MUNICH (EuroCup Women 2017) – We continue our preview of the EuroCup Women 2017 Regular Season by checking out Group D, which could well turn out to be the most competitive and intriguing.

Crashing into EuroCup Women and looking to make a big impression on their opening adventure in the competition are Greek champions Olympiacos. They seem intent on posting a fruitful first season after making some sizeable and eye-catching summer investments, that include Greek national team legends Evanthia Maltsi and Styliani Kaltsidou, who are sure to be big favourites with the locals.

Meanwhile Lynetta Kizer has also excelled in EuroLeague Women and her muscle in the paint will be welcomed - not least because she could form a devastating partnership with the Indiana Fever’s Erlana Larkins. That rotation will also be bolstered by the arrival of underrated Montenegrin forward Milica Jovanovic and the retention of Lykendra Johnson, who posted a season double-double in the Greek League last year. Their prospects of possibly topping this group are also highlighted via a number of other experienced Greek players in Olga Chatzinikolau and Peli Papamichail, while Czech Republic playmaker Katerina Bartonova is ready to pull the strings.

There are also former EuroLeague Women champions in Quanitra Hollingsworth who moves from Fenerbahce and Bahar Caglar who switches from Galatasaray, while Hungarian Anna Vadja brings European club competition know-how stretching back some 15 years. There's plenty of talent in the guard spots too, with Sweden's Elin Eldebrink directing traffic with Turkey national team point guard Olcay Cakir, while Serbian shooter Nevena Jovanovic is always on hand to drop some triples.

Good Angels Kosice come back into EuroCup Women exactly ten years after they last competed in the tournament. The Slovak Republic champions will be propelled by Slovenian point guard Teja Oblak who is playing some great basketball and she will carry the largest chunk of their hopes. She is joined back on the roster by plenty of other returnees as Slovak Republic legend Zuzana Zirkova gets ready to roll again, alongside the ever-impressive Barbora Balintova.

The wings will have two class acts in Australian newcomer Rebecca Allen and Lucia Kupcikova who has been a leader for her country. Anna Jurcenkova is back to patrol the paint and she will be supported by Beata Janoscikova, Romana Stehlikova and power forward Victoria Baugh who shone for Chevakata in EuroCup Women a couple of seasons ago.

The pressure to keep pace will be firmly on Aluinvent Miskolc, who were sensational last year with ten straight victories from the season tip-off. Matching those exploits looks tough with the quality of opposition and they will have to be at their best to get the necessary wins on the board.

The two main new faces are American center Cierra Warren and Australian forward Louella Tomlinson, who have both played previously in Hungary with PINKK Pesci 424. The rest of the roster will rely largely on Hungarian talent such as Rita Rasheed, Timea Czank and Orsolya Szecsi, while Serbian Tina Jovanovic can often produce the goods when necessary.

FIBA