Historic Final Eight prepares to tip off

NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - It’s finally here and it feels absolutely great. Standing in Istanbul on the eve of a historical EuroLeague Women Final Eight, my spine is tingling at the prospect of seeing a line-up which reads as a who’s who of women’s basketball.
 
Changing from a long weekend Final Four format to a five-day festival with eight participants emphasises the uniqueness of EuroLeague Women. Specifically, the vast amount of money invested in the pursuit of success and also the eclectic mix of teams, players and their respective supporters who will descend from each corner of Europe to fight it out for the coveted title.
 
Perhaps not surprisingly, my status as a so-called EuroLeague Women expert means I have been bombarded with requests asking me to predict the winner - an almost impossible task. You will have to make your own mind up as to who will succeed Perfumerias Avenida but to help you decide, here's a preview of the tournament – exclusively for Women’s Basketball Worldwide at FIBA.com!
 
Galatasaray Medical Park (Turkey)
Being EuroLeague Women hosts has proven a real curse in recent years but I think that curse is outweighed ten-fold by the charm brought by competition darling Diana Taurasi who helped Sparta&K win four titles in a row. The real curse for Galatasaray has been injuries and it has exposed their risky strategy of choosing a few stellar talented players over depth. The signature of former Fenerbahce star Taurasi was one of the most seismic events in women’s basketball history and if she twists the knife into her former team Fenerbahce in the Istanbul derby there could be fireworks. But, without the exciting skills of Alba Torrens who had her season ended with an ACL injury, Galatasaray could be missing a real ‘X-factor’player to help DT get the crowd going.

They do have the outstanding Tina Charles who is absolutely sensational under the basket while Epiphanny Prince can score and Ticha Penicheiro will create. The success of the hosts is likely to depend on the respective contributions of the supporting players including the likes of Ivanka Matic and the Turkish national team duo of point guard Isil Alben and Bahar Caglar. Meanwhile they were recently boosted by a memorable Cup win over fierce city rivals Fenerbahce.
 
Fenerbahce SK (Turkey)
As the only unbeaten team in EuroLeague Women, Fenerbahce are naturally one of the frontrunners and many people feel it will all come down to what happens in the derby game with Galatasaray although this is perhaps both foolish and disrespectful to Schio and Rivas.  They have a good base with two of the most talented Turkish players in effervescent point-guard Birsel Vardarli and legendary centre Nevriye Yilmaz. In terms of the frontcourt, Yilmaz is complimented by the machine-like efficiency of Ivana Matovic and the reliability and cameo contributions of Latvian centre Zane Tamane and naturalised Turkish forward Kristen Nevlin.
 
The biggest strength of Fenerbahce is most definitely what they have on the wings in Penny Taylor and Angel McCoughtry, two players both capable of MVP performances and real game-changers. Esmeral Tuncluer and Elina Babkina support Vardarli in the playmaker spots and overall there are few identifiable weaknesses. Coach George Dikeoulakos has felt the heat after losing the Turkish Cup and despite his proud EuroLeague Women record this season, that will all mean nothing if they don’t beat Galatasaray this time – such is life coaching in the white hot intensity of Istanbul!
 
Rivas Ecopolis (Spain)
A team with absolutely nothing to lose, the Madrid club can relax and play knowing that they could sneak up on the rails with all eyes on the big Istanbul derby and people talking about Schio after they knocked out defending champions Perfumerias Avenida. Having had trouble in Liga Femenina, a return to EuroLeague Women action will be a relief and they will be able to play freely and without the burden of expectation. Their biggest issue will be finding variety on offence since a huge percentage of plays go through American duo Essence Carson and specifically Asjha Jones who is averaging a near season double-double and is a regular target of the double-team inside.
 
What Rivas do have is real desire and a solid Spanish spine to their team in Anna Cruz who is the ultimate ‘glue’ player, veteran guard Elisa Aguilar who knows what is required, centre Laura Nichols who can match up well on defensive assignments and young Vega Gimeno. They also have a legend in Amaya Valdemoro of course although serious injury has blighted her year. One player who if given an opportunity could be a revelation is Tijana Krivacevic who arrived mid-season from Sopron and I have really liked the contribution of centre Sandra Pirsic.
 
Beretta-Famila Schio (Italy)
The Italians knocked out Salamanca to great acclaim and that alone will keep their group rivals on their toes. Perhaps their new found momentum could continue on Turkish soil and they have a nice simplistic look about them although a lack of depth could prove costly if health becomes an issue. They have the combo skills of Israeli guard Liron Cohen who can always explode at any time while the veteran Italian pairing of Laura Macchi and Raffaella Masciadri are both capable of providing an inside-outside threat. Cheryl Ford and Janel McCarville form a fearsome duo in the paint and they are always capable of controlling the glass. Perhaps the real ‘X-factor’ will be whether Schio shoot the ball well from three-point range. If they do, they could just make another big splash.
 
Ros Casares (Spain)
Before their surprise Copa Del Reina loss to Perfumerias Avenida, Ros Casares were emerging as favourites to finish top of the podium in Istanbul. Despite that loss, I still think their quality and depth mean they must have a super chance of ensuring the title remains in Spain and they most certainly can take it from their great domestic rivals. Both the backcourt and frontcourt are stacked and they certainly have an embarrassment of riches to call upon including some real legends of the women’s game in the form of Australian superstar Lauren Jackson and Ann Wauters. The former has yet to really hit the heights after arguably struggling to find her most effective role while the latter has been the most consistent factor all season long.
 
Czech Republic forward Jana Vesela and French centre Isabelle Yacoubou both provide power in the paint and efficiency on the glass while Sancho Lyttle won the title last year and adds fantastic athleticism. Laia Palau is as tough as they come in the women’s game while Sylvia Dominguez also knows what winning the title feels like having grabbed a winners medal in Ekat last year. They have lots of firepower with Shay Murphy around and of course the hugely exciting Maya Moore on the wings with Jackson. If the mentality is right and they start well, they could be a train which is difficult to slow down.
 
UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia)
Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, the failure of Ekat to realise their potential and deliver against eye-popping levels of investment has been made worse by the fact their arch rivals in Moscow have achieved so much success. At least when they were hosts last year they didn’t have to suffer Sparta&K rubbing their noses into the dirt with a fifth straight title. Ironically, Ekat are always one of the two big favourites but after a turbulent and at times inconsistent season blighted by some injuries, they could benefit from having slightly less pressure on their shoulders this year. In fact, I have a sneaky feeling that if healthy and critically if the backcourt can fire on all cylinders, then they can do it. 
 
They have the quality and the depth for this new format. The injury to Anete Jekabsone was a blow in terms of scoring power but they have drafted in Israel points machine Shay Doron as a replacement off the bench.  Ekat’s chances are most likely to be in the hands of the irrepressible Sue Bird who will pull the strings and they have great defensive intensity in Olga Arteshina, Sandra Linkeviciene, Svetlana Abrosimova and Hana Horakova. If Deanna Nolan shoots the ball well this will be a big bonus and there’s little doubt the frontcourt is one of the best around. They have an unbelievable rotation including Sandrine Gruda, Candace Parker, Yelena Leuchanka, Maria Stepanova and Tatiana Vidmer.  They have to really prove themselves against the big teams away from the comfort of their home floor and also have to find the shots and plays to break down zone defences effectively.
 
Sparta&K Moscow Region Vidnoje (Russia)
Bidding to reach a mind-boggling sixth straight EuroLeague Women final, the most successful club in the history of the competition received a huge boost ahead of their arrival in Istanbul after Pokey Chatman agreed to hold on to the coaching reins for another season. Having secured a breathtaking four titles in a row before finishing as runners-up last year, it would have not seemed the same without the Moscow club around the table. They continually evolve and defy anybody who dares to criticise or write them off.
 
With Seimone Augustus and Candice Dupree they have two of the most productive and dangerous players around and they can be a devastating duo. They have a great mix of experience and youth on their roster. They possess veteran leadership in the form of Jelena Skerovic and the unmistakable Becky Hammon in the backcourt and Russian centre Irina Osipova.  The youth is provided via dynamic Serbian Sonja Petrovic and former FIBA Europe Young Player of The Year Nika Baric. The only disappointment is that Jelena Milovanovic will miss out due to injury. Their biggest attribute is that time and time again, they show their big game mentality by winning close games on a regular basis. Therefore if they are involved in any tight affairs, my money is always on Sparta&K!
 
Wisla Can-Pack (Poland)
With hard-nosed and talented players, a great team ethic, a super coach and some of the noisiest fans around, it’s no surprise the Krakow club made it to Istanbul. Unfortunately they have been pitched into the most difficult of the two groups which means it probably would be considered a surprise if they progress. I love the backcourt of Aussie guard Erin Phillips and Anke De Mondt who won the title last year with Avenida while Paulina Pawlak is a great back-up who gives her all for the team.
 
Ewelina Kobryn leads the team in the frontcourt while in Nicole Powell, they have one of the top performers in the tournament. She offers such a great inside-outside threat and could hold the key. I really like Wisla a lot and they made it to Final Four two seasons ago when nobody expected them to so they love defying the odds. It’s going to be tough for them but they will be highly respected and are more than capable of beating anyone if they play to their full potential and get a little bit of luck. Their ability to dictate tempo and play hard defense will be critical.
 
To summarise the anticipation surrounding this historic first Final Eight, I was so excited I woke up at 5am the day I travelled to Istanbul. My flight wasn’t until 5pm but it was simply wonderful for the first time in 30 years to remember what it felt like as a child when Christmas was approaching.
 
Good luck to all involved both on and off the court - let's get this women's basketball party started!

You can catch all the EuroLeague Women Final Eight action live on FIBATV.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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