Live Draw - Quarter-Finals and Final Four | #BasketballCL 2023-24

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] ladies and gentlemen distinguished guests a very warm welcome to all of you from the Patrick Bowman House of basketball in Switzerland we are delighted that you are joining us here tonight for the draw ceremony of the quarterfinals and the final four of the basketball champions league not too long ago back in September there were 54 clubs at the starting line for season 8 all of them dreaming and hoping to still be competing today only eight teams could make it this far and they are now only four games away four wins away from lifting this beautiful trophy behind me who will their opponents be we're about to find out but first of all let's together find out something even more important we will discover the name of the host city of the 2024 final four and for that please welcome on stage the CEO of the basketball champions league Mr Patrick [Applause] cominos thank you very much Chloe distinguished guests and Club Representatives a very warm welcome for me too uh in this wonderful night in the Patrick Bowman House of basketball after 165 games played so far in the season eight teams have reached this quarterfinal stage four of these teams will have the chance to make history and become legendary as they participate in this season's final four which will be held in a city that is a cradle of European basketball a birthplace of basketball Legends is therefore time to end the suspense about the host of this year's Pinnacle event as you can see I'm not holding an envelope in my hands but I will not keep you waiting any longer the city that will host the 2024 basketball champions league final four is Bel [Music] grade wow this is a legendary location indeed Mr kinos let me ask you a first very simple question questions of all the iconic places in basketball why Belgrade I think it it's it's a very iconic Place indeed uh this year we've had a chance uh to collaborate with the local environment uh the Serbian basketball Federation uh as although we do not have a club that plays in Belgrade we've used uh the wonderful facilities and the wonderful conditions for some of the games of Israeli clubs that were not able able to play their games in their home country so this allowed us to build the sort of relationship the collaboration and allow us to uh to use this opportunity to return uh to Belgrade for uh this amazing final for obviously we've received a lot of support uh in our endeavors starting from the president of the Republic Mr Alexander vuic who we thank uh extremely uh from from our we know he's a basketball fan so we hope that he will he will join us uh during this event of course the minister of sport Mr Gan yagit but of course our good friends uh in in the Federation the president Sasha danilovich the uh Secretary General zlat bolich who is going to be joining us here as well and of course we've also collaborated with the arena and a former basketball star that manages the arena Goran gribovich that has supported us very much so for us it's almost a natural progression from what we started back uh in October uh with the participation of of teams and the games hosted in Belgrade to now finish the season in this most iconic of locations thank you Mr comminos and I think you will agree with me that such a basketball event also needs a legendary basketball figure to represent it right so let's watch together to see who the ambassador of the 2024 final four will be [Music] [Applause] [Music] please welcome to the stage Mr jelo rea the ambassador of the 2024 final four please give him a big round of applause hello Mr Racha great to have you here kakosi thank you you can uh take a seat here it's an honor to have you in the role of Ambassador but as you know probably better than anyone else every great player needs great teammates we saw some of your great teammates in this video throughout you career you play with amazing players as well so we asked for uh some help from a expert to help you tonight so please also welcome on stage the Secretary General of the Serbian Federation Mr zlatko bolich as well as FBA all of Fame inductee and head coach of the Serbian national team Mrs VAV pesich welcome uh gentlemen it's an honor to have you here with us tonight so let me start by saying a big vaa to all of you first of all and uh let me start with the ambassador of the 2024 BCL final form Mr Rea who is also the president of uh Kosar kashki Club vo nois I don't know if I said it right no it's good right great thank you it's impossible to list all of your achievements and titles but our viewers here know that you've won finals with your clubs You've Won medals with the national team you probably have more great memories than most players what would you like the players of all the teams to remember from this BCL final four in Belgrade for me story starts 92 that you're that champ Championship so uh every player each player can make their own story on those kind of the games and you can change your career and you can go on another level because uh Power of everybody is to make your own story and to go to play on those games great and change your career for for life you mentioned uh 1992 you will remind our audience that that here you El partisan win the FBA European Champions Cup Final for the only Serbian Club to ever do it so you know pretty much what will go on uh Inside the Mind of the players in Belgrade what advice would you give them and maybe especially to the teams and the players that will be in the underdog position as you were in 1992 92 we showed like Underdog we we want that time that mean you need to give everything what you got but sometimes you need give more than that you need to be disciplined and concentrated and and and and to give everything what you have and you can change like we change that year so everything is inside of us you you have your ups and downs but some basketball is not just winning and losing you know it's just uh in those crucial moments you can grow and and go in another level and I'm pretty sure that Belgrade is the perfect place to give more I mean in your career you've played in Serbia but also in the United States in Spain in Italy in Greece what is the special ingredient about playing in Belgrade that you don't get anywhere else look basketball in the the belr and Serbia is a way of the life connection between the fans and the players are special uh atmosphere is electric and everything is totally different and and when you experience that kind of atmosphere is is some experience for for your life and you is different to describe those those moment thank you Mr Rea a lifetime experience I guess that's what the players are expecting in Belgrade let me turn to you Mr bolich Serbia this year is celebrating 100 Years of basketball congratulations first of all I think we can give give it a round of applause and this Milestone coincides with the basketball champions league final four coming to Belgrade for the first time how does it fit in the overall plan of the Federation first of all good evening everyone and thanks for invitation to be here in this great event to be one of the part this great night uh yes we actually last year celebrate 100 years and now we can say we have 101 years old so we have 101 years old so we for for us this uh final tournament in BC league in in in Serbia in Belgrade it's very important and it's proud for us because show us we are the country of the basketball we like basketball we live with basketball it's totally different and I hope the teams who will come to Belgrade can you know feeling like at home and I welcome the teams and also I I I I wants to tell you tell the teams to have a good luck today on the drove to be to be like they want to to to happen you mentioned Serbian basketball I won't ask you to give away the secret of what makes Serbia so great in basketball unless of course if you want to share it with us but could you explain to our audience from the rest of the world how does Serbia manage to combine success on the basketball court with success as an organizer of so many big basketball events I will share your question on two way first part of the question I'll pass the coach passage because his responsibility on the court I can take about the side of the Court this is the organization you we have a uh a lot of things we we are we have obligation to organize everything what uh need the coaching staff the team staff you know even men's and and women's to organize conditional to be ready to have a perfect for his job and to to do the best on the way on the on the court so this is this is our way I mean when you have combination between uh coaching staff I mean coaching team and and are in the Federation you can missing the good result this is small secret you know we'll ask coach pich about the basketball party in just a second but I have one last question for you as a player you were an amazing shooter and I'm curious to know who were your favorite players when you were growing up and how important you think it is going to be for young kids today to watch some great players from up close in the final four in Belgrade I would be get great shooter in the last century you know I know to make the joke but but in that in that time you know not not just me know a lot of kids who was play basketball Who start to play basketball the the most famous player was be Michael Jordan we cannot talk about Michael Jordan too much but everybody wants to copy Michael Jordan when we watch Michael Jordan everybody wants to Dun shoot moving on the court this is the the the the the biggest ever for me and for my you know colleague in that period Well Michael Jordan unfortunately won't be there in Belgrade but we'll have some amazing player and some amazing coaches as well and this is the opportunity for me to ask you Mr uh pit we have eight great coaches at the elm of the quarterfinalist team but I'm sure none of them have won the fiva basketball World Cup the FIFA Euro basket as well as all European Club competitions like you did so can you tell us what is the key to success in these Do or Die games that lead to a title every game every competition is uh different that me means uh in the final four or in decision games uh you need uh to to make uh excellent preparation we say always bad preparation bad result that means uh preparation I I believe I'm process I believe I'm preparation and we know that uh if you started to play decision game all the games like like let's say last experience in Final Four in Malaga was was excellent basketball first because all the games they was close games and uh the coaches job is what I say before to first to prepare the mentally tactically and to have to have to have a game plan game plan is decision but uh uh you can have very good game plan but how you release this game plan this is the secret this is the this is what is difference between some coaches and some teams well I hope the coaches uh watching took notes of this uh great knowledge that you just Shar with us you were inducted to the FEA all of Fame for your titles and your achievements at every possible level of basketball all over the world perhaps you can explain better than anybody what makes Serbia a basketball country and what makes it so unique in our sport this is not uh first time that I received these questions Al everybody was everybody uh like to know what is the secret uh first of all I like to say that uh that uh uh we are not uh more Al Serbian or Yugoslavian former Yugoslavian player we are not uh more uh talented that other basketball country the secret is uh working Al so we be coaches on players like Rea and uh he knows better that that me what he uh must to make uh to came on this level where he came that means uh the secret is uh working and the secret is uh let's say more that other and I I I think we do that and uh secondly uh maybe one difference we have uh uh in Yugoslavia former Yugoslavia in serban now we have specific or unique methodic of the practice or selection of the player this is I little bit difference I cannot say this is the best but it's difference that you're under basketball country I mean uh uh practice uh organization the practice exercises uh uh decision which uh which uh uh let's say drills we use to improve or to devop to develop individual tactic or individual technique of the player for us was always uh for us always in the in middle of the all is how we can uh improve the player and uh uh if you if you talk about this is no coach clinic tonight I know but uh you ask me I I finish now uh with good uh exercises or uh decisional Extasy where we use coaches uh later you will improve you will improve uh confidence confidence and you will de develop let's say uh this winning mentality what we have but winning mentality B on uh without uh hard work is not possible to to to to reach this result what we uh did in the past thank you very much for uh sharing you mentioned that winning mentality you have that as a coach you used to have that as a player as well I don't know if you know but we're only a few kilometers away from the city of grobble the city where 45 years ago you won as a player the FIBA European Champions Cup with Bosna sarayo what is your biggest memory from that final and what is the main difference emotionally between being in a final or a final four as a player and as a coach first of all uh the big memories was uh we were first Yugoslavian team who became champion in Europe and uh secondly without fortnite player this is uh this was one of the biggest clubs result in history of Yugoslavia Bas uh what was second uh question the the question was about the difference between being a part of AIG emotionally don't exist big difference because if I talk about me because you ask me that I must talk about me as I was always uh uh let's say extension arms from the coaches different is of course the uh the coaches uh the coaches the first job of the coaches is to take decision and uh because the responsibility what they have the coaches is a little bit other that player what is the what is uh what is better what is uh what is different uh if you ask me what I like I like uh I like still to to be player and sometimes I dream that I play basketball thank you very much uh coach pit Mr kinos I think guest made it pretty clear that Belgrade is the ideal destination for the BCL final 4 this season and Belgrade arena is probably one of the best venues in Europe it has hosted so many big basketball events what should we expect from the BCL in that venue no I think it is correct U Belgrade Arena or Stark arena is is a magnificent uh state-of-the-art venue that has tremendous experience as I mentioned before the their CEO is a former basketball legend Goran grebovic uh so we are very excited to partner uh with the arena and with the entire community of uh of basketball in uh in Belgrade I think what we bring uh is a great show uh is a great event both in the city and in the arena I think the the fans will have the opportunity to witness what is a basketball champions league weekend uh whether it is at the fan Zone whether it is at the awards ceremony whether it is uh at the arena because it does allow us to to Showcase uh the infrastructure and the facilities that that exist and we hope to be able to bring many surprises uh to Star Arena uh in order to demonstrate again what what we as BCL try always to do be a little bit in the foreground be a little bit Innovative and uh and try to uh set the bar very high for our own uh basketball community so many surprises coming to this uh BCL final four in Belgrade which will be the final stop for season 8 but the road to Belgrade has also been extremely interesting what can you say about the season leading to that Pinnacle event um every year we say it's a very competitive season uh but uh you know we have the data that support this we know how many games uh were close how many went to overtime the fact that uh until yesterday we we were still missing a lot of the participating teams we did not know who would qualify until the very last minute but also uh talking to a lot of our clubs hearing a lot of our coaches they keep talking about the increase in the level of competition in the basketball champions league how uh every season becomes more challenging more competitive so for us this is uh the most important message making sure that the competition continues to grow making sure that what we offer to our fans to our players to our coaches to our environment uh remains very very competitive so today we have here eight teams that have traveled a very long way from uh early October when we started the competition uh congratulations uh are deserved uh to them because it has not been an easy Journey for any one of them and uh we believe that as we now start uh the road to Belgrade we will uh in a few weeks time be talking about the best ever basketball champ iions League season and about the best ever basketball Final Four in Belgrade thank you Mr comminos I think that's what everybody hope for and a big thanks to everyone on our distinguished panel for sharing their knowledge with us tonight I think this last answer was the perfect assist to turn our Focus to the road to Belgrade so let us first remind ourselves of the ground we have covered already let's have a quick look back at the season so far welcome to the party here be look at Carter spinning going down with some Thunder for the [Music] wi play with Hamilton all the way up the follow [Music] la [Applause] Hammer what a [Music] block oh look at this the dog by jell [Music] [Music] Adam oh here we go here we go go [Music] in pass yet again nice pass ahead oh my goodness goes off of hillard's hands and oh flying in for the dunk gets rejected by are you kidding me m looking to push this one Look Out Below oh baby right into the hands look at the behind the back pass what the hell did we just see shini Marcel your boun fast shini moves it Inus there this is better that's a super finish [Music] mckin the lead is 25 like to call this don't time baby of [Music] kidos absolutely Sensational images from this season 8 the infinity season now picture this in Belgrade Arena I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we cannot wait and we cannot wait either for the draw that will Define each team's path to Belgrade Mr pit will assist us with the proceedings and we have asked for the help of one more Serbian gr let's please welcome Mr dragan tarlach the director of Serbia's national team Mr tat thank you very much for being here with us I think that with you we complete today a mini Hall of Fame of nov visad Legends right seems like that you played your first final for almost 30 years ago but I suppose one thing that has not changed is how a player feels before entering a final four before coming onto the court what advice would you give to the players that reach the final four in Belgrade uh well I think that uh coach pesich was uh very precise about the process that uh each and every team is going through reaching such tournament uh from my experience and what is PED teaching us and the presence is that um each and every team has equal chances of winning it uh but only the the the the best prepared physically and mentally is finally winning it I don't I don't believe in luck I don't believe in uh uh anything that happens by chance I believe in in that uh process uh that coach was mentioning and especially uh being uh prepared on on the right and proper way for such a difficult ter turnament where every player is carrying a lot of pressure on their shoulders so who's ready to take that all the way through is winning the the cup well equal chances I think it's even more true in the BCL where the field is so competitive as the Director of Serbia's national team you're still around some of the best players in the world in some of the best competitions we heard before that the BCL is very proud of putting players in the best conditions every event what do you think have been the biggest Improvement in player experience in big competitions since you retired well I'm glad to to say that and uh facing now uh directly the Improvement of every competition that um I'm participating now with the national team so competitions on the highest level that are organized by by FIBA as the last one that we uh played in was Manila World Cup in Manila U everything was on on on on on a greatest possible level for for the moment so I can say that for FBA as well for our Federation trying to do the best for our players so the Improvement is obvious uh the changing changings are are are great but the one thing that hasn't changed uh is that U the the main role and the main uh uh actors of this game are players that hasn't changed and let's keep it that way the best part of the basketball are players so we are in position uh to give our best through our services to have them uh not just now in the Summers uh when big competitions are happening also through the during the season through the qualifiers where uh we're uh uh in position to offer our best to them thank you very much Mr talach you can take your position for the draw here and now I'd like to invite on stage the basketball champions league competitions Representatives Mr Dean leit will conduct the draw and Mr David bassan who will assist him thank you CH Mr PES Mr tarach Big honor having you here with us ladies and gentlemen dear Club Representatives dear guests first of all I would like to congratulate the eight clubs that have qualified for the quarterfinals we had several thrilling games up until the final buzzer last night witnessing again the tremendous quality and competitiveness of participating teams throughout the season all teams have to fight every game like it's a small final and every night can be unpredictable but from now on there is no margin for error for the team that aspires to LIF the beautiful BCL trophy in April in the Magnificent Belgrade Arena the four group winners are the teams with the homec court advantage in the quarterfinals meaning that if their series goes to a third game they will play that game at home let's revie you now and remember again who those four seated teams are Fernandez shermadini how was someone that big missed oh baby oh my goodness it's two I don't know what your divis to say players hangs in gets rejected Baseline goes up oh baby are you kidding me Bobs finds his man can he find three points yes he can it's Kennedy taken away by San R again they've got there foot on the pedal here chance for another three and they've taken it down the middle oh baby CT got shoot this one three is up three is good and get back to a Deja Vu moment Quick Pass oh nice pump fake from bero No elevation pass Edge him open and three-pointer for Melvin look at that first of all [Music] oh those were the group winners and now we will see which teams can be the opponents of the c teams in the quarterfinal these are the four teams that finished second in their respective groups and will be unseeded in the [Music] draw Graves sinks this he tries he jumps he scores melson mels it for three it's a huge three 50 to go in this it's play inside W that's a great score with Williams Williams for three a wondrous three from Williams goes in around straw move by Joe Ragin connected at the summit and silence is connected that's hands it off and the dunk cow puts it up Stevens on the way thank you very much sir Here Comes now homsley is going to attack the basket as well and he scores look at attack between the legs there's the alley but finding into the hands look at the behind the back pass and the dunk on the break oh BR says [Music] no we can now commence the quarterfinals draw and we have to remind on the technicalities there is actually only one restriction for the quarter finals draw and it's very straightforward teams that were in the same round of 16 group cannot be drawn against each other to give an example Telecom baskets bone cannot be drawn in the same pting with mha is and ludwigsburg because both teams were in the same group in fact they just played a great game last night and obviously they cannot be paired before the final four stage we will first draw a c team from the pot of in front of Mr pesich and the computer will indicate the options of the unseeded teams that can be drwn against it these options will be placed in the ball in front of Mr tarach and this is how we Define the quarterfinal pairings until all four payers have been drawn important note the quarterfinal pairings will automatically be assigned with a number from one to four in the order of the draw these numbers will be used a few minutes later to determine the semi-final pairings in the final four near we are now ready Mr pesich please Shuffle well and let's see who the first team in the first quarterfinal pting will be from the port of the c teams and it is telecom baskets bone actual WI the team that for the first time participated in the final four and for them it will be obviously second time in the quarterfinals they are title Defenders and let's see who their opponent can be from the following teams Tas bua perisi aens and promas patras obviously those teams were not in the same group now we need help of Mr tarach please Shuffle well and let's see who the opponent of Telecom baskets bone will be in the quarterfinals peris peris bein so we have the first quarterfinal draw which is telecom baskets born and peris Bin Mr pesich it's our side of the table turn to see Team a in the quarterfinal number two Mia ukam Mia they had their participation in the final four 2018 in aens the only participation for ukam Mia who is by the way one of the most successful teams in the BCL playing on the home court they have won 20 22 out of 23 games in total on their home court let's see now from the following teams Tas bua and mhae ren ludwigsburg which one of them will have tough job to maybe win the game in Mia lburg mha peris and ludwigsburg the team from Germany we are halfway to go in the quarterfinals two more teams remaining in the pot of Mr pesich let's see the next one we have two Spanish teams Unika Malaga Unika Malaga is the team that hosted the final four last year amazing experience for everyone and as we can see because of the group restrictions the only available opponent for them will be promas patras but we are going further proceeding with the draw and to hopefully see that in that bow is Pras patas Pras everything is correct promas patras will be the opponent of unah hamala and what is reminding it's not secret anymore but again we need to finish the draw until the end now is Tenerife Lenovo Tenerife our two times Champion the first ever champion and one of the most successful teams in the history of basketball champions league actually the most successful they are the only team having 100 plus victories in the competition and again the only available opponent remaining for them it's Tas bua and it is our only representative from Turkey in the quarterfinal draw which will be actually the repetition of the quarterfinal two seasons ago when we ended with the beautiful final four in bilbow this concludes the draw for the quarterfinals let's have one more look at the four pairings quarter final one Telecom baskets bone peris bavin attens quarterfinal two ukam Mia Mizan ludwigsburg quarterfinal number three Unika hamala promas patras and quarterfinal for Lenovo Tenerife toas bua all eight contenders now know what the road to Belgrade looks like I take the opportunity to thank Mr pesich and Mr tarach for their help and I'm asking our colleague kloe inviting her to come back on the stage thank you very much Mr leage thank you to Mr pich and Mr talach as well the final four Ambassador Mr jelo rraa will help us with the fin fin four draw in just a moment but before we proceed let's remember what the final four is all about I think a reminder of last year's amazing Edition in Malaga it's just what we need welcome to the final four in Malaga for the basketball champions [Music] league no refay and World Jerusalem getting ready to hit things off and dropes in and get rejected from Mr SWAT car turn for three Jerusalem survived can you believe it pass of the byav and shorts blows past will Thomas let open money and B survive [Applause] [Music] we are underway the basketball champions league final between Telecom baskets bond in Hell Jerusalem there hands [Music] [Applause] up three-point shot and telon baskets B they've done it they have become the the first team from Germany to do it some amazing image and we are ready now to commence the final four draw and this is even more straightforward because no more restrictions we will simply draw the pre-assigned number of each quarterfinal one after the other so the winner of the first quarterfinal withraw will play against the winner of the next drone quarterfinal and obviously the last two drone quarterfinal winners will face each other in the second semi-final in Belgrade Mr Rea we are ready please Shuffle well we are ready to see the team a in the first semi-final and it is the winner of quarterfinal four where we have the teams of Lenovo Tenerife and toos bua we are ready for their opponent let's see the winner of which quarterfinal draw will face Lenovo ten or Tas bua any is the winner quarterfinal one we know now the first semi-final pairing and obviously it's not secret anymore but we need to also do the job until the end and see also for for the technical reasons the team a and Team B in the other semi-final winner quarterfinal too and the winner quarterfinal two where we have the teams of Mia and mha and ludwigsburg and the final ball to open tonight winner quarterfinal three winner of quarterfinal three this means that everything was Accord to the regulations and we have now fully Pat to the final four but also the pings at the final four this concludes the draw for the final four let's have one more look at the two semi-final pairings so the winner between of the game between Lenovo Tenerife and Tas bua will face the winner of Telecom baskets bone and peris Bin on the other side the winner of ukam meria mizen will face the winner of Unika halaga promas patras Mr EA I cannot thank you enough you but also to Mr pesich and Mr tarach you made us all feel tonight like Champions on the stage finally I would like to wish the best of luck to all the teams that enter the quarterfinals and to the four that will make it to final four Belgrade is excited to welcome the best four teams of the Season thank you very much Mr leage thank you thank you Mr rraa and a big thanks to all of you for attending this ceremony in person here at the Patrick Bowman's House of basketball or watching the live broadcast we hope to see you all in Belgrade for what will be a legendary final four see you in April have a great night [Music] goodbye [Music] [Music]