Joventut searching for a win in front of Buducnost
Joventut Badalona will host Buducnost Podgorica tonight at the Palau Olimpic in a game that counts for Round 8 of the current EuroCup season.
The hosts are struggling so far this season as they sit in 9th place of the standings with a 2-5 record and are on a four-game losing streak in the EuroCup (in the ACB League they are also out of the playoffs picture so far with a 3-4 record to start the season). After losing by only 2 points at home against Gran Canaria in Round 6, Badalona lost again by 2 points last week in Italy against Trento, wasting a 16-point lead. The Penya even had a 13-point lead in the 4th quarter, but were outscored 25-10 in the last minutes.
To make things worse, American forward Kaiser Gates got injured in the game against Trento and his absence will be huge for Daniel Miret’s team. Gates joins Michael Ruzic and Miguel Allen on the injured players list. To replace Gates, the management of Joventut had to move fast and they signed Sam Dekker on a short-term deal. Dekker last played for London Lions where he was one of the main players for the team that reached the EuroCup semifinals last season. Dekker, who formerly played 5 seasons in the NBA will be another experienced player in Joventut’s locker room, where we already have veterans like Ante Tomic, Adam Hanga, Pau Ribas or Guillem Vives.
On the other side, Buducnost arrives in Spain with a 3-4 record and they can climb up to a playoff spot with a win. Last week the team from Montenegro won a thriller against Ratiopharm Ulm in a game that needed overtime. Head coach Andrej Zakelj has a balanced roster to lead, with Yogi Ferrell leading the team in points and assists. Still, Fletcher Magee, Rasheed Sulaimon, Juwan Morgan, Kenan Kamenjas and McKinley Wright all scored over 10 points on average in the EuroCup.
Imre Halasz
Photo: Mundo Deportivo
