Basket rumors

Luca Banchi reportedly steps down as Virtus Bologna coach

Luca Banchi has stepped down as head coach of Virtus Bologna. According to TRC and Gazzetta dello Sport, the coach submitted his resignation last night, informing the team shortly before the post-game press conference following the match against Alba.

The club’s management is expected to meet today to determine the next steps. Two Serbian candidates have emerged as potential replacements: Sasha Djordjevic, who led Virtus to the 2021 title, and Sasa Obradovic, the former coach of Monaco.

TRC reports that Sasa Obradovic is the frontrunner to take over the position.

Official: Luka Samanic joins Cibona

Luka Samanic is a new player of Cibona, as announced by the Croatian club.

In recent days some media reported about an open deal between the parties, with the possibility of exit in case of better offers.

Samanic last summer signed with Fenerbahce, but left the Turkish team in mid-September.

Baskonia reportedly considers selling Chima Moneke

Saski Baskonia might put Chima Moneke on the market, according to AS. The Nigerian forward’s contract expires in June 2025, but the club does not seem inclined to renew it.

Selling Moneke now could generate funds to strengthen other areas of the roster. Despite this, Moneke showcased his value in the recent game against Fenerbahçe, recording 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Several teams, including Partizan and Red Star, have shown interest, but any potential transfer has stalled due to the €1.5 million buyout clause.

Rio Breogan, Veljko Mrsic part ways

Veljko Mrsic is no longer the coach of Rio Breogan, as announced by the club.

Since his arrival in January 2022, the Croatian coach has helped the Spanish team achieve important results such as qualifying for the Copa del Rey, qualifying for European competitions, and two Copa Galicia titles.

Rio Breogan is last in the Endesa League standings, with 2 wins in 9 games.

John Brown close to a deal with Crvena Zvezda, Covic confirmed

John Brown is now destined for Crvena Zvezda, the confirmation also comes from Nebojša Čović.

The former president of the Red and White club, currently president of the Serbian Basketball Federation, said as a guest on RTS that the American is close to signing, but that everything will depend on his physical condition.

“As far as I know, these rumors are becoming more and more concrete. Concrete in the sense that the player will arrive soon in Belgrade for visits. He has suffered a serious shoulder injury. He is left-handed and it is the right shoulder. The injury has been solved surgically, but he has to pass checks,” Čović said.

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Official, Johnathan Motley returns to Hapoel Tel Aviv

Hapoel Tel Aviv released a statement finally putting an end to the issues with Johnathan Motley.

The big man has signed a new deal until 2026.

“After talks between Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv Basketball Club and Johnathan Motley and his agent, the parties agreed that the player will return to play for the club for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season and for 2025-2026.

Ofer Yannay, owner: “We are pleased to announce that Jonathan Motley has returned to the club. We warmly welcome him and trust in his full commitment to Hapoel Tel Aviv. Jonathan is determined to continue where he left off and give his all.”

Before leaving the Israeli club, Motley was producing 17.5 points, 6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 24 minutes per game in Eurocup.

Napoli Basket targets Sean McDermott

Napoli Basket is working on signing Sean McDermott, as reported by Sportando.

The former Varese player has appeared in only three BSL games and two BCL games with Pinar.

ASVEL, Admiral Schofield part ways

ASVEL and Admiral Schofield have agreed to part ways, the French team announced.

The forward was producing 6.9 points (49% FG, 50% 3P) and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game between Euroleague and BetClic Elite.

Official: Marcus Bingham joins Hapoel Tel Aviv

Hapoel Tel Aviv strengthens the frontcourt with the signing of Marcus Bingham.

Bingham, who agreed to a deal until the end of the 2025/26 season, will have his first training session tomorrow and then fly with the team to Bulgaria for the Eurocup game against Ulm.

The Michigan State product started the season with Hapoel Holon (who received a buyout) and stood out in the Winner League with 17.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 53% from beyond the arc in 32 minutes.

In the Champions League, on the other hand, Bingham put together averages of 17 points, 5.8 rebounds and 60 percent from three.

Dimitris Itoudis, the team’s coach, commented on his arrival, “The staff has followed Marcus Bingham throughout the season. He is a player who can play two positions, 4 and 5, provide us with rebounds and blocks, but also points . Hapoel Holon has done a great job with him, but the expectations on him are increasing….I have talked to Marcus at length and he is ready to accept the challenge.

All of us together, and especially owner Ofer Yanai, are trying to complete the team with players who are eager to play here, who are willing to sacrifice for the club, focused and motivated to help Hapoel Tel Aviv. Marcus is one of them. I am sure the other players will help him acclimatize as quickly as possible and accept him as one of us.”

These words seem to rule out Motley’s return.

Virtus Bologna reportedly eyes Damien Jefferson amid potential Tucker departure

Virtus Bologna is reportedly considering the departure of Rayjon Tucker, whose performance has fallen short of expectations, according to La Prealpina. The move would aim to free up resources for a new addition without exceeding the current budget.

If Tucker is transferred, the primary target for Bologna is Damien Jefferson, a 1997-born small forward currently playing for Pinar Karsiyaka in Turkey. Jefferson has been a steady contributor in the Basketball Champions League, averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

This potential shift reflects Bologna’s strategy of recalibrating their roster to boost competitiveness while adhering to financial constraints.

Casademont Zaragoza extends Trae Bell-Haynes

Trae Bell-Haynes has extended his contract with Casademont Zaragoza until 2027.

The Canadian point guard is producing 12.6 points, 4.3 assists and a PIR of 13.4 in Endesa League, and 13.8 points, 6.8 assists and a PIR of 16.3 in FIBA Europe Cup.

Bell-Haynes has shown high-level ‘closer’ skills since his arrival at Zaragoza. After much speculation about his future, he decided to extend his commitment with the Spanish club.

Official: Vassilis Spanoulis joins AS Monaco

Vassilis Spanoulis is the new coach of AS Monaco, now it’s official.

The Greek coach, who won the Euroleague three times as a player, has signed a two-year deal with an option.

Spanoulis joins Monaco with the goal of taking the club to even higher levels after its rapid rise in recent years.

He held the record for the all-time top scorer in EuroLeague history until he was surpassed by Mike James, who will be one of his star players in Monaco.

Is Sasha Vezenkov on the way to changing his nationality? Cyprus very interested in him

Olympiacos star Sasha Vezenkov could change his basketball nationality to play for Cyprus. According to reports on Serbian website Sportklub, Vezenkov is so unhappy with the direction of basketball in Bulgaria that he is on the verge of changing his nationality. Bulgaria is in danger of losing its star player as Cyprus is one of the host countries for the next European Championship in 2025.

Vezenkov could play for Cyprus as he already has citizenship and FIBA allows players to change their basketball nationality if their commitment would help popularise the game in a country without a great tradition. Cyprus has already naturalised Moses Wright, a centre currently with Olympiacos and Vezenkov’s teammate.

Tyler Bey reportedly plans to leave Hapoel Haifa after seeing a missile crash near his home

Tyler Bey has reportedly decided to leave Israel after seeing a missile fall near his home.

The player, who was producing 19 points and 8 rebounds per game in Winner League with Hapoel Haifa, had repeatedly expressed the desire to return to the United States because of the security situation in the country.

The Israeli club managed to convince him to stay and postpone his departure until next week, according to Arale Weisberg.

Bey was selected at No. 36 in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Darral Willis joins Aris BC

After the arrival of point guard Sharif Cooper, Aris Midea BC announced the agreement with Darral Willis, a 28-year-old American center with Cypriot passport.

The big man spent the last 2 years in Asia, between South Korea (Seoul Samsung Thunders, averages 18 points and 6.8 rebounds), and Japan (Levanga Hokkaido, 15.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists).

Willis signed a contract through the end of the season.

Virtus Bologna reportedly has had Will Clyburn on the market for some time

Il Resto del Carlino focuses on Will Clyburn’s situation at Virtus Bologna. This is what Massimo Selleri writes:

“He is a top-tier player, as he demonstrated against Partizan, but now he needs to adapt to the reality of Virtus. This is especially true since the club has not just recently put him on the market, yet no offers have reached Arcoveggio. Therefore, barring a sudden shift in the transfer market, he will have to stay here for at least a while.”

Pallacanestro Reggiana reportedly targets Jaime Echenique

Pallacanestro Reggiana is considering signing Jaime Echenique to replace Stephane Gombauld, who is deemed to have fallen short of expectations.

Echenique, a Colombian center currently playing for Petkim Spor, has experience in the NBA and European competitions.

David McCormack, a forward departing from Milano, was also among the options considered, but he prefers to remain within the EuroLeague circuit.

If the deal with Echenique is finalized, he could join the team before the match against Scafati on December 1.

Source: Il Resto del Carlino

Sharife Cooper to join Aris BC

According to news from Turkey, point guard Sharife Cooper is leaving Merkezefendi to conclude the season in Greece.

The former Auburn standout has reached an agreement with Aris BC, where he will compete in the Eurocup.

Cooper produced 15.8 points, 6 assists and 1.5 steals per game in BSL, in his first experience in Europe.

Shanghai Sharks sign Eric Bledsoe and Javontae Hawkins

The Shanghai Sharks strengthen the roster with the return of Eric Bledsoe and the signing of Javontae Hawkins.

Bledsoe spent the last two seasons with the Chinese team, scoring 16.8 points with 5.6 assists in 22 minutes per game in 2023/24.

Hawkins comes from a year in the VTB League with Samara (11.2 PPG).

Joan Beringer signs multi-year deal wiith Cedevita

Talented young French basketball player Joan Beringer, who moved to Ljubljana from Strasbourg in the summer, has signed his first professional contract until 2028 with Cedevita Olimpija Basketball Club.

Beringer was initially expected to play on the youth team, but from day one the 18-year-old French athlete drew attention to himself, proving in training sessions and games that the Ljubljana club could seriously count on him. Even before the season began, he became a permanent member of the Cedevita Olimpija team and he is participating in Eurocup and ABA Liga for the first time in his career.

Beringer is producing 4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game Eurocup.

Monaco reportedly reached an agreement with Vassilis Spanoulis

Just one day after the announcement of Saša Obradović’s departure, Monaco has already secured a new head coach: Vassilis Spanoulis.

According to Meridian Sport, an agreement has been reached, and the current coach of the Greek national team, with a decorated EuroLeague career, will take over the team from the Principality.

Vassilis Spanoulis returns to the top European competition, which he has won three times: twice with Olympiakos and once with Panathinaikos.

Khalifa Koumadje reportedly close to sign with Shangdong Hi-Speed Kirin

Khalifa Koumadje is reportedly close to signing with Shangdong Hi-Speed Kirin in China.

The center is currently suspended by Alba Berlin.

Olimpia Milano reached an agreement with Freddie Gillespie

Olimpia Milano reached an agreement with Freddie Gillespie. A 206 centimetres big man, former Bayern Munich and Crvena Zvezda, in this first part of the season was in the NBL, where he averaged 6.8 points and 5 rebounds with Breakers.

The announcement is expected by early next week

Marca on Real Madrid: It might be too late

Real Madrid falls again in the EuroLeague, and Marca highlights the inadequacy of the roster’s depth for such a long season.

The report reads: “The injuries to Andrés Feliz, who returned to action against Efes only to play five seconds, Usman Garuba, and Dzanan Musa have overloaded the core group of Chus Mateo’s team with excessive minutes.

The roster already seemed too limited to handle another season with over 80 games. From the start, it appeared necessary to add a few more players.

With these absences, reinforcements are being called for loudly. Real Madrid is active in the market, many names are being linked, but no one has arrived. The financial situation is not ideal. When they finally decide to bring someone in—if they ever do—it might be too late.”

Marial Shayok joins Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv last night announced the two-year deal signed with Marial Shayok.

The forward arrives from the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese league, where he produced 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season.

Shayok at Maccabi will reunite with Weynen Gabriel, his teammate in the South Sudan national team.