2002–03 FIBA Europe Champions Cup

The 2002–03 FIBA Europe Champions Cup was the first edition of Europe's 4th-tier level transnational competition for men's professional basketball clubs, the FIBA Europe Champions Cup, following the merger of the FIBA Korać Cup and FIBA Saporta Cup competitions into the new ULEB Cup competition.[1] In this first edition of the competition, it was actually the 3rd-tier level on the European club basketball pyramid, featuring 15 domestic champions. The season consisted of 64 teams. The Greek club Aris Thessaloniki won the title, after beating the Polish club Prokom Trefl Sopot in the Final, which was held at Alexandreio Melathron, in Thessaloniki, Greece.

2002–03 FIBA Europe Champions Cup
Season2002–03
Finals
ChampionsGreece Aris (1st title)
  Runners-upPoland Prokom Trefl Sopot
Third placeLatvia Ventspils
Fourth placeSerbia and Montenegro Hemofarm
Final Four MVPUnited States Will Solomon
Statistical leaders
Points Bulgaria Todor Stoykov 24.0
Rebounds Bulgaria Priest Lauderdale 12.0
Assists Latvia Kristaps Valters 7.3

The competition, which was initially advertised as FIBA's attempt to revive the FIBA European Champions Cup (now known as the EuroLeague). The competition attracted 15 national domestic league champions, 5 runners-up, and teams from 30 European national leagues, which represented it as a truly pan-European event. Several teams like KK Split, Aris, PAOK, Lietuvos Rytas, KK Kalev, Fribourg , Planja, PBC Academic, Levski, APOEL, BK Ventspils, KK Rabotnicki, and Porto had played for years in FIBA's former Champions Cup (1958-2001). The brand new competition was also joined by second division runners-up from Italy, Russia and Spain, and the newly promoted champion of the Israeli second division. The league was unable to make a good commercial impact, and was then dropped to being the European 4th-tier level in the following 2003–04 season, as FIBA launched the FIBA Europe League to replace it.

Teams

Competition system
  • 64 teams from countries affiliated to FIBA Europe enter a Regional Qualifying Round (RQR), distributed in three major conferences (North, South and West) according to their geographical location. Within each conference, the teams are further divided into groups and play a Round-robin. The final standing is based on individual wins and defeats. In case of a tie between two or more teams after this group stage, the following criteria are used to decide the final classification: 1) number of wins in one-to-one games between the teams; 2) basket average between the teams; 3) general basket average within the group.
  • The RQR group winners and runners-up, together with the best third-placed teams, advance to Pan-European Phase (PEP). Before the PEP phase, the group champions of the RQR Northern and Southern conferences participate in a final round to contest for the symbolic title of Conference Champion- in the case of the Northern conference, the final four doubles as NEBL championship (North European Basketball League).
  • The 24 teams qualified for the PEP are divided into six groups of four teams each playing a Round-robin. The group winners, together with the two best runners-up, qualify for a quarterfinal play-off (x-pairings, home and away games).
  • The four winners of the quarterfinal play-off qualify for the final stage (Final Four), played at a predetermined venue. The winner gets a wild card to participate in 2003–04 FIBA Europe League.

Conference North

The season ran from October 1, 2002 to November 5, 2002. The winner was also considered the champion of the 2002-03 North European Basketball League.

Key to colors
     Top two places in each group advance to PEP
     Eliminated

Group A

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Russia UNICS 1091896724+172
2.Latvia Ventspils 1073914797+117
3.Lithuania Šiauliai 1046821886−653–1 (+28)
4.Poland Gipsar Stal Ostrów 1046805837−322–2 (+6)
5.Czech Republic Opava 1046829874−451–3 (+24)
6.Sweden Plannja Basket 1028767914−147

Group B

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Poland Anwil Włocławek 880666537+129
2.Ukraine Odesa 844655686−31
3.Denmark Copenhagen 835586579+72–0 (+8)
4.Russia EvrAz 835567589−220–2 (−8)
5.Estonia Tartu ÜSK Rock 826589672−45

Group C

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Poland Prokom Trefl Sopot 10100951718+233
2.Latvia Skonto 1073975882+93
3.Russia Avtodor Saratov 1064881903−22
4.Czech Republic Mlékárna Kunín 1037895985−90
5.Belarus Grodno-93 1028764876−1121–1 (+5)
6.Lithuania Alita 1028819921−1021–1 (−5)

Group D

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Lithuania Lietuvos rytas 10100938670+268
2.Russia Khimki 1064875830+45
3.Poland Polonia Warszawa 1055830847−17
4.Ukraine Kyiv 1046859901−42
5.Hungary Atomerőmű 1037770883−113
6.Estonia Kalev 1028706847−141

Before the PEP phase, the group champions of the RQR Northern conference participate in a final round to contest for the symbolic title of Conference Champion

Semifinals

January 14, Vilnius Palace of Sports, Vilnius

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Prokom Trefl Sopot Poland 80–114 Russia UNICS
Lietuvos rytas Lithuania 94–63 Poland Anwil Włocławek

3rd place game

January 15, Vilnius Palace of Sports, Vilnius

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Anwil Włocławek Poland 78–65 Poland Prokom Trefl Sopot

Final

January 15, Vilnius Palace of Sports, Vilnius

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Lietuvos rytas Lithuania 90–93 Russia UNICS

Conference South

The season ran from October 1, 2002 to November 5, 2002.

Key to colors
     Top two places (and the best 3rd) in each group advance to PEP
     Eliminated

Group A

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Greece Peristeri 1091844718+126
2.Israel Hapoel Jerusalem 1073878826+52
3.Bulgaria Yambolgaz-92 1055771790−19
4.Serbia and Montenegro NIS Vojvodina 1046850862−121–1 (+16)
5.Turkey Pinar Karşıyaka 1046792815−231–1 (−16)
6.North Macedonia Feršped Rabotnički 1019747871−147

Group B

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Turkey Türk Telekom 1082801749+52
2.Serbia and Montenegro Hemofarm 1073825726+991–1 (+14)
3.Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv 1073806742+641–1 (−14)
4.Greece Panionios Freddoccino 1064820799+21
5.Bulgaria Levski Sofia 1019793872−791–1 (+1)
6.Bosnia and Herzegovina Sloboda Dita 1019684841−1571–1 (−1)

Group C

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Greece Aris 862701633+68
2.Israel Bnei HaSharon 853668632+361–1 (+12)
3.Greece Maroussi Telestet 853731694+371–1 (−12)
4.Croatia Split CO 826679752−731–1 (+16)
5.Cyprus Keravnos Keo 826567635−681–1 (−16)

Group D

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Bulgaria Lukoil Academic 1082878720+158
2.Greece PAOK 1073858778+80
3.Slovenia Geoplin Slovan 1064753705+48
4.Croatia Zagreb 1046783790−71–1 (+9)
5.Bosnia and Herzegovina Feal Široki 1046772848−761–1 (−9)
6.Cyprus APOEL 1019644847−203

Before the PEP phase, the group champions of the RQR Southern conference participate in a final round to contest for the symbolic title of Conference Champion

Semifinals

January 16, Universiada Hall, Sofia

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Peristeri Greece 84–86 Greece Aris
Lukoil Academic Bulgaria 99–83 Turkey Türk Telekom

3rd place game

January 17, Universiada Hall, Sofia

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Türk Telekom Turkey 86–70 Greece Peristeri

Final

January 17, Universiada Hall, Sofia

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Lukoil Academic Bulgaria 81–80 Greece Aris

Conference West

The season ran from October 1, 2002 to November 5, 2002.

Key to colors
     Top two places (and the best 3rd) in each group advance to PEP
     Eliminated

Group A

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Spain Tenerife 1091804732+72
2.France JDA Dijon 1064829776+532–0 (+14)
3.England Birmingham Bullets 1064746764−180–2 (−14)
4.Belgium Dexia Mons-Hainaut 1055806791+15
5.Switzerland Benetton Fribourg 1028690776−862–0 (+10)
6.Portugal Oliveirense 1028797833−360–2 (−10)

Group B

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.France SIG Strasbourg 1073865818+47
2.Spain Ourense 1064910861+49
3.Portugal Ovarense Aerosoles 1055878851+271–1 (+13)
4.Portugal Portugal Telecom 1055819827−81–1 (−13)
5.Austria Montan Bears Kapfenberg 1046871906−35
6.Belgium Euphony Liège 1037799879−80

Group C
Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Netherlands EiffelTowers Nijmegen 1082856794+62
2.Italy Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia 1073858838+20
3.Portugal Porto Ferpinta 1055858830−182–0 (+14)
4.France SLUC Nancy 1055814764+500–2 (−14)
5.Belgium Quatro Bree 1037770848−78
6.Portugal CAB Madeira 1028812894−82

Overall winners

Pan-European phase

The phase ran from February 2, 2003 to March 25, 2003.

Key to colors
     Advance to Quarterfinals
     Eliminated

Group A

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Russia UNICS 660544428+116
2.Ukraine Odesa 633522557−35
3.Israel Hapoel Jerusalem 624511525−14
4.Turkey Türk Telekom 615478545−67

Group B

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Serbia and Montenegro Hemofarm 651533457+76
2.Lithuania Lietuvos rytas 633494468+26
3.Latvia Skonto 624530567−371–1 (+25)
4.Greece PAOK 624470535−651–1 (−25)

Group C

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Poland Prokom Trefl Sopot 651499463+36
2.Latvia Ventspils 633531480+51
3.Netherlands EiffelTowers Nijmegen 624527544−171–1 (0)
4.Spain Ourense 624450520−701–1 (0)

Group D

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.France JDA Dijon 431326305+21
2.Portugal Porto Ferpinta 422300317−17
3.Poland Anwil Włocławek 413295299−4

Group E

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Greece Aris 642505504+11–1 (+8)
2.Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv 642439429+101–1 (−8)
3.Russia Khimki 624528517+111–1 (+14)
4.France SIG Strasbourg 624459481−221–1 (−14)

Group F

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff Tie-break
1.Bulgaria Lukoil Academic 651550483+67
2.Spain Unelco Tenerife* 633487467+20
3.Italy Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia 624391445−542–0 (+27)
4.Israel Bnei HaSharon 624418451−330–2 (−27)

*In 2003, Tenerife CB signed a sponsorship contract with Unelco and adopted the commercial name "Unelco Tenerife CB".

Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals were two-legged ties determined on aggregate score. The first legs was played on April 8. All return legs were played on April 15.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Aris Greece 158–150 Bulgaria Lukoil Academic 91–73 67–77
Hapoel Tel Aviv Israel 127–138 Serbia and Montenegro Hemofarm 52–56 75–82
JDA Dijon France 157–177 Poland Prokom Trefl Sopot 70–74 87–103
Ventspils Latvia 164–158 Russia UNICS 88–79 76–79

Final Four

Semifinals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Ventspils Latvia 57–79 Poland Prokom Trefl Sopot
Hemofarm Serbia and Montenegro 66–73 Greece Aris

3rd place game
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Ventspils Latvia 91–90 Serbia and Montenegro Hemofarm

Final
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Aris Greece 84–83 Poland Prokom Trefl Sopot
2002–03 FIBA Europe Champions Cup
Greece
Aris
1st title

Final standings
Team
Greece Aris
Poland Prokom Trefl Sopot
Latvia Ventspils
4.Serbia and Montenegro Hemofarm

See also

References
  1. ["FIBA Europe". Archived from the original on 2004-08-24.{5179A822-D4B1-4476-AD04-EDBC445D6DC6}&compID={0D93D753-CAD5-4604-A251-1402A6361BF3}]

Sources
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