning the competition in 2003 and 2010. Meanwhile, L. Rytas lost the
chance to get to the Eurocup final for the fourth time in club history.
Brad Newley and Nik Caner-Medley led the winners with 12 points. Vitor
Faverani, Victor Claver and Nando De Colo each added 10 for Valencia.
Steponas Babrauskas led L. Rytas with 21 points - his new Eurocup
career-high. Read more here.
Valencia Basket vs. Lietuvos Rytas 80:70 - Stats BC Khimki vs. Spartak St. Petersburg 77:73 - Stats
April 13, 2012 - Eurocup Finals: Official press conference
The first official event of the Eurocup Finals took
place on Friday at Khimki Arena in Moscow Region, Russia, as
representatives of all four teams, the local organizers and sponsors,
as well as TV partner Eurosport met with the media. The press
conference launched a weekend of basketball fever in Khimki that will
culminate on Sunday with the crowning of the 2011-12 Eurocup champion.
Here are the comments of the press conference participants. Read more here.
April 13, 2012 - Eurocup Finals weekend starts today!
Khimki Moscow Region is gearing up for the first official events of the Eurocup Finals
on Friday, with all four participating teams arriving for a tipoff
press conference at noon local time to be followed later in the day by
a quadruple practice session and media availability. The first team to
arrive to the headquarters hotel was the one with the longest trip,
Valencia Basket of Spain, which flew in on Thursday evening and quickly
got a feel for the court at the Basketball Center of Moscow Region with
a two-hour practice. The other two non-local teams, Lietuvos Rytas of
Lithuania and Spartak St. Petersburg of Russia, are arriving early
Friday, while the host team, B.C. Khimki Moscow Region, will join the
others at the headquarters hotel on Saturday morning. Read more here.
April 9, 2012 - Road to the Eurocup Finals: BC Khimki Moscow Region
BC
Khimki, host of the 2012 Eurocup Finals, faces a dream scenario as it
welcomes the elite of the competition to Moscow Region for the 10th
anniversary of the second-biggest event in continental basketball. At
the same time that Khimki the club is poised to show guests a great
weekend of spirited basketball camaraderie, the team is ready for the
opportunity to win its first European trophy at home. That Khimki has
not won any continental trophy already is not for lack of ambition or
effort. Indeed, this will be Khimki's third chance already at a
continental trophy and its second run at the Eurocup title, an
impressive accomplishment for a club founded so recently as 1997. Read
more here.
April 8, 2012 - Road to the Eurocup Finals: Lietuvos Rytas
The
first club to win the Eurocup twice, Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania,
returns to the finals with the goal of again earning the right to play
in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague next season. Rytas set standards of
excellence in the Eurocup by conquering the 2005 and 2009 titles, but
is now just as hungry to be become the first club to lift the Eurocup
trophy three times. Lietuvos Rytas has existed only since 1997, but in
the short time since then has become a European powerhouse. Since the
start of the new millennium, Rytas has tallied five Lithuanian League
titles, three Lithuanian Cups and as many Baltic League crowns. In
2005, Rytas won its first Eurocup title by downing Alfa Makedonikos
78-74 as Eurocup Final MVP Robertas Javtokas, Simas Jasaitis and Tyrone
Nesby combined for 46 points. Read more here.
April 7, 2012 - Road to the Eurocup Finals: Spartak St. Petersburg
Although
a relative newcomer to Eurocup action, Spartak St. Petersburg is one of
Europe's oldest basketball clubs, endowed with great tradition as well
as talented players with success in the Eurocup and Euroleague. Founded
in 1935, Spartak competed in the Soviet Union championship in 1937 and
overcame years of obscurity to return to the competition in 1958. It
remained in that country's first division from 1960 until the breakup
of the Soviet Union in 1991. Spartak enjoyed its golden age in the
1970s, starting with a third-place finish in the 1969 Soviet
championship led by superstar Aleksandar Belov. Read more here.
April 6, 2012 - Road to the Eurocup Finals: Valencia Basket
Two-time
champion Valencia Basket has both history and recent form on its side
as it aims for more glory in the Eurocup Finals. The inaugural winners
of the trophy back in 2003, the Spanish club seems to always be a
Eurocup contender after making the semifinals in 2005 and back-to-back
trips to the Final Eight in 2008 and 2009, all on the way to a second
triumph in 2010. After a year away from this event, Valencia is back
and hungry for more. Founded in 1986, the club quickly established a
reputation as a mainstay in the Spanish League – with a diehard fan
base to match. Read more here.
April 6, 2012 - 2011-12 Eurocup MVP: Patrick Beverley, Spartak St. Petersburg
Euroleague
Basketball is pleased to announce that Patrick Beverley of Spartak St.
Petersburg has been selected as the Eurocup MVP for the 2011-12 season.
Beverley, 23, has dominated throughout the season to lead his team to
the best record and a spot in the Eurocup Finals. He has seemingly done
it all for Spartak, leading the team in scoring, steals and performance
index rating and placing second in rebounds, assists and three-pointers
made for a team that led the competition in defense and a lost only one
game. In fact, his 2 steals per game led the Eurocup, he was tied for
second in index rating and at just 1.85 meters, Beverley was the
shortest player in the competition to average more than 4 rebounds per
game. Read more here.
April 5, 2012 - 2011-12 All-Eurocup First Team
The
road to the 2012 Eurocup Finals featured 152 games played until now and
before a new champion of the competition is crowned, Euroleague
Basketball has chosen 10 deserving stars to make up the All-Eurocup
first and second teams for the 2011-12 season. Headlining the first
team is Valencia Basket power forward Nik Caner-Medley, who was an
All-Eurocup second team selection last season, too. Caner-Medley was
chosen to the All-Eurocup second team when he played for Asefa
Estudiantes last season. Joining him as All-Eurocup first team choices
are guards Patrick Beverley of Spartak St. Petersburg and Zoran
Planinic of BC Khimki and two Lietuvos Rytas players, small forward
Ronnie Seibutis and center Jonas Valanciunas. Read more here.
April 4, 2012 - 2011-12 All-Eurocup Second Team
The
road to the 2012 Eurocup Finals featured 152 games played and before a
new champion of the competition is crowned, Euroleague Basketball has
chosen 10 deserving stars to make up the All-Eurocup first and second
teams for the 2011-12 season. Headlining the second team is Yotam
Halperin, who led Spartak St. Petersburg to the Eurocup Finals. Joining
him as All-Eurocup second team choices are Ramel Curry of BC Donetsk,
Pavel Pumprla of CEZ Nymburk, Jeremiah Massey of Lokomotiv Kuban and
Bojan Dubljevic of KK Buducnost Voli, who led their respective teams to
the quarterfinals. Read more here.
April 3, 2012 - 2012 Eurocup Finals referees, commissioners announced
Some
of European basketball’s most experienced officials will work the games
of the 2012 Eurocup Finals in Khimki, Russia on April 14 and 15. The
list of referees and commissioners for those games has been released by
the organization and features a mix of experience and youth. Five of
the eight referees selected have previously officiated at the
Euroleague Final Four, the Eurocup Finals or both. The full list of
referees includes Matej Boltauzer (Slovenia), Guerrino Cerebuch
(Italy), Christos Christodoulou (Greece), Juan Carlos Garcia Gonzalez
(Spain), Milivoje Jovcic (Serbia), Rustu Nuran (Turkey), Tasos Piloidis
(Greece) and Eddie Viator (France). Read more here.
April 2, 2012 - 2011-12 Eurocup Coach of the Year: Jure Zdovc, Spartak St. Petersburg
Euroleague
Basketball is honored to announce that Jure Zdovc of Spartak St.
Petersburg, who took his team all the way from the qualifying round to
the finals, has been chosen as the 2011-12 Eurocup Coach of the Year.
In his first season on Spartak's bench, Zdovc has led the club to the
Eurocup Finals in Khimki, Russia on April 14 and 15, with the chance to
lift its first continental trophy since 1975. Spartak had a
near-perfect Eurocup season, sweeping its qualifying-round series and
winning its regular season and Last 16 groups, losing just one game out
of 14. Spartak went on to finish the job by becoming the first team to
sweep its two-game quarterfinals series, reaching the finals with a
superb 15-1 record since the start of the qualifying rounds. Zdovc has
been able to put together a team in which everyone has played a key
role throughout the season. Read more here.
March 29, 2012 - Meet the Eurocup finalists!
VALENCIA BASKET VS. LIETUVOS RYTAS
2010 Eurocup champion Valencia Basket
aims to become the first three-time winner of the competition when it
comes to Khimki for the 2012 Eurocup Finals. And the club surely knows
what it takes to achieve Eurocup glory with five members of that squad
still wearing the club’s colors.
Two-time Eurocup champion Lietuvos Rytas
will try to become the first club to win the competition on three
occasions when it lands in Khimki for the 2012 Eurocup Finals. Rytas
most recently won the 2009 crown by defeating fellow 2012 semifinalist
BC Khimki in the title game, although only two players – swingmen
Arturas Jomantas and Steponas Babrauskas – remain from that team.
SPARTAK ST. PETERSBURG VS. BC KHIMKI MOSCOW REGION
Spartak St. Petersburg
has the chance to win its first continental title since 1975. On a
near-perfect march to the Finals, Spartak swept its Qualifying Round
series against Etha Engomis and won its first 11 games to win its
regular season and Top 16 groups. Once in the Quarterfinals, Spartak
was the only team to sweep its two-game series, downing CEZ Nymburk
twice to seal its ticket to the Finals.
BC Khimki
returns to the Eurocup Finals and may be the most motivated team there
due to the fact that the games are taking place at the team’s home
court, the Basketball Center of Moscow Region. Khimki reached the
Eurocup title game in 2009 – its last season playing Europe’s
penultimate competition.
March 28, 2012 - Eurocup Finals matchups clarification
In order to avoid any misunderstanding because of a
mistake in the Format section of www.eurocupbasketball.net Euroleague
Basketball would like to clarify that the Eurocup Finals 2012 Khimki
matchups as stated in the Eurocup official By-Laws are:
Semifinal A: Valencia Basket - Lietuvos Rytas Semifinal B: BC Spartak St. Petersburg - BC Khimki Moscow Region
Euroleague Basketball would like to apologize for the
misunderstanding but would also like to point out that the correct
matchups are the ones appearing in the Eurocup official By–Laws that
were approved during this summer and sent to all participating clubs
before the beginning of the season.
On
Sunday in between the third-place and championship games at the Eurocup
Finals in Khimki, Russia, the members of the All-Eurocup First Team
were honored on the court. The full compliment of 2011-12 Eurocup award
winners joined together to receive their trophies for Euroleague
Basketball President and CEO Jordi Bertomeu. Eurocup MVP Patrick
Beverley of Spartak St. Petersburg, Coach of the Year Jure Zdovc of St.
Petersburg and Rising Star Award winner Jonas Valanciunas of Lietuvos
Rytas all received their trophies. Read more 
B.C.
Khimki Moscow Region has made it to the Eurocup finals! Khimki managed
to make it to the title game for the second time in club history by
edging Spartak St. Petersburg 77-73 in the second semifinal on Saturday
night. Khimki now has the chance to battle for its first Eurocup title
against two-time champion Valencia Basket. The winner will also earn
the right to play in the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Spartak
will try to bounce back right away in the third place game against
Lietuvos Rytas. Vitaliy Frizon led the winners with 16 points. Kresimir
Loncar added 13 and 9 rebounds, Zoran Planinic had 12 points while
Thomas Kelati got 10 for Khimki. Patrick Beverley and Yotam Halperin
led Spartak with 15 points apiece. Valery Likhodey added 12 while
Vladimir Dragicevic got 10 for Spartak. Read more 
Valencia
Basket has reached the Eurocup title game! Valencia became the first
team to advance to the Eurocup final by downing Lietuvos Rytas 80-70 in
the first semifinal in Khimki, Russia on Saturday. Valencia kept the
chance to become the first team to get a third Eurocup title after
winning the competition in 2003 and 2010. Meanwhile, L. Rytas lost the
chance to get to the Eurocup final for the fourth time in club history.
Brad Newley and Nik Caner-Medley led the winners with 12 points. Vitor
Faverani, Victor Claver and Nando De Colo each added 10 for Valencia.
Steponas Babrauskas led L. Rytas with 21 points - his new Eurocup
career-high. Read more 
Khimki Moscow Region is gearing up for the first official events of the 
BC
Khimki, host of the 2012 Eurocup Finals, faces a dream scenario as it
welcomes the elite of the competition to Moscow Region for the 10th
anniversary of the second-biggest event in continental basketball. At
the same time that Khimki the club is poised to show guests a great
weekend of spirited basketball camaraderie, the team is ready for the
opportunity to win its first European trophy at home. That Khimki has
not won any continental trophy already is not for lack of ambition or
effort. Indeed, this will be Khimki's third chance already at a
continental trophy and its second run at the Eurocup title, an
impressive accomplishment for a club founded so recently as 1997. Read
more 
The
first club to win the Eurocup twice, Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania,
returns to the finals with the goal of again earning the right to play
in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague next season. Rytas set standards of
excellence in the Eurocup by conquering the 2005 and 2009 titles, but
is now just as hungry to be become the first club to lift the Eurocup
trophy three times. Lietuvos Rytas has existed only since 1997, but in
the short time since then has become a European powerhouse. Since the
start of the new millennium, Rytas has tallied five Lithuanian League
titles, three Lithuanian Cups and as many Baltic League crowns. In
2005, Rytas won its first Eurocup title by downing Alfa Makedonikos
78-74 as Eurocup Final MVP Robertas Javtokas, Simas Jasaitis and Tyrone
Nesby combined for 46 points. Read more 
Although
a relative newcomer to Eurocup action, Spartak St. Petersburg is one of
Europe's oldest basketball clubs, endowed with great tradition as well
as talented players with success in the Eurocup and Euroleague. Founded
in 1935, Spartak competed in the Soviet Union championship in 1937 and
overcame years of obscurity to return to the competition in 1958. It
remained in that country's first division from 1960 until the breakup
of the Soviet Union in 1991. Spartak enjoyed its golden age in the
1970s, starting with a third-place finish in the 1969 Soviet
championship led by superstar Aleksandar Belov. Read more 
Two-time
champion Valencia Basket has both history and recent form on its side
as it aims for more glory in the Eurocup Finals. The inaugural winners
of the trophy back in 2003, the Spanish club seems to always be a
Eurocup contender after making the semifinals in 2005 and back-to-back
trips to the Final Eight in 2008 and 2009, all on the way to a second
triumph in 2010. After a year away from this event, Valencia is back
and hungry for more. Founded in 1986, the club quickly established a
reputation as a mainstay in the Spanish League – with a diehard fan
base to match. Read more 
Euroleague
Basketball is pleased to announce that Patrick Beverley of Spartak St.
Petersburg has been selected as the Eurocup MVP for the 2011-12 season.
Beverley, 23, has dominated throughout the season to lead his team to
the best record and a spot in the Eurocup Finals. He has seemingly done
it all for Spartak, leading the team in scoring, steals and performance
index rating and placing second in rebounds, assists and three-pointers
made for a team that led the competition in defense and a lost only one
game. In fact, his 2 steals per game led the Eurocup, he was tied for
second in index rating and at just 1.85 meters, Beverley was the
shortest player in the competition to average more than 4 rebounds per
game. Read more 
The
road to the 2012 Eurocup Finals featured 152 games played until now and
before a new champion of the competition is crowned, Euroleague
Basketball has chosen 10 deserving stars to make up the All-Eurocup
first and second teams for the 2011-12 season. Headlining the first
team is Valencia Basket power forward Nik Caner-Medley, who was an
All-Eurocup second team selection last season, too. Caner-Medley was
chosen to the All-Eurocup second team when he played for Asefa
Estudiantes last season. Joining him as All-Eurocup first team choices
are guards Patrick Beverley of Spartak St. Petersburg and Zoran
Planinic of BC Khimki and two Lietuvos Rytas players, small forward
Ronnie Seibutis and center Jonas Valanciunas. Read more 
The
road to the 2012 Eurocup Finals featured 152 games played and before a
new champion of the competition is crowned, Euroleague Basketball has
chosen 10 deserving stars to make up the All-Eurocup first and second
teams for the 2011-12 season. Headlining the second team is Yotam
Halperin, who led Spartak St. Petersburg to the Eurocup Finals. Joining
him as All-Eurocup second team choices are Ramel Curry of BC Donetsk,
Pavel Pumprla of CEZ Nymburk, Jeremiah Massey of Lokomotiv Kuban and
Bojan Dubljevic of KK Buducnost Voli, who led their respective teams to
the quarterfinals. Read more 
Some
of European basketball’s most experienced officials will work the games
of the 2012 Eurocup Finals in Khimki, Russia on April 14 and 15. The
list of referees and commissioners for those games has been released by
the organization and features a mix of experience and youth. Five of
the eight referees selected have previously officiated at the
Euroleague Final Four, the Eurocup Finals or both. The full list of
referees includes Matej Boltauzer (Slovenia), Guerrino Cerebuch
(Italy), Christos Christodoulou (Greece), Juan Carlos Garcia Gonzalez
(Spain), Milivoje Jovcic (Serbia), Rustu Nuran (Turkey), Tasos Piloidis
(Greece) and Eddie Viator (France). Read more 
Euroleague
Basketball is honored to announce that Jure Zdovc of Spartak St.
Petersburg, who took his team all the way from the qualifying round to
the finals, has been chosen as the 2011-12 Eurocup Coach of the Year.
In his first season on Spartak's bench, Zdovc has led the club to the
Eurocup Finals in Khimki, Russia on April 14 and 15, with the chance to
lift its first continental trophy since 1975. Spartak had a
near-perfect Eurocup season, sweeping its qualifying-round series and
winning its regular season and Last 16 groups, losing just one game out
of 14. Spartak went on to finish the job by becoming the first team to
sweep its two-game quarterfinals series, reaching the finals with a
superb 15-1 record since the start of the qualifying rounds. Zdovc has
been able to put together a team in which everyone has played a key
role throughout the season. Read more 
