Player analysis: PGE Turow - CEZ Nymburk
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PGE Turow vs. CEZ Nymburk
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David Logan, PGE Turow
 As the top scorer on one of this season's biggest surprise teams, David Logan has made an instant impact in his first ULEB Cup season. But the 18.4 points per game only tell part of Logan’s story. In addition to being in the top 10 in both three-pointers made and steals, Logan was a true leader for Turow, starting every game and playing all 40 minutes an incredible four times as the club finished the regular season 8-2 and as the Group I winner.Now, Logan and Turow try to keep the magic going. "The season was great so far. Our coach had every game well-prepared, he knew exactly what he wanted to say and what to do. We practiced hard and prepared for every game to make it to the next round. Everything has gone well so far, now we all hope to do even better to get where we want to be."
"We had the chance to play Nymburk a couple of time in pre-season and we split wins. We won at home and they did it at their place. Nymburk plays a lot of pick-and-roll and one-on-one game, and this is what we have to stop to win the series. They have some new shooters and good players so I think they are in the same situation that we are. At the same time, we are playing our home games in the Czech Republic and that will be strange for us because they will bring a lot of fans to our home game."
"We have to play well and stop their pick-and-roll to advance. We wish we could play our home games in Poland but our fans will come to the second leg and support us a lot. They are very good fans and more will come now in the ULEB Cup second round, so it will be great. Personally, it is a great opportunity for me to get better and show more people what I can do, so I am ready to play even harder. I just hope to be me, not trying anything more but also nothing less. As a team, we want to advance and have a great opportunity to do it. As long as we play together and hard, I think we will be OK." |
Rado Rancik, CEZ Nymburk
 Although he'll be 30 years old soon, forward Radoslav Rancik opened plenty eyes during his ULEB Cup debut, leading unknown Nymburk to advance smartly as he became the competition's third-ranked performer with 20.5 points per game. He led Nymburk in scoring, rebounds and blocks while making more free throws, 51, than any player in the entire 54-team competition. Now, Rankic and Nymburk face the Last 32 for the first time counting on their devoted fans to help tip the balance. "I don't think that anybody expected us to win more than a game or two in the beginning of the season. Nobody expected us to advance. We arrived as an outsider and some people might have looked at us that way earlier, but very quickly realized that we are a very capable team that works hard no matter what the situation. That's what we did, play hard every single game. We are where we are now." 
"For us, the most important thing is what we are going to be doing on the court rather than looking at what Turow has to do in order to beat us. I think it is very important that we play tough defense, keep playing the way we have been playing throughout the whole competition and of course limit the turnovers that we have been having in the ULEB Cup so far because Turow is a very good defensive team. They don't score too many points and still manage to win a lot of games. It is a very disciplined team, which is something that we have to look at and do ourselves."
"Turow has played enough games in Liberec to call it their own arena, so even when we have played there and know what it is like, we can expect a full house there as well. It is going to help, because a lot of supporters from the Czech Republic have never seen basketball at this level. The game in our home gym is already sold out, as I think it will be the same with the game in Liberec. Supporters will give us some advantage, I think. I don't expect nothing except to win and advance. I have my mind set, and I hope everybody does, because we all enter every single game to win it. Thinking that we are an outsider and that we could win is not enough. You have to go there with the mindset of a winner." |
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Tuesday, February 05, 2008
ULEBCup.com
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