EuroCup’s first round’s last game at home for “Ventspils”

Story’s short: Ventspils has won one game out of last three, Thessaloniki team already have two victories, meaning right now both teams are close to each other in the group standings, but if BK “Ventspils” wins this game, they will change places till next game in the group takes place. Winning this game means a lot for Ventspils, it would mean that Latvian team still has chances to play for a place in the Top4, while a lost would mean being two big steps behind the group’s Top3. It is a vital victory because during the next round there will be just two home games, especially when one of the upcoming home games will be against the group Top1 team – “Lokomotiv”! Long story short – this game is crucial – this victory is needed like a breath of fresh air!

Even though Ventspils team has visited one of the most famous Greek basketball city Thessaloniki, Latvians played just against the “Aris” team, this will be the first time facing PAOK. The club established in 1928 won its second European trophy in year 1994 when Ventspils basketball club was just at its start line with ink on the decision still wet. So this season is special to PAOK also. They triumphed in the Korac Cup in 1994 that is also he biggest victory in the continent’s club basketball tournaments for the Greek club until today, even though it has played in FIBA’s Euroleague and ULEB EuroCup for many seasons. Last season it even managed to get into the Top16. By the way not only Predrag Stojakovic – the NBA star and who ended his career not so long ago – has played for PAOK, but also the head coach of “Lokomotiv” Sergey Bazarevich, both of them also have Greek citizenship.

PAOK ended the last Greek national championship third, losing to the next champions “Panathinaikos” in the semi-finals, beating “Panionios” team in the game series for the third place. Before that PAOK got bronze in 2011 when it beat the other club from the home town – “Aris”. The bronze roster has changed quite a bit before the start of this season, with just the 38-year-old Kostas Haralampidis and Vangelis Margaritis staying on the team from the previous season, the latter though not coming to Ventspils due to injury. At the beginning of the season it was announced that the experienced head coach Anastasios Markapoulos is leaving the team because of the forecasted transfer to “Olympiacos” but for some unknown reasons this transfer did not happen. Markapoulos is still the head coach of PAOK.

Of course, no place stays empty for long, and Markopoulos has found some great substitutes to last season’s foreign and local players. The leaders of the team during the EuroCup race are American Julian Vaughn (10 points, 4.3 rebounds) and Greek forward Christos Saloustros (9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds). It is hard to call them pronounced leaders, though, because many other players on the team have similar statistics, for instance, the experienced Haralampidis at the age of 38 averages 17 minutes on the court, scores 9 points, gets 1.7 rebounds and assists just as often.

Without any doubts PAOK are the main Ventspils’ rivals for the place in the groups Top4, that is why to win on the home floor is so vital and to do it – if it is possible – the more impressive the better. Until now both teams have averaged the same game statistics, even the average age of the team is similar. That allows to think that the upcoming game on Wednesday will be exciting where the little things will play a big role.

Game starts – as always – at 19 o’clock and the live broadcast of the game will be guaranteed by Sportacentrs.com.

Used sources:
Eurocup - Welcome to Eurocup
European Basketball Main Page - EUROBASKET