7DAYS EuroCup RS – Round 1 MVP, Arnoldas Kulboka, Promitheas Patras

A double-double in his 7DAYS EuroCup debut was more than good enough for Promitheas Patras forward Arnoldas Kulboka to walk with the Round 1 MVP honor for the opening week of play. Kulboka was everywhere for Promitheas as it ran away to a 76-89 road win against Dolomiti Energia Trento on Wednesday. The 24-year-old forward, playing in his first EuroCup game, poured in 18 points while missing just 4 shots and pulled down 11 rebounds for the winners while drawing 6 fouls and committing 0 turnovers. It all added up to a performance index rating of 31, well above all other players in Round 1.

His Promitheas teammate, Trevis Simpson, came next with a 25 PIR after scoring 22 points on perfect 5-for-5 two-point and 3-for-3 free-throw shooting in the victory. Trento’s top player in that game, Diego Flaccadori, ranked third for the week, combining 14 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds for a PIR of 24. Next came veteran center Kosta Koufos of London Lions, whose PIR of 23 came on 14 points, 7-for-9 two-point shooting and 10 rebounds in a 76-59 road loss against Hapoel Tel Aviv. Tied for fifth place for the week, teenager Fedor Zugic of ratiopharm Ulm and Frutti Extra Bursaspor newcomer Yigitcan Saybir each posted PIRs of 22 in leading their teams to opening-round victories.

Individual highs: Kennedy, Prometey, 6 steals

AJ Slaughter of Gran Canaria and Lukasz Kolenda of Slask Wroclaw topped all Round 1 scorers with 23 points each in the same game. Gran Canaria won it, 92-81. The best rebounder, with 13 boards, was Chris Horton of Hapoel Tel Aviv, a home winner vs. London Lions. On the assists front, Kendale McCullum had 10 for Veolia Towers Hamburg, the sole double-figure total in Round 1. D.J. Kennedy had the most steals, 6, for Prometey Slobozhanske, another debut winner. Two players – Ismael Kamagate of Paris Basket and Mike Cobbins of Germani Brescia – blocked 3 shots each, the high for Round 1.