Cedevita Olimpija Embarks on First Road Trip of the 2025/26 Season — EuroCup Clash with Hapoel Jerusalem in Belgrade Up First

The senior team of Cedevita Olimpija will travel on Tuesday for its first away mini road trip of the 2025/26 competitive season. On Wednesday at 20:00, the Dragons will face Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem in the second round of the BKT EuroCup regular season at Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall in Belgrade. This will be the first of two demanding away games this week.

Cedevita Olimpija’s senior squad is about to embark on its first road trip of the 2025/26 season. On Wednesday at 20:00, as part of Round 2 of the BKT EuroCup regular season, the Dragons will meet Israel’s Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem at Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall in Belgrade. As they will then face Budućnost VOLI in Podgorica in a regional league matchup later in the week, the Ljubljana team will remain on the road the entire week, returning home on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams opened the regular season with victories — Cedevita Olimpija defeated Spain’s BAXI Manresa 76:69 in Stožice, while Hapoel celebrated a 100:85 win away in Hamburg.

The two teams have met six times in the EuroCup so far — Hapoel has won five, while Cedevita Olimpija claimed one victory, the most recent one last season. In the 2024/25 campaign, the sides met in the regular season: at the end of October, Hapoel won in Stožice 94:83, but in January, in Samokov, Bulgaria, the Dragons triumphed 74:70.

TV BROADCAST:

The second-round BKT EuroCup game against Hapoel will be broadcast live on Šport TV 1. The studio coverage will begin at 19:15.

PRE-GAME QUOTES:

“We have a stretch of tough games ahead, which is why the wins in our opening EuroCup and ABA League matchups were very important. We’re still in the process of getting to know each other and building team chemistry. Hapoel is among the main contenders for the EuroCup title. They’ve added strong reinforcements to their roster from last season and have a large budget. Last year, we surprised them in Bulgaria, which helped us reach the playoffs, but they beat us convincingly earlier in the season in Ljubljana. Once again, they’ve strengthened their team with quality players. They are the favorites, but we’ll try to surprise them again. We’ll use the one day we have in Ljubljana to prepare as best as possible — on Tuesday we travel to Belgrade, and after that to Podgorica,” said Cedevita Olimpija’s head coach Zvezdan Mitrović before the team’s departure to Belgrade.

“We’re coming off two important wins that boosted the team’s confidence, helped build chemistry, and pleased our fans. Now we face two difficult but very important road games. Both opponents are strong teams, but we’re traveling with confidence. Hapoel and Budućnost achieved great results in international competitions last season and both have improved their rosters, so we know the challenge won’t be easy. Nevertheless, we’ll give everything we have to return to Ljubljana with wins,” said David Škara, who scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds against Mega on Sunday, and four points against Manresa on Wednesday.

“The game against Hapoel will be an important test for us, as we’ll see how we can perform in a tough EuroCup road environment. In every competition, wins in such games carry great value, alongside the ones we must secure on our home court. The team is still developing and getting to know each other, so this game will be a great opportunity to continue our process of growth and improvement,” added Thomas Kennedy, who was the Dragons’ most efficient player in the win over Manresa.

GAME PREVIEW:

Hapoel, who reached the EuroCup quarterfinals last season just like Cedevita Olimpija, entered the new 2025/26 campaign with big ambitions. The Israeli side retained its core from last year and added several standout players, including Anthony Lamb, one of the best forwards in last season’s EuroCup while playing for Trento. Point guard Jared Harper is also back — the 2024/25 EuroCup MVP, top scorer (22.8 ppg), and efficiency leader (27.2 index).

In Round 1, Hapoel faced Germany’s Veolia Towers Hamburg. The Germans kept up well in the first half, but Hapoel pulled away after halftime to record a convincing 100:85 victory. Justin Smith led the team with 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists, while Khadeen Carrington was the top scorer with 19 points — one of four Hapoel players who scored in double figures.

Last weekend, Hapoel also played an exhibition game in Brooklyn against the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, losing 123:88.

Cedevita Olimpija began its new EuroCup campaign on Wednesday in Stožice with a 76:69 win over BAXI Manresa. The Dragons led from start to finish, at one point by more than 20 points. Aleksej Nikolić was the top scorer with 17 points, while Nikos Chougkaz and Thomas Kennedy added 10 each, Kennedy also recording 11 rebounds for a double-double.

On Sunday, the Ljubljana side also kicked off its ABA League season with a dominant home win over Mega Superbet (117:81). With 117 points scored, the Dragons set a new scoring record for a single game in the club’s combined history. The team resolved the contest early, scoring 62 points in the first half and building a 26-point lead. The margin later reached 40, though the win was marred by an ankle injury to Chougkaz in the second quarter. Seven players scored in double digits, eight hit at least one three-pointer (16/28 total), and Umoja Gibson and Miha Cerkvenik led the way with 17 points apiece.

Chougkaz and Luka Brajković will not travel to Belgrade or Podgorica, as both will stay in Ljubljana to continue their recovery from injuries. Brajković injured his ankle during one of the final practices before the start of the EuroCup regular season. Updates on their condition will follow.

BKT EUROCUP, REGULAR SEASON, ROUND 2

Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall (Belgrade, Serbia), Wednesday, October 8, 20:00:
HAPOEL BANK YAHAV JERUSALEM – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (TV broadcast on Šport TV 1)

LOOKING AHEAD:

Immediately after the game in Belgrade, the Dragons’ delegation will travel to Podgorica, where Cedevita Olimpija will face Budućnost VOLI on Saturday in Round 2 of the AdmiralBet ABA League regular season. The team will then return to Ljubljana on Sunday, and on Tuesday at 18:30, host Aris in Round 3 of the EuroCup. Tickets for the game are already available at vstopnice.olimpija.com