Eurocup First and Second teams

It is that time of the year when the Eurocup organization names its first and second teams of the season, the best ten players in the competition this season.

With the Eurocup final due to take place between Khimki Moscow Region and Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas on April 24th, it is time to look back over the campaign. And what a thrilling season in the Eurocup it has been, with the Basketball action often high stakes and enthralling. While Khimki and Gran Canaria have bested the other teams in the tournament, there have been other standout clubs through the course of the campaign.

Within those clubs there have been explosive personal performances aplenty, but below are the ten players that the Eurocup organization thinks have been consistently the best this season. However, there was no place for the best average scorer in the Eurocup this season, Randy Culpepper of Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd.

First Team
Tyrese Rice (Khimki Moscow Region) – The inclusion of Rice is perhaps the most certain, with the American carrying the form that seen him named the 2013/2014 Euroleague Final Four MVP while playing in the title winning Maccabi Tel Aviv team. Rice is out in front on the performance index (410) and most accumulative points (378), his current averages are 17.2 points and 5.5 assists per game.

Petteri Koponen (Khimki Moscow Region) – A backcourt partner with Rice, Koponen is having the kind of season that his talent suggests he is capable of year in, year out. Despite coming from the side-lines for much of the campaign, the Finnish player is seventh in scoring (328) and seventh in three points scoring (44 made). His current stats are 13.4 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Sammy Mejia (Banvit Bandirma) – Mejia was instrumental in Banvit’s charge deep into this seasons’ Eurocup. He led the club in scoring and on the performance index, and is currently sixth on the index overall (18.2 PIR). He shot 85.9% from the charity strip, and managed 19.5ppg through the Eighthfinals and 15.5ppg in the Quarter-finals. His averages are 13.7 points, 5.4 boards, and 3.3 assists per game.

Derrick Brown (Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar) – Lokomotiv may not have quite lived up to billing, but Derrick Brown ended his Eurocup campaign celebrating a strong personal season on the continent. The American played 18 games and helped his team win every game, and was a key component in the club setting a record of 20 consecutive wins in the Eurocup. His averages are 15.4rpg and 5.5rpg.

Walter Tavares (Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas) – Gran Canaria has often looked to Tavares for the spark, and the club is heading to this final with a 22-1 record. Arguably the most important player in the competition, he is second on the performance index, the best rebounder (14.4rpg), and the best blocker (3.42bpg). The American is also hitting 72.1% from two point range, the best in the Eurocup, and all this is from less than 22 minutes per game on the hardwood.

Second Team

Bobby Dixon (Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir) – Pinar Karsiyaka was a surprise package this season, and Bobby Dixon was an important part of the Turkish teams’ charge. He is sitting second in scoring (335), and is the fifth best provider with 104 scoring passes overall, while he was consistent too, scoring double digits in all of his 20 games.

Keith Langford (Unics Kazan) – Simply a consistent performer, Langford averaged 17.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.4 apg as he helped Unics Kazan reach the last four. He is in the higher reaches of all important areas for his backcourt position, including third in free throws, sixth in the index, and in the top ten for scoring.

Kyle Kuric (Gran Canaria Las Palmas) – While Kuric has been formidable all season, it was in the Regular Season where he proved important to Gran Canaria. He was pivotal in helping the Spanish club stay undefeated in the group stages, hitting 17 from 27 triples in the opening five weeks of play. He is currently averaging 13.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per appearance.

Anthony Randolph (Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar) – Randolph was explosive for Lokomotiv in the clubs’ stellar early season form. He leads the Eurocup index with 31.2PIR over 40 minutes, while he has proven deadly from beyond the arc during the competition, tying the best percentage from three range (54.8%).

Sharrod Ford (Paris-Levallois) – Ford was arguably the key component in helping Paris-Levallois reach its first ever Eurocup quarterfinals. He was leading the competition at that point in rebounds (8.8rpg) and two point nets (6.55 per contest).