Eurocup Finals 2012 Official Program

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WELCOME TO

KHIMKI Vladimir Strelchenko Khimki Urban District Head Dear participants and guests of 2011-2012 Eurocup Finals!

On behalf of Khimki urban district and on behalf of myself I would like to greet you at our hospitable land! We have the honor of hosting Eurocup Finals at the pitch of Basketball Center of Moscow Region. The Khimkians are glad to meet brilliant basketball, vivid players and thrilling games of real professionals. The meeting of the four best clubs will give a new impulse to the development of this wonderful sport in our country.

This year we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Eurocup Finals and this fact will undoubtedly bring significance to the event.

Khimki is the basketball city of Moscow region. Our Basketball Club Khimki is one of the best teams in Russia. For a long time the Khimkians have liked basketball and now look forward to Eurocup Finals. I am sure that we will see the Eurocup Finals, full of interesting, vivid and unforgettable moments.

I hope your stay in Khimki will fill your heart with good and pleasant memories.

I would like to express my gratitude to all the organizers and their assistants, who are doing all their best for us to have such a bright holiday. They are doing a really great job and this sports devotion deserves respect.

I sincerely wish all the Eurocup Finals participants sport success, selfreliance and confidence in your teams. I wish all the guests and spectators to have vivid emotions and a wonderful mood!

Vladimir Strelchenko

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WELCOME TO

EUROCUP

FINALS 2012 Jordi Bertomeu Euroleague Basketball President & CEO

Welcome to the Eurocup Finals 2012 Khimki. After organizing the 2005 Euroleague Basketball Final Four in Moscow another Euroleague Basketball competition Final phase is returning to Russia, a country that gathers an increasing passion for basketball and a touristic interest for all the fans who will come and enjoy such a special event.

It has been a six months fascinating season, starting in September with the Eurocup Qualifying Rounds until now, when the four best teams of the season, BC Khimki Moscow Region, Lietuvos Rytas, Spartak St. Petersburg and Valencia Basket will compete for one of the most important titles in the European panorama, becoming Eurocup Champions.

This season has been especially emotive as we have celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Eurocup. Besides changing its name and having evolved through different formats we can say that it is a solid and stable competition with a growing fan base and a high sport level. I would like to thank all the people who have been involved in making Eurocup what it is now, 1.836 games played, 124 participating teams, 2.885 players are some numbers that give us a general idea of Eurocup´s dimension and all the people who has been involved working towards its improvement and consolidation. I would like to highlight a specific personality who won´t be able to help and guide us anymore, Italian basketball executive Enzo Lefebre, strongly tied to European basketball, founding member of Euroleague Basketball and key member of last season Eurocup Finals held in Treviso, the basketball world will really miss you.

The decision of returning to Russia, as host of a Final phase, has been taken based on several important aspects. First the increasing passion for basketball experienced, the improving professionalism and sport level of Russian teams and the wish of BC Khimki Moscow Region of going one step further by hosting a continental Final making them the best partner possible. After hosting the successful Final phase of the 2006 edition of the Russian Cup, BC Khimki guarantees an efficient organization of the Eurocup Finals with the aim of showing to teams, Vips, media and fans the quick evolution of the club in such a short time as it was just founded in 1997.

The Basketball Center of Moscow Region built in 2005 will welcome the 3.500 fans who will land in Moscow with the hope of living an unforgettable basketball weekend.

I would like to thank our sponsors, Turkish Airlines, Nike and Bwin, collaborating for the full development and improvement of the competition and I would like to specially highlight our television partner Eurosport, a brand that has been linked with Eurocup for seven years in a row and has made possible bringing the competition to 47 countries and 58 millions of European spectators, with its extensive coverage of the competition that will be exponentially increased during the Eurocup Finals guaranteeing all fans a full coverage with the highest quality standars.

Welcome to Moscow Region, welcome to Eurocup Finals.

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Schedule SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012 Semi-final 1 (15:30 local / 13:30 CEST) Valencia Basket - Lietuvos Rytas Semi-final 2 (18:30 local / 16:30 CEST) BC Khimki Moscow Region BC Spartak St. Petersburg

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012 3rd and 4th Place (15:30 local - 13:30 CEST) Loser Semi-final 1 - Loser Semi-final 2 Final (18:30 local - 16:30 CEST) Winner Semi-final 1 - Winner Semi-final 2 all games live on Eurosport2

EUROCUP FINALS PROGRAMME GUIDE Eurosport is the leading sports entertainment group in Europe and boasts seven TV channels worldwide. The flagship channel Eurosport is the N°1 pan-European TV channel, broadcast in 20 languages and reaching 129 million homes across 59 countries. Eurosport 2 reaches over 58 million homes in 18 languages and 47 countries. Eurosport 2’s programming offer features a line-up of top LIVE events, team and action sports and an array of sports entertainment. Eurosport 2 is media partner of the Basketball Eurocup since 2005.

As host broadcaster, Eurosport 2 offers this year again unrivalled coverage and production of the Eurocup Finals in HD.

Editorial Box Euroleague Basketball Marketing & Media Department (c). All Rights Reserved E-Mail: marketing@euroleague.net mediacommunications@euroleague.net Editors: Diego Fernández, Frank Lawlor, Javier Gancedo, Kirsten Haack, Frankie Sachs, Gisela Pahissa Marketing: Jose Luís Rosa, Julien Vigand, Ferran Neira, Giuseppe Giarrizzo Photography: Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball/Getty Images Stats: Xavi Garcia, Pablo Campoy Cover: Joan Bagan Program design: Bernat Martínez - Multiwebdia®

Referees DELEGATES

68

MATEJ BOLTAUZER (SLOVENIA)

16

GUERRINO CEREBUCH (ITALY)

30

25

CHRISTOS J. CARLOS GARCIA CHRISTODOULOU GONZALEZ (GREECE) (SPAIN)

79

MILIVOJE JOVCIC (SERBIA)

83

RUSTU NURAN (TURKEY)

17

TASOS PILOIDIS (GREECE)

89

EDDIE VIATOR (FRANCE)

Delegates

ALKA SINKOVIC (CROATIA) ALES KAMNIKAR (SLOVENIA) 5 program2012.indd 5

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EUROCUP 2011/2012

REGULAR SEASON FINAL STANDINGS W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

BCM GRAVELINES

5

1

517

430

87

BANVIT BK

4

2

421

397

24

BC DONETSK

5

1

463

443

20

LOKOMOTIV KUBAN

4

2

431

399

32

HAPOEL JERUSALEM

2

4

463

493

-30

GRAN CANARIA 2014

4

2

416

405

11

KK CIBONA

0

6

456

533

-77

FRAPORT SKYLINERS

0

6

362

429

-67

Group A

Group E

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

BC KHIMKI

6

0

480

398

82

LIETUVOS RYTAS

6

0

478

370

108

VEF RIGA

3

3

436

444

-8

KRKA NOVO MESTO

4

2

434

421

13

CHOLET BASKET

2

4

389

428

-39

LE MANS

1

5

392

464

-72

PAOK BC

1

5

417

452

-35

BC AZOVMASH

1

5

404

453

-49

Group B

Group F

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

CEZ NYMBURK

5

1

498

424

74

SPARTAK ST. PETERSBURG

6

0

477

401

76

ARIS BSA 2003

4

2

431

397

34

BENETTON BASKET

3

3

478

476

2

BC RUDUPIS

3

3

487

485

2

FC BAYERN MUNICH

2

4

404

436

-32

GASTERRA FLAMES

0

6

391

501

-110

CEDEVITA

1

5

413

459

-46

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

ASVEL BASKET

4

2

459

426

33

ALBA BERLIN

5

1

485

421

64

VALENCIA BASKET

4

2

487

447

40

KK BUDUCNOST VOLI

3

3

416

425

-9

TELENET OOSTENDE

2

4

415

454

-39

BELFIUS MONS-HAINAUT

2

4

445

463

-18

LUKOIL ACADEMIC

2

4

400

434

-34

PGE TUROW

2

4

446

483

-37

Group C

Group D

Group G

Group H

last 16 FINAL STANDINGS Group I

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

VALENCIA BASKET

6

0

463

387

76

SPARTAK ST. PETERSBURG

5

1

428

385

43

CEZ NYMBURK

3

3

484

441

43

KK BUDUCNOST VOLI

3

3

397

398

-1

VEF RIGA

3

3

432

456

-24

BANVIT BK

3

3

430

428

2

BCM GRAVELINES

0

6

370

465

-95

KRKA NOVO MESTO

1

5

390

434

-44

Group J

Group K

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

W

L

POINTS+

POINTS-

+/-

BC DONETSK

5

1

477

437

40

Group L LOKOMOTIV KUBAN

4

2

466

452

14

BC KHIMKI

5

1

465

419

46

LIETUVOS RYTAS

4

2

468

443

25

ASVEL BASKET

1

5

460

477

-17

BENETTON BASKET

3

3

447

451

-4

ARIS BSA 2003

1

5

389

458

-69

ALBA BERLIN

1

5

433

468

-35

QUARTERFINALS FINAL STANDINGS QF A GAME 1 KK BUDUCNOST VOLI VS. VALENCIA BASKET

GAME 2 VALENCIA BASKET VS. KK BUDUCNOST VOLI

QF C RESULT 75 - 71

RESULT 85 - 63

LIETUVOS RYTAS VS. BC DONETSK

GAME 2 BC DONETSK VS. LIETUVOS RYTAS

RESULT

CEZ NYMBURK VS. SPARTAK ST. PETERSBURG

64 - 68

GAME 2

RESULT

Spartak St. Petersburg vs. CEZ Nymburk

86 - 71

QF D

QF B GAME 1

GAME 1

RESULT 76 - 65

RESULT 80 - 78

GAME 1 BC KHIMKI VS. LOKOMOTIV KUBAN

GAME 2 LOKOMOTIV KUBAN VS. BC KHIMKI

RESULT 81 - 72

RESULT 81 - 77

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EUROCUP 2011 -2012 SEASON LEADERS Rank RANK

G

TOTAL

AVE.

1

MASSEY, J.

PLAYER

Lokomotiv Kuban

TEAM

14

278

19.86

2

VALANCIUNAS, J.

Lietuvos Rytas

14

236

16.86

3

BEVERLEY, P.

Spartak St. P.

14

236

16.86

4

WOOD, DASHAUN

Alba Berlin

12

202

16.83

5

TRAORE, ALI

Lokomotiv Kuban

13

218

16.77

Points RANK

TEAM

G

TOTAL

AVE.

1

CURRY, RAMEL

PLAYER

BC Donetsk

14

230

16.43

2

MASSEY, J.

Lokomotiv Kuban

14

223

15.93

3

TRAORE, ALI

Lokomotiv Kuban

13

199

15.31

4

SIMMONS, TRE

CEZ Nymburk

14

211

15.07

5

SEIBUTIS, R.

Lietuvos Rytas

14

200

14.29

Total Rebounds RANK

G

TOTAL

AVE.

1

MASSEY, J.

PLAYER

Lokomotiv Kuban

TEAM

14

117

8.36

2

VALANCIUNAS, J.

Lietuvos Rytas

14

110

7.86

3

TRAORE, ALI

Lokomotiv Kuban

13

92

7.08

4

ROBERTS, L.

Lietuvos Rytas

14

91

6.50

5

FRANCIS, TORIN

Alba Berlin

9

57

6.33

Assists RANK

G

TOTAL

AVE.

1

WOOD, DASHAUN

PLAYER

Alba Berlin

TEAM

12

65

5.42

2

HALPERIN, YOTAM

Spartak St. P.

12

65

5.42

3

PLANINIC, ZORAN

BC Khimki

13

64

4.92

4

RICE, TYRESE

Lietuvos Rytas

14

68

4.86

5

ERMIS, BARIS

Banvit BK

10

45

4.50

Steals RANK

G

TOTAL

AVE.

1

BEVERLEY, P.

PLAYER

Spartak St. P.

TEAM

14

28

2.00

2

ERMIS, BARIS

Banvit BK

10

19

1.90

3

PUMPRLA, PAVEL

CEZ Nymburk

13

24

1.85

4

DAVIS, CHUCK

Banvit BK

12

21

1.75

5

ALBICY, ANDREW

BCM Gravelines

12

21

1.75

Blocks RANK

G

TOTAL

AVE.

1

MULDROW, SAM

PLAYER

Aris BSA 2003

TEAM

12

27

2.25

2

KRAVTSOV, V.

BC Donetsk

14

24

1.71

3

NAYMICK, DREW

CEZ Nymburk

11

18

1.64

4

VALANCIUNAS, J.

Lietuvos Rytas

14

22

1.57

5

ARMSTRONG, H.

Asvel Basket

11

14

1.27

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ALL-EUROCUP

FIRST TEAM Renaldas Seibutis Lietuvos Rytas

Jonas Valanciunas Lietuvos Rytas Rising Star 2011-2012

Nik Caner-Medley Valencia Basket

Patrick Beverley

Zoran Planinic BC Khimki

Spartak St. Petersburg MVP 2011-2012

Jure Zdovc Spartak St. Petersburg best coach 2011-2012 10 program2012.indd 10

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ALL-EUROCUP second TEAM

s Yotam Halperin

Bojan Dubljevic

SPARTAK ST. PETERSBURG

kk Buducnost Voli

Ramel Curry BC Donetsk

Pavel Pumprla CEZ Nymburk

Jeremiah Massey Lokomotiv Kuban

EUROCUP 2011 - 2012

WEEKLY MVP’s REGULAR SEASON

Week 1 MVP: Tony Parker, Asvel Basket.

Week 2 MVP: J.R. Giddens, PAOK BC Week 3 MVP: Nik Caner-Medley, Valencia Basket Week 4 MVP: Nikola Vucevic, KK Buducnost Voli Week 5 MVP: Jeremiah Massey, Lokomotiv Kuban Week 6 MVP: Fabien Causeur, Cholet Basket

LAST 16 Week 1 MVP: Patrick Beverly, Spartak St. Petersburg Week 2 MVP: Loukas Mavrokefalides, Spartak St. Petersburg Week 3 MVP: Nando de Colo, Valencia Basket Week 4 MVP: Hilton Armstrong, Asvel Basket Week 5 MVP: Dashaun Wood , Alba Berlin Week 6 MVP: Jeremiah Massey, Lokomotiv Kuban

QUARTERFINALS Game 1 MVP: Bojan Dubljevic, KK Buducnost Voli Game 2 MVP: Yotam Halperin, Spartak St. Petersburg

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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.

The climb to the elite has been rapid and steady for Khimki. In its 10th season, the club reached for its first piece of European silverware, though it lost the 2006 FIBA EuroCup final to DKV Joventut of Spain.

Khimki’s first title of any kind, the Russian Cup, came two years later. By 2008, Khimki had stepped up to the Eurocup and marched its way to that season’s title game. A wild fourth-quarter rally saw Lietuvos Rytas beat Khimki for the trophy, however.

The Lietuvos Rytas boss then, Rimas Kurtinaitis, is now Khimki’s head coach.

Over the past two years, Khimki has further established itself among the continental elite with strong showings in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and a new trophy in the first edition of the VTB United League. This season, after defeat in the qualifying rounds prevented it from playing a third consecutive Euroleague season, Khimki regrouped and proved its power in the Eurocup.

rOSTER #

Player

Pos.

H.

7

Vitaly Fridzon

G

195

9

Egor Vyaltsev

G

190

10

Kresimir Loncar

C

210

11

Chris Quinn

G

188

12

Sergey Monya

F

202

13

Dimitriy Khvostov

G

190

14

Anton Pushkov

C

208

16

Benjamin-Pavel Dudu

F

200

17

Evgeny Karpeko

C

204

20

Mickeal Gelabale

F

201

21

Alexey Zhukanenko

C

210

22

Thomas Kelati

G

195

34

Zoran Planinic

G

199

44

Matt Nielsen

F

208

HC

Rimas Kurtinaitis

Starting Five

Club Info

Zoran Planinic Point guard Vitaly Fridzon Shooting Guard

President: Alexey Bodunkov Address: Kirov Str. 27 141400 Khimki, Moscow Region - Russia Tel. +7495 572 0744 - Fax +7495 572 0744 Arena: BASKETBALL CENTER OF MOSCOW R.

Thomas Kelati Small Guard

Trophy Case

Matt Nielsen Power Forward

Russian National Cup: 2008

Kresimir Loncar Center

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REGULAR SEASON

There was never any doubt about a roster with proven talents like former Eurocup winners Thomas Kelati and Matt Nielsen, as well as three players who have taken part in Euroleague Final Fours: Zoran Planinic, Sergey Monya and Kresimir Loncar. Khimki lived up to expectations by cruising through the regular season with a 6-0 record and an average victory margin of 13.7 points. Generally, the team turned balanced efforts into victories, but when needed, individuals could shine, too, as when Loncar and Chris Quinn combined for 39 points in a Week 3 road win at PAOK. Planinic was the group leader, however, and as such was selected to the All-Eurocup first team.

6 WINS, 0 LOSSES 1 2 3 4 5 6

W, W, W, W, W, W,

at Cholet Basket vs VEF Riga at PAOK BC vs PAOK BC vs Cholet Basket at VEF Riga

63 - 75 90 - 70 62 - 71 89 - 65 76 - 70 68 - 79

LAST 16

To start the Last 16, Khimki showed its defensive ability by holding Aris to just 48 points during a road win in Greece. A week later, Kelati had the hot hand in a victory over Asvel Basket. Khimki was 9-0 before hitting its first road bump, an 85-67 loss at BC Donetsk in Ukraine. Despite finishing the Last 16 with a 5-1 record, Khimki ended up second in its group behind Donetsk and faced a tough Eurocup Quarterfinals showdown against fellow Russian side Lokomotiv Kuban. Kelati made 6 of 7 three-pointers in Game 1 as Khimki won 81-72 at home. Despite an 81-77 loss in the return leg, Khimki won the series on point difference to clinch a place in the Eurocup Finals.

5 WINS, 1 LOSS

Now comes the moment that Khimki, its players and fans have been waiting for all season: the chance to show off their club’s growth and progress as the 2012 Eurocup Finals host while also taking aim at a muchcoveted international title on its own floor.

1 WINS, 1 LOSS

7 8 9 10 11 12

W, at Aris BSA 2003 W, vs Asvel Basket W, vs BC Donetsk L, at BC Donetsk W, vs Aris BSA 2003 W, at Asvel Basket

48 - 73 86 - 80 68 - 55 85 - 67 88 - 72 79 - 83

QUARTERFINALS 13 W, vs Lokomotiv Kuban 14 L, at Lokomotiv Kuban

81 - 72 81 - 77

AVERAGE STATISTICS - ALL PHASES 2FG Player

G

GS

Min

3FG

FT

Pts M-A

M-A

M-A

Rebounds

Blocks

O

D

T

1

0.5

1.5

0.5

0.5

As

St

To

DAYE, AUSTIN

2

0

3:57

2

40%

DUDU, BENJAMIN-PAVEL

2

0

9:06

4

100%

100%

FRIDZON, VITALY

12

11

26:02

12.4

57.1%

35%

85.4%

1.1

2.2

3.3

2.3

GELABALE, MICKAEL

4

2

19:10

5

54.5%

40%

100%

0.8

1

1.8

1.8

KELATI, THOMAS

13

8

23:40

10

63%

50.8%

100%

0.4

2.2

2.5

1.8

0.9

0.8

11.1%

KHVOSTOV, DIMITRIY

9

1

14:10

1.3

80%

LONCAR, KRESIMIR

14

11

22:20

12.6

56.8%

MONYA, SERGEY

14

9

25:19

8.4

54.1%

MOZGOV, TIMOFEY

3

3

17:40

10.3

NIELSEN, MATT

13

5

15:48

3

PLANINIC, ZORAN

13

12

26:48

10.5

50%

PUSHKOV, ANTON

6

0

8:45

3.3

61.5%

QUINN, CHRIS

14

1

18:22

7.5

44.2%

43.8%

VYALTSEV, EGOR

12

5

17:51

6.2

65.4%

50%

ZHUKANENKO, ALEXEY

12

2

12:32

6.7

48.5%

200:00

78.78

53.9%

Average

Fv

Ag

Fouls Cm

Rv

PIR

0.5

2.5

1

0.5

0.5

0.5

5

1.3

1.7

3.1

3.3

12.9

1.5

0.3

4

2.5

1.2

10.3

0.3

0.2

1.3 0.3

0.2

-2

50%

0.2

0.7

0.9

2.1

0.7

1.1

1.7

0.9

2

82.7%

1.4

2.8

4.2

0.9

0.4

1.3

0.7

0.6

2.4

3.6

14

75%

0.8

4.4

5.2

2

1.4

1.9

0.8

0.1

1.9

1.1

11.1

63.6%

60%

1.3

3

4.3

1.7

1.3

0.3

0.7

2.7

12.7

44.1%

81.8%

0.9

2

2.9

1.2

0.5

0.8

0.3

0.4

1.8

1.2

4.2

84.2%

0.5

2.5

3.1

4.9

1.5

2.2

0.2

0.5

2.5

4.6

14.7

66.7%

0.7

1.2

1.8

0.2

0.3

0.8

0.8

0.5

1.8

1

3.2

81%

0.4

1.5

1.9

2.8

1.1

0.7

0.1

0.1

2

1.4

8.4

50%

0.2

1.1

1.3

2.4

0.8

1.7

0.3

2.2

1

5.7

80%

1.3

2.3

3.6

0.3

0.3

1.3

0.2

2.1

1.2

5.5

81.7%

8.35

23.14

40.4%

31.6%

41.2%

0.2

31.5 19.21 8.35 13.64 3.35 2.57 21.71 19.07 90.14

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Player Spotlight

VITALY FRIDZON

A homegrown talent who turned into a star, BC Khimki team captain Vitaly Fridzon has a unique opportunity to try to lift the Eurocup trophy on his team’s home court at the 2012 Eurocup Finals. Fridzon arrived to Khimki’s second team in the 2004-05 season, but was immediately promoted to the senior squad that year. By 2006, Fridzon had already played for the Russian national team and helped Khimki make the FIBA EuroCup title game.

Just like his team, Fridzon made his Eurocup debut in 200607 and helped Khimki lift the Russian Cup trophy in 2008, the year in which he played at the Beijing Olympic Games. A great slasher with determination, deep shooting range and a teamoriented mentality, Fridzon has slowly but steadily become a silent leader for his team.

In 2009, Fridzon had 14 points and a game-high 8 rebounds to lead Khimki to a 79-73 win against iurbentia Bilbao in the Eurocup semifinals. Despite his 11-point effort in the final, Fridzon could not get Khimki past Lietuvos Rytas in the title game.

Fridzon, who became team captain in 2010-11, has played two Turkish Airlines Euroleague seasons with Khimki and won a bronze medal with Russia at EuroBasket 2011. With the Eurocup Finals taking place in its own arena, Khimki has a golden chance to get its first continental crown, and if that happens, Fridzon eight years after first joining the team as a teenager - will have the honor of lifting the trophy!

head COACH

RIMAS KURTINAITIS An undisputed legend as a player, Rimas Kurtinaitis now has a chance to make history as a head coach, too, by becoming the first to win the Eurocup twice.

Kurtinaitis is regarded as one of the best shooters in basketball history, one of the marksmen who gave Lithuania its reputation for long-distance scorers.

He accrued domestic titles as a player with both Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania and Real Madrid of Spain, and also led the Soviet Union to many titles, including an Olympic gold medal in 1988.

Kurtinaitis also won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals with Lithuania in 1992 and 1996. He retired at age 46 as a playercoach for Azerbaijan side Gala BC Baku.

Kurtinaitis resumed his coaching career with Ural Great of Russia, Sakalai Vilnius of Lithuania and Slask Wroclaw of Poland before joining Lietuvos Rytas in 2008. Immediately, Kurtinaitis led Rytas to its best season ever, with five titles. Their crowning achievement was lifting the Eurocup trophy after Rytas rallied to beat Khimki 80-74 in an unforgettable final that opened the door to the team’s Euroleague return.

After a short stay with VEF Riga of Latvia, Kurtinaitis joined Khimki in March 2011. This season, he has led Khimki to exactly where the club wished to be at this point, all the while being a players’ coach whose teams seek open shots for everyone.

Indeed, Kurtinaitis not only identifies with players, but still regularly beats his in shooting contests at practice. Now he is plans to be a fans’ coach, too, by giving the Khimki faithful what he took from them in 2009 - the Eurocup trophy!

14 program2012.indd 14

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program2012.indd 15

10/04/2012 16:27:36

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.

Rytas also reached the Eurocup final in 2007, but lost to Real Madrid. Two years later, however, Rytas would enjoy its best season ever, winning all five trophies it competed for, including the 2008-09 Eurocup. In one of the most thrilling continental finals in recent years, Rytas rallied to beat BC Khimki 80-74 led by 20 points from Final Eight MVP Marius Petravicius. He added his name to those superstars who have played for Rytas over the years, like Ramunas Siskauskas, Matt Nielsen, Arvydas Macijauskas, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Chuck Eidson.

The club failed to reach the Turkish Airlines Euroleague via the qualifying rounds this season, but bounced back from that disappointing loss in style, winning all six Eurocup Regular Season games against Krka Novo Mesto, Azovmash and Le Mans. Rytas won its three home games by an average margin of 25.3 points. A pair of 2011-12 All-Eurocup first-team selections, guard Ronnie

rOSTER #

Player

4 5

Starting Five Pos.

H.

Paulius Dambrauskas

G

191

Steponas Babrauskas

G

197

6

Tyrese Rice

G

185

7

Lawrence Roberts

F

206

10

Renaldas Seibutis

G

196

12

Vilmantas Dilys

F

208

14

Predrag Samardziski

C

211

15

Mindaugas Katelynas

F

206

17

Jonas Valanciunas

C

210

19

Aleksandar Rasic

G

195

21

Arturas Jomantas

F

199

32

Dovydas Redikas

G

203

HC

Aleksandar Dzikic

Aleksandar Rasic Point guard Renaldas Seibutis Shooting Guard Arturas Jomantas Small guard Lawrence Roberts Power forward Jonas Valanciunas Center

Club Info President: Gedvydas Vainauskas Address: Ozo Str. 14A LT-08200, Vilnius - Lithuania Tel. +370 524 775 51 - Fax +370 524 775 26 Arena: SIEMENS ARENA

Trophy Case EUROCUP : 2009 ULEB Cup : 2005 Lithuanian League : 1999-00, 2001-2, 2005-6, 2008-09, 2009-10 NEBL : 2002 Baltic League : 2006, 2007, 2009 Lithuanian Cup : 1998, 2009, 2010

16 program2012.indd 16

10/04/2012 16:27:40

REGULAR SEASON

Seibutis and center Jonas Valanciunas, who was also the Rising Star Trophy winner, were the team’s main pillars along with Tyrese Rice.

6 WINS, 0 LOSSES

The club had to face a very tough Last 16 group featuring Lokomotiv Kuban, Benetton Basket and Alba Berlin. Rytas suffered a 14-point loss against Lokomotiv in the Last 16 opener, but bounced back with a convincing 78-69 home win against Benetton behind 17 points and 10 rebounds from Valanciunas. Rytas went on to register back-to-back victories against Alba Berlin, but a home loss against Lokomotiv forced the club to beat Benetton in Treviso, Italy, to get to the next round. Despite being on the road against a semifinalist from last season, Rytas managed to record a 74-80 road win in that do-or-die showdown thanks to 20 points from Seibutis. Rytas was second in that Last 16 group and went on to face Donetsk in the two-game, total points quarterfinals.

1 W, at KRKA Novo Mesto

65 - 73

2 W, vs BC Azovmash

83 - 55

3 W, at Le Mans

62 - 79

4 W, vs Le Mans

87 - 49

5 W, vs KRKA Novo Mesto

82 - 72

6 W, at BC Azovmash

67 - 74

LAST 16 4 WINS, 2 LOSSES

Some 9,200 fans helped Rytas to a 76-65 win at home in Siemens Arena in Game 1 led by 15 points from Steponas Babrauskas. Rytas kept control of the series from then on and reached the finals despite an 80-78 road loss against Donetsk in Ukraine. v Head coach Aleksandar Dzikic, who led Krka Novo Mesto to the EuroChallenge title last season, wants to get a bigger continental trophy this time around. The club has all it takes to succeed in the Eurocup: great basketball tradition, an outstanding fan base, a nice mix of young talent and veteran experience, and above all, a team eager to write another chapter in Eurocup history.

7

L, at Lokomotiv Kuban

81 - 67

8

W, vs Benetton Basket

78 - 69

9

W, vs Alba Berlin

86 - 75

10 W, at Alba Berlin

62 - 79

11 L, vs Lokomotiv Kuban

78 - 82

12 W, at Benetton Basket

74 - 80

QUARTERFINALS 1 WINS, 1 LOSS 13

W, vs BC Donetsk

76 - 65

14

L,

80 - 78

at BC Donetsk

AVERAGE STATISTICS - ALL PHASES 2FG Player

G

GS

Min

3FG

FT

Pts

Rebounds

Blocks

M-A

M-A

M-A

O

D

29.4%

63.6%

0.3

1.6

1.9

0.5

0.5

BABRAUSKAS, STEPONAS

14

0

20:18

7.3

62.1%

DAMBRAUSKAS, PAULIUS

2

0

3:37

3

66.7%

50%

T

As

St

To

0.8

0.9

0.9

2

0

2:47

1

100%

JOMANTAS, ARTURAS

14

14

21:16

5.1

56.1%

38.5%

64.7%

1.1

2.2

3.3

0.8

1

0.9

KATELYNAS, MINDAUGAS

14

0

20:38

9.1

53.2%

36.4%

83.3%

1.6

2.6

4.2

0.6

0.7

1.1

RASIC, ALEKSANDAR

14

7

22:01

7

57.9%

41.2%

81.3%

0.1

2.7

0.6

1.5

REDIKAS, DOVYDAS

3

0

3:04

RICE, TYRESE

14

7

28:03

11.3

ROBERTS, LAWRENCE

14

14

22:05

SAMARDZISKI, PREDRAG

12

1

15:41

SEIBUTIS, RENALDAS

14

14

VALANCIUNAS, JONAS

14

13

42.1%

25.6%

7.4

39.4%

50%

6

66.7%

28:15

14.3

51.6%

24:05

11.3

64.1%

201:47 78.57 53.2%

Ag

Cm

Rv

0.1

0.2

2.6

2.4

5.4

0.5

1

1

2

48.8%

37.8%

88.9%

0.2

1.2

1.4

0.3

0.3

1.4

1.6

4.9

0.9

3.4

PIR

Fv

1.5

DILYS, VILMANTAS

Average

Fouls

0.1

-1.5

0.2

1.6

1.9

7.1

0.5

2.1

2.3

9.4

1.4

6.4

2.4

0.9

0.3

0.7

2.8

3.9

8.9 9.1

61.9%

2.2

4.3

6.5

0.9

1.1

1.6

0.5

0.5

2.4

1.6

57.1%

2

2.6

4.6

0.9

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.1

2.8

2.2

9.3

88.6%

0.4

2.4

2.9

2.3

0.6

1

0.4

3

4.1

14.4

80%

2.5

5.4

7.9

0.9

0.2

2

1.6

0.1

3.2

3.5

16.9

2.85

3

22.78

23

88.14

76.6% 11.85

25

36.85 14.64 6.78 14.21

17 program2012.indd 17

10/04/2012 16:27:43

Player Spotlight

RENALDAS SEIBUTIS

At age 26, Seibutis is already a well-rounded veteran. He came on everybody’s radar at the 2005 FIBA Under-21 World Championships, as he led Lithuania to the title and earned MVP honors. His talent did not go unnoticed and Olympiacos of Greece signed him to a multi-year deal.

After a solid first season with the Reds and another on loan with Maroussi, Seibutis saw limited playing time in 200708 due to a back injury that required surgery. A recovered Seibutis helped Bilbao Basket reach the Eurocup semifinals in 2009 and 2010, as he played a critical role due to his size and versatility.

Seibutis went on to play last season for Olin Edirne, which le led in scoring and guided to the Turkish League playoffs.

Seibutis has also become a regular member of the Lithuanian basketball team and won the bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. A natural-born winner and an allaround player, Seibutis can play in every perimeter position due to his defensive intensity and ability to score.

This season he leads Rytas in scoring and fouls drawn and has been on target from downtown. Now, once again, Seibutis is back to the Eurocup Finals, ready to make history by lifting his first continental trophy.

head COACH ALEKSANDAR DZIKIC One of the great young minds in coaching, Aleksandar Dzikic faces a great challenge and opportunity as Lietuvos Rytas plays for a third Eurocup title. Born in Belgrade, Dzikic belongs to the Serbian school of coaching and got his start with Partizan’s youth teams and KK Beovuk 72 in the 1990s.

By 1999, Dzikic rejoined Partizan to work for coaching legend Dusko Vujosevic. As an assistant coach, he helped Partizan win four consecutive Serbia and Montenegro League titles from 2002 through 2005. Dzikic then became the first nonAmerican assistant coach in the NBA with no prior coaching experience in the United States when he joined Minnesota.

In January 2008, Dzikic returned to Europe to coach Union Olimpija, with whom he won both the Slovenian League and the Slovenian Cup titles that season. A rough start to the 2008-09 season forced Olimpija and Dzikic to part ways.

Instead he joined Krka Novo Mesto and changed that club’s history. Over two seasons in Novo Mesto, Dzikic coached Krka to back-to-back Slovenian League titles in 2010 and 2011 and its first continental trophy, the 2011 EuroChallenge, by downing Lokomotiv Kuban 83-77 in the title game.

When Rytas called last summer, Dzikic went north to basketball heaven, Lithuania. He has since helped Rytas go undefeated in the Eurocup Regular Season, survive a tough Last 16 group and down Donetsk in the quarterfinals. Now, neither Dzikic nor Lietuvos Rytas will settle for anything less than winning the Eurocup title and graduating to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague!

18 program2012.indd 18

10/04/2012 16:27:46

program2012.indd 19

10/04/2012 16:27:49

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. Notable league honors during the decade included the 1975 Soviet League title (along with six additional finals) and a pair of European Cup Winners’ Cup triumphs.

After a lean period, Spartak bounced back to win the 1987 Soviet Cup and the 1992 CIS Championship. It would have to wait until 2009-10 to make its Eurocup debut, and then a last-second overtime shot by Bilbao Basket denied the club a spot in the Last 16. Last season, Spartak reached the Russian League playoffs and the EuroChallenge semifinals, but missed reaching the Eurocup from the qualifying round.

The 2011-12 campaign has seen Spartak advance deeper into the Eurocup than ever before. It rolled unbeaten through its regular season group against 2011 semifinalists Cedevita Zagreb of Croatia and Benetton Basket of Italy, as well as powerful newcomer FC Bayern Munich of Germany. In the Last 16, where it was drawn against Banvit BK of Turkey, Krka Novo Mesto of Slovenia and KK Buducnost Voli of Montenegro, Spartak did not lose until Game 6, after it had already clinched first place. Its 11-game winning streak was the longest in the competition this season.

rOSTER

Starting Five

#

Player

Pos.

H.

4

Janis Strelnieks

G

191

5

Vasily Zavoruev

G

196

7

Alexey Kotishevskiy

G

196

8

Anatoly Kashirov

C

215

9

Yotam Halperin

G

196

10

Pavel Sergeev

G

187

11

Valery Likhodey

F

203

12

Patrick Beverley

G

185

13

Miha Zupan

F

204

14

Aleksey Zozulin

G

199

15

Pavel Antipov

F

202

20

Vladimir Dragicevic

C

205

21

Loukas Mavrokefalides

F

208

23

Victor Keyru

F

200

33

Nikola Dragovic

F

206

HC

Jure Zdovc

Patrick Beverley Point guard Yotam Halperin Shooting Guard Valery Likhodey Small guard

Club Info President: Igor Lipsky Address: Dobrolyubova Prospect 11 197198 St. Petersburg, Russia Tel. +7(812)3368881 - Fax +7(812)3368883 Arena: YUBILEYNI “SPORT” PALACE

Vladimir Dragicevic Power Forward Loukas Mavrokefalides

Center

20 program2012.indd 20

10/04/2012 16:27:53

REGULAR SEASON

Once in the Eurocup Quarterfinals, Spartak prevailed in Game 1 at CEZ Nymburk and then became the only team to sweep the series with a convincing home victory to secure a berth on the Finals. As such, Spartak became just the second team, after 2007-08 champ DKV Joventut, to reach the semifinals with just one loss.

6 WINS, 0 LOSSES

Spartak has achieved its success this season on both ends of the court. Defensively, it has held opponents to a Eurocup-low 65.8 points per game; offensively, the team is second in the competition in assists, paced by the Eurocup’s co-leader in that category, Yotam Halperin, who was selected to the AllEurocup second team.

1

W, vs Cedevita

73 - 56

2

W, at Benetton Basket

78 - 87

3

W, vs FC Bayern Munich

75 - 62

4

W, at FC Bayern Munich

60 - 72

5

W, at Cedevita

68 - 73

6

W, vs Benetton Basket

97 - 77

5 WINS, 1 LOSSES

LAST 16

Spartak’s squad includes three former Euroleague winners: Halperin, Anatoly Kashirov and head coach Jure Zdovc.

Halperin lifted the Euroleague trophy with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2004 and 2005 among six trips to the Final Four. Kashirov won the 2006 and 2008 Euroleague with CSKA Moscow and Coach Zdovc was a star playmaker for 1993 Euroleague winner Limoges CSP of France. Three other players have been to Final Fours- small forward Victor Keyru with CSKA and guard Patrick Beverley and center Loukas Mavrokefalides with Olympiacos. Beverley, who was named Eurocup MVP this season, has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign as Spartak’s goto playmaker. His backcourt work with Halperin makes them tough to stop, especially with Mavrokefalides and Vladimir Dragicevic wreaking havoc in the paint.

7

W, at KK Buducnost Voli

57 - 65

8

W, vs Banvit BK

80 - 71

9

W, at KRKA Novo Mesto

68 - 81

10 W, vs KRKA Novo Mesto

71 - 57

11 W, vs KK Buducnost Voli

70 - 64

12 L, at Banvit BK

68 - 61

QUARTERFINALS

All told, a commitment to passing and team basketball, a balance of youth and experience, and a mix of perimeter and frontcourt stars make Spartak St. Petersburg as dangerous as any team to go all the way at the 2012 Eurocup Finals.

2 WINS, 0 LOSSES 13 W, at CEZ Nymburk

64 - 68

14 W, vs CEZ Nymburk

86 - 71

The goal now for Benetton is to keep adding to its solid tradition with victory at the 2011 Eurocup Finals.

AVERAGE STATISTICS - ALL PHASES 2FG Player

G

GS

Min

3FG

FT

Pts M-A

M-A 100%

Rebounds

M-A

O

81%

0.6

Blocks As

St

D

T

0.5

0.5

0.5

1

3.5

4.1

3.8

2

To

Fouls PIR

Fv

Ag

Cm

Rv

1.9

0.2

0.1

2.9

5.6

16.9

0.3

2.8

2.6

12.4

1.5

3.9

13.9 3.9

ANTIPOV, PAVEL

2

0

4:27

3.5

66.7%

BEVERLEY, PATRICK

14

14

31:58

12.9

54.7% 25.8%

DRAGICEVIC, VLADIMIR

14

6

22:59

10.8

65.7%

67.7%

1.6

2.7

4.4

0.9

0.9

1.4

0.4

HALPERIN, YOTAM

12

10

28:41

8.4

34.2% 40.6%

85.7%

0.2

2.5

2.7

5.4

1

2

0.2

KASHIROV, ANATOLY

9

7

7:41

4.8

61.3%

55.6%

1.3

0.8

2.1

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.3

1.8

0.6

KEYRU, VICTOR

14

5

24:35

5.6

82.4%

0.3

2.9

3.2

1.6

0.6

0.7

0.1

0.1

1.7

1.5

7

KOTISHEVSKIY, ALEXEY

3

0

8:18

3.3

75%

0.3

0.7

1

1

0.7

0.7

1.3

0.7

3.3

LIKHODEY, VALERY

12

10

23:43

8.5

50%

40.7%

75%

0.5

2.3

2.8

1.1

0.4

1

0.8

0.2

2.8

1.8

7.3

MAVROKEFALIDES, L.

13

12

24:16

12.7

57%

41.7%

74.1%

1.3

2.5

3.8

1.1

0.8

1.9

0.2

0.4

2.5

3.3

12.2

SERGEEV, PAVEL

3

0

1:29

0.3

0.3

STRELNIEKS, JANIS

13

0

13:58

4.3

ZAVORUEV, VASILY

2

0

5:19

1.5

ZOZULIN, ALEKSEY

14

4

14:33

4.4

66.7%

ZUPAN, MIHA

14

2

16:59

7.2

62.9% 48.5%

Average

50%

30.2%

66.7% 33.3%

0.3 66.7% 30.4%

200:00 75.64 57.3% 36.9%

1.3

100%

0.2

0.8

1.1

2.2

57.1%

0.6

0.9

1.4

0.5

0.4

0.9

0.3

0.1

90%

1.2

2.1

3.4

0.8

0.2

1.2

0.3

0.1

3.2

78.1%

7.71

21.78

29.5

16.64

7

12.28

2.5

1.5

100% 55%

5

0.5

0.8

0.5

-1.7

1.5

1

4.8

1

0.5

1

2.7

0.8

2.6

0.9

6

22.64 20.78 84.07

21 program2012.indd 21

10/04/2012 16:27:58

Player Spotlight

Miha Zupan

Although he is competing at the Eurocup Finals for his first European trophy, Miha Zupan is already a special part of basketball history. Indeed, as the first hearing-impaired player the Euroleague, the 29-year-old big man is a true basketball trailblazer.

Zupan worked his way up as a player in his native Slovenia, all the while partaking in interntaitional competitions for physically handicapped athletes. His perseverence culminated in 2007 when he made his Euroleague debut for Union Olimpija Ljubljana.

Zupan was born without hearing and learned to speak over many years of effort at special schools before taking up basketball at the late age 14. A growth spurt of 20 centimeters in his late teens allowed him to sign his first contract at age 17.

Zupan developed his game during six seasons with Geoplin Slovan before joining Olimpija in February 2007. After two Euroleague seasons with Olimpija, Zupan played in Greece and Italy before joining Spartak.

An undersized big man, Zupan is a relentless rebounder with great footwork and ballhandling skills who can open the floor with his three-point shooting. Zupan wears a device in his ear which allows him to listen perfectly. Added to his lip-reading ability, he has no problem playing professional basketball.

Already an inspiration to deaf athletes everywhere, Zupan has now set his sights on Eurocup glory after making himself an essential part of Spartak’s push for the trophy.

head COACH

Jure Zdovc

After a career as one of the top point guards of his generation worldwide, Jure Zdovc is proving to be as much of a leader from the bench as with the ball. This season, after taking Spartak St. Petersburg all the way from the qualifying round to the Eurocup Finals, Zdovc was chosen as the 2011-12 Eurocup Coach of the Year.

Zdovc is a well-travelled tactician whose playing and coaching careers have taken him from his native Slovenia to Italy, Greece, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina before Russia. He achieved his greatest career honor in France, however, as floor general for the Limoges team that surprised everyone by lifting the 1993 Euroleague title. As the quintessential tall playmaker who could see above defenses, drive through or shoot over them, Zdovc was a triple threat whose teams wanted the ball in his hands as much as possible.

Upon retiring as a player in 2003, Zdovc immediately moved into coaching. He had his biggest success to date at Union Olimpija Ljubljana from 2009 through 2011, guiding the team to a Slovenian League title in his first season and winning the Slovenian Cup both years. Zdovc was the mastermind behind Olimpija’s great Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season performance in 2010-11, when victories over powerhouses like Panathinaikos and CSKA Moscow sent the team to the Top 16.

22 program2012.indd 22

Now, in his very first season in St. Petersburg, Zdovc has brought a historic club from a classic city into the international spotlight again at the Eurocup Finals!

10/04/2012 16:28:01

program2012.indd 23

10/04/2012 16:28:04

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 Basket 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. Local businessmen Fernando and Juan Roig provided the financial backing to Vicente Sola’s project to Valencia Basket in the Spanish elite, and the club has been a force ever since, particularly in the Eurocup, where it has played more games and scored more points than any other team.

Valencia Basket ‘s first Eurocup title came back in 2002-03, against Krka Novo Mesto of Slovenia, in what was a defining series for Valencia Basket .

Dejan Tomasevic and Fabricio Oberto were the driving force behind the club’s first European trophy.

Despite strong performances thereafter, it took another seven years to get to the top once more, but Valencia ended the drought with a win over Alba Berlin to become Eurocup champion for the second time in 2010.

Last season, Valencia Basket stepped up to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and quickly proved that it belonged, beating out experienced clubs like Fenerbahce Ulker and Zalgiris Kaunas in the Top 16.

Then, the team set its sights even higher, taking rival Real Madrid the distance in their best-of-five playoff series before losing Game 5 on the road, one step

rOSTER

Starting Five

#

Player

Pos.

H.

00

Rodrigo San Miguel

G

186

4

Stefan Markovic

G

191

6

A.J. Ogilvy

C

211

8

Brad Newley

F

200

9

Victor Claver

F

206

12

Serhiy Lishchuk

F

210

13

Vitor Faverani

C

209

16

Alberto Perez

G

186

17

Rafa Martínez

G

190

20

Florent Pietrus

F

202

22

Nando De Colo

G

195

30

Rihards Kuksiks

F

201

32

Larry Abia

F

195

33

Nik Caner-Medley

F

203

HC

Velimir Perasovic

Rodrigo San Miguel Point Guard Rafa Martínez Shooting Guard Victor Claver Small guard Nik Caner-Medley Power Forward Serhiy Lishchuk Center

Club Info President: Vicente J. Solà Sanz Address: Av. Hermanos Maristas 16 46013 Valencia - Spain Tel. +34 96 395 70 84 - Fax +34 96 395 68 01 Arena: PABELLON FUENTE DE SAN LUIS

Trophy Case Eurocup: 2002-03, 2009-10 Spanish National Cup: 1998

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REGULAR SEASON

short of a ticket to the 2011 Final Four in Barcelona.

This season’s Eurocup campaign has been marked by unpredictability for Valencia Basket , which started the season on the wrong foot.

4 wins, 2 losses

Plagued by injuries to important players, it suffered a shock loss to Asvel Basket in the opening game, but fought back to go 4-2 in the regular season and make it through to the Last 16. All this was done with a generous approach to sharing the points, as one of the deepest squads in the Eurocup tallied the second-most assists over the first six games. Valencia Basket then swept its Last 16 group to reach the quarterfinals, where a 22-point victory over KK Buducnost Voli was more than enough to win a spot in the Eurocup Finals again.

1 L, at Asvel Basket

87 - 78

2 W, vs Telenet Oostende

75 - 62

3 W, at Lukoil Academic

64 - 72

4 W, vs Lukoil Academic

83 - 59

5 W, vs Asvel Basket

96 - 88

6 L, at Telenet Oostende

87 - 83

LAST 16 6 wins, 0 losses

Along with player arrivals and departures, 2012 has also seen a midseason change on the sidelines. One game into the Last 16, Valencia Basket parted ways with Paco Olmos and handed the reins to Velimir Perasovic. On court, Valencia Basket likes to run its offense through point guard Nando de Colo, with Rafa Martinez joining him to provide a dual shooting threat. In the paint, the team has another killer combination. Homegrown talent Victor Claver, the powerful Serhiy Lishchuk and star big man Nike Caner-Medley, who was selected to the All-Eurocup first team, form a mighty frontcourt that has been a key to Valencia Basket ’s success so far.

7 8 9 10 11 12

W, W, W, W, W, W,

at BCM Gravelines vs VEF Riga at CEZ Nymburk vs CEZ Nymburk vs BCM Gravelines at VEF Riga

63 - 69 80 - 49 71 - 80 73 - 72 79 - 61 71 - 82

QUARTERFINALS 1 wins, 1 losses 13 L, at KK Buducnost Voli 14 W, vs KK Buducnost Voli

No team has ever won the Eurocup three times, but Valencia Basket has everything in place to make club and European basketball history in the 2012 Eurocup Finals.

75 - 71 85 - 63

AVERAGE STATISTICS - ALL PHASES 2FG Player

G

GS

Min

M-A ABIA, LARRY

3FG

FT

Pts M-A

M-A

Rebounds O

D

Blocks T

As

St

To

Fv

Ag

Cm

Rv

PIR

4

0

11:34

2.3

50%

40%

100%

1

1

0.3

1.5

0.3

1.5

CANER-MEDLEY, NIK 11

11

26:05

12.8

58.3%

33.3%

84.4%

1.7

4.4

6.1

1.5

1.6

2

0.5

0.1

2.5

2.4

15.5

CLAVER, VICTOR

8

8

26:30

9.9

53.1%

30.3%

57.7%

1.3

2.5

3.8

1.3

1.5

2.1

0.3

0.1

2.9

3.3

8.6

DE COLO, NANDO

14

8

25:16

11.7

48.8%

37.7%

83.9%

0.4

1.6

2

3.8

1.6

2.1

0.4

2.1

3.4

12.3

FAVERANI, VITOR

7

2

16:49

7.3

57.1%

33.3%

66.7%

1.6

1.9

3.4

0.6

0.6

2

0.9

0.6

2.1

1.4

6.4

KUKSIKS, RIHARDS

10

1

15:06

6.7

73.3%

33.3%

100%

0.5

1.1

1.6

0.7

0.6

0.3

0.1

0.2

1.7

0.3

4.8

LISHCHUK, SERHIY

12

9

22:59

9.8

52.2%

69.7%

1.6

3.9

5.5

0.8

0.8

2

0.8

0.2

3.3

4.5

12.3

MARKOVIC, STEFAN

8

5

19:23

5.1

50%

46.2%

70%

0.6

1.9

2.5

4.3

1.4

0.9

0.3

0.1

2

1.4

9.6

MARTINEZ, RAFA

14

11

25:39

9.9

48.8%

33.8%

88.6%

0.2

1.4

1.6

2.4

0.9

1.8

0.2

2.8

3

8

NEWLEY, BRAD

8

0

14:35

4.5

55.6%

28.6%

50%

0.9

1.4

2.3

1.1

0.9

0.8

0.1

0.4

1.4

0.9

4.5

OGILVY, ANDREW J.

8

2

15:40

9.5

53.6%

69.6%

2

1.3

3.3

0.8

0.5

1

0.9

0.5

1.6

2.4

10

PEREZ, ALBERTO

3

0

5:20

2

0.3

0.3

PIETRUS, FLORENT

11

3

18:56

5.4

72.7%

77.8%

1.5

2

3.5

0.7

1

0.9

0.7

0.2

RAKOCEVIC, ZARKO

1

1

35:44

20

81.8%

66.7%

6

7

13

2

2

1

4

SAN MIGUEL, R.

14

7

18:35

4.1

39.3%

60%

0.4

2.2

2.6

2.6

1.1

1.4

0.1

SPLITTER, TIAGO

3

2

26:20

14

54.8%

42.1%

1

6.7

7.7

1

0.7

2

0.7

200:00

79

54.2%

9.71

14.64

3.64

Average

66.7% 40%

31%

34.5%

72.3%

0.3

Fouls

0.7

10.28 23.28 33.57 16.64

1.7

-0.7

2.5

1.9

8.4

4

4

37

0.1

2.1

2.6

6.5

0.3

2.7

4.3

14.7

2.21

22.21

23

89.21

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Player Spotlight

Nando De Colo

With endless talent and the poise to excel in pressure situations, combo-guard Nando De Colo of Valencia Basket already has put together a list of impressive accomplishments. And plenty more big moments could be on the way for the 24-year-old as he enters the prime of his career.

De Colo joined Cholet Basket at age 15 and made his French League debut in 2006, at age 19. The following season, De Colo led Cholet to the Semaine des As title, helped Cholet reach the French Cup final and was also chosen as the French League MVP. In his third and final season with Cholet, De Colo led his team all the way to the 2008-09 EuroChallenge title game, where it lost to Virtus Bologna.

De Colo joined Valencia in 2009-10, shortly after shining with the French national team at EuroBasket 2009. In his first season with the club, De Colo helped Valencia to the Eurocup title and was chosen to the All-Eurocup first team. De Colo also shined in the 2010-11 Turkish Airlines Euroleague as Valencia went all the way to the playoffs and came within one victory of the Final Four.

Last summer, he helped France to a silver medal at EuroBasket 2011 and is back now at the Eurocup Finals with Valencia. De Colo always improves on his excellent playing level for the most important games, so expect the best from him at the Eurocup Finals.

head COACH

Velimir Perasovic

There is no way to properly consider Valencia Basket head coach Velimir Perasovic without taking into account his legendary career as a player. As a scoring machine in the 1980s, he helped Jugoplastika Split become one of the best teams in European basketball history. By the time he left in 1992, Perasovic and Split had won three consecutive Euroleague titles from 1989 to 1991 plus four straight Yugoslavian League crowns, starting in 1988.

After moving to Spain, where he played the rest of his career, Perasovic helped Taugres win the Saporta Cup title in 1996. He also led the Spanish League in scoring as late as age 37 before retiring and becoming a head coach. In just his second year on the bench, Perasovic made it to the Euroleague Final Four with Tau Ceramica in 2007. That season, Perasovic also guided Tau to victory in the Spanish King’s Cup, thus becoming the first person to win that competition as both a player and coach.

He stepped down in March 2007 due to a health problem, but returned to coaching the following season with Estudiantes.

Next, Perasovic went home to Croatia and marched Cibona to consecutive Croatian League titles in 2009 – when he also lifted the Croatian Cup trophy – and 2010.

After another Euroleague season with Efes Pilsen last year, Perasovic joined Valencia in January and quickly made it the only undefeated team in the Eurocup Last 16. The ambitious and hard-working Perasovic now plans to lead Valencia to an unprecedented third Eurocup title.

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COMPETITION HISTORY ULEB CUP FINAL 2002 – 2003

Two game series April15, KRKA NOVO MESTO – PAMESA VALENCIA 78 –90 April 24, PAMESA VALENCIA – KRKA NOVO MESTO 78–76 MVP: Dejan Tomasevic, PAMESA VALENCIA

ULEB CUP FINAL 2003 – 2004

Charleroi, Belgium, April 13 REAL MADRID – HAPOEL M. JERUSALEM 72-83 MVP: Kelly McCarty, HAPOEL M. JERUSALEM

ULEB CUP FINAL 2004 – 2005

Charleroi, Belgium, April 19 LIETUVOS RYTAS – ALFA MAKEDONIKOS 78-74 MVP: Robertas Javtokas, LIETUVOS RYTAS

ULEB CUP FINAL 2005 – 2006

Charleroi, Belgium, April 11 ARIS BSA – DYNAMO MOSCOW 60-73 MVP: Ruben Douglas, DYNAMO MOSCOW

ULEB CUP FINAL 2006 – 2007

Charleroi, Belgium, April 10 LIETUVOS RYTAS – REAL MADRID 75-87 MVP: Charles Smith, REAL MADRID

ULEB CUP FINAL EIGHT 2007 – 2008

Turin, Italy, April 13 AKASVAYU GIRONA – DKV JOVENTUT 54-79 MVP: Rudy Fernández, DKV JOVENTUT

EUROCUP FINAL EIGHT 2008 – 2009 Turin, Italy, April 5 LIETUVOS RYTAS – BC KHIMKI M.R. 80-74 MVP: Marius Petravicius, LIETUVOS RYTAS

EUROCUP FINALS 2009 – 2010

Vitoria-Gazteiz, Spain, April 18 ALBA BERLIN – POWER ELEC. VALENCIA 46-67 MVP: Matt Nielsen, POWER ELEC. VALENCIA

EUROCUP FINALS 2010 – 2011

Treviso, Italy, April 16 UNICS KAZAN – CAJASOL SEVILLA 92-77 MVP: Marko Popovic, UNICS KAZAN

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khimki History

Khimki was officially founded in 1939.It was established around a railroad station with the same name which had existed since 1850 on the Moscow - Saint Petersburg Railway, situated in the north-west from Moscow, After World War II, Khimki became home to several Soviet aerospace defense development centers, which became the principal employers for the majority of the city population. The first Moon research vehicle was constructed in Khimki and the worldwide known rocket-zenith complexes, C-300 and C-400, were produced. Some aerospace development centers located in Khimki currently contribute to a program of the International Space Station.

In recent years, the population of the city of Khimki has continued to grow rapidly due to residential building construction driven by its proximity to Moscow which is densely populated and needs new areas for expansion. Nowadays, Khimki’s area is 118 sq. km. and the population is 208.583 people.

Khimki is known not only by his Basketball club and Basketball center, but also for his football. The great Khimki Arena was opened in 2008, it’s the modernest football stadium in Moscow region. Football clubs like Dynamo Moscow, CSKA Moscow and Khimki play in this stadium.

The city enjoys a great deal of commercial activity due to its location between Moscow and one of its main airports, Sheremetyevo.

PLACES TO VISIT KHIMKI WAR MEMORIAL Khimki War Memorial is a memorial to two Soviet pilots and four Red Army soldiers in Novoluzhinskoe cemetery, Khimki, Russia.

The memorial and the graves were originally located near Leningradskoye Shosse, a major highway leading from Moscow to the international Sheremetyevo Airport. The remains of the pilots and soldiers were exhumed under the sanction of Khimki authorities in April 2007, and reburied later with military honours to a newly built memorial on the Alley of Heroes in the Novoluzhinskoe cemetery, in the centre of Khimki.

SHOPPING CENTERS The biggest trade centers of Moscow region are built in Khimki: IKEA, LIGA, OBI, Auchan, Mega, etc.

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