Eurocup First and Second teams named

With the Eurocup season over and Valencia crowned champions for a record third time, it is that time of the season where the best players in the competition are honoured. Euroleague Basketball has revealed the players who have made the most impact in the Eurocup this season by naming the Player of the Year, the Coach of the Year, and the First and Second teams of the Year.

First Team
Andrew Goudelock (190 cm, Charleston’11) put aside losing the Eurocup final with Unics Kazan by being named the Player of the Year after a hugely impressive debut season in Russia. The guard also featured in the Eurocup First team of the Season on the back of his 18.7 points per game average. Goudelock was the only rookie player on the Team of the Year list, with the other names made up of established Eurocup stars. The five best players from the competition display the quality and depth of the Eurocup, and the players to make the First Team were:

DeMarcus Nelson (193 cm, Duke’08) – The Crvena Zvezda Belgrade guard powered the Serbian powerhouse to its best ever Eurocup season (Semi-finals) and proved consistent at both ends of the court with stats of 13.3ppg, 4.4rpg, 4.6apg, and 1.3spg.

Dijon Thompson (201 cm, UCLA’05) – Thompson is a Eurocup veteran; this was the 31-year olds fifth campaign in the tournament and it proved to be his best yet. The Nizhny Novgorod forward has been named to the All-Eurocup second team previously, but this is his first time in the First Team. Thompson was instrumental in driving debutant Nizhny to the semi-final with 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Justin Doellman (206 cm, Xavier’07) – It is no surprise to see Doellman (main image) make the cut as the only First Team player named from Eurocup winners Valencia. The forward was the key component once again for the Spanish club, and he finds himself in the Team of the Year for the second successive season. Doellman’s Finals MVP award capped a fantastic season that brought stats of 14.5ppg, 4.7rpg, 2.1apg, and 1.8spg.

Vladimir Golubovic (213 cm) – Rounding out the First Team of the season is Montenegrin center Golubovic. The big man busted the stat sheet while playing for Aykon TED Ankara Kolejliler, finishing the campaign as the second best scorer with 19.3ppg and the best rebounder with 10.1rpg. Golubovic also topped the performance index score over the year as he collected double-double stats for the season.

Second Team

While the Second Team does not represent the cream of the crop, it is still full with top Eurocup performers and showcases the true depth of quality in Europe’s second tier competition.

Yotam Halperin (195 cm) – European experience came to the fore for Halperin as the two time Euroleague winner stood out for Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem. While stats of 11.7ppg, 4.8apg, 2.8rpg, and 1apg appear modest, the shooting guard often dictated play for Jerusalem.

Reggie Redding (196 cm, Villanova’10) – ALBA Berlin looked good through most of the Eurocup campaign, and much of that progress came from a fantastic rookie season from Redding. The guard collected 12.9ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.6apg and was the German clubs’ best passer, while he also picked up the most minutes on the floor for the team.

Caleb Green (206 cm, ORU’07) – Green could arguably have made the First Team as he was named a weekly MVP, scored the most points during the Last 32 and was consistent enough to amass averages of 19.3ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.0apg, 1.4spg. The Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari was an inspiration for the Italian club and finds himself in the Second Team.

Darjus Lavrinovic (212 cm) – Former All-Euroleague forward Darjus Lavrinovic (image) had another season to remember in the Eurocup, despite his veteran status. The 34-year old led Budivelnyk Kiev in points, rebounds and blocks on his way to season averages of 16.8ppg, 6.8rpg, 2.8apg, 1.5bpg.

Bojan Dubljevic (205 cm) – It will be a season to remember for the 23-year old center. Dubljevic won the Eurocup title with Valencia and was pivotal in the teams’ success with averages of 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.