Rīgas Zeļļi enters its fourth season by joining the EuroCup, Europe’s second-tier club competition behind the EuroLeague, facing a daunting financial and competitive gap against Italian powerhouse Derthona Basket. Operating with a modest budget of approximately one million euros for player salaries, the Latvian club makes its debut on the international stage against a Tortona roster backed by a 14.5 million euro total budget and a three-million-euro player payroll.
Financial Disparities in EuroCup Group A
The financial gulf between Rīgas Zeļļi and Derthona highlights the structural challenges facing emerging clubs in the 32-team EuroCup field. While Rīgas Zeļļi secured a single-season entry into the competition, Tortona holds a five-year license, reflecting its status as the third-largest budget in Italian basketball at 14.5 million euros. The competition divides 32 participants into four groups of eight teams, requiring home-and-away fixtures where the top four clubs from each group advance to the postseason knockout rounds.
Rīgas Zeļļi was drawn in July alongside opponents from Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Israel, Slovenia, and Germany, forming Group A alongside Tortona, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Hapoel Jerusalem, Aris Thessaloniki, Le Mans Sarthe Basket, San Pablo Burgos, and Rostock Seawolves. The Riga side represents the first Latvian team to play in the EuroCup since the 2014-15 season, when Ventspils finished with a 2-8 record and VEF Rīga went 1-9.
Roster Construction and Key Arrivals
Rīgas Zeļļi enters the European campaign despite health setbacks, missing Latvian national team players Klāvs Čavars and Toms Skuja during their opening domestic fixtures against Estonian competition. To bolster the squad, the club added newcomer Tony Perkins, who averaged 22.5 points against Estonian opponents after arriving from Czech powerhouse Nymburk. Perkins previously played in Italy for Treviso.
Derthona underwent significant roster changes prior to the season, most notably losing Latvian national team player Artūrs Strautiņš to Roma after three seasons in Tortona where he averaged 7.1, 10.9, and 10.8 points. Tortona’s new-look squad features American guard Dante Medokss, who scored 23 points in 25 minutes during the Italian league opener against Verona, shooting 66.7 percent from beyond the arc. Justin Gorhams enters his third season with Tortona following a two-year stint with Rytas Vilnius in Lithuania, while Bosnian international Amar Alibegović returned to Italy following a season in Granada, Spain.
Upcoming EuroCup Schedule
September 29: Rigas Zeli vs. Derthona
October 6: Rostock Seawolves vs. Rigas Zeli
October 14: Riga Zeli vs. Cedevita Olimpija
October 21: Hapoel Jerusalem vs. Riga Zeli
October 28: Riga Zeli vs. San Pablo Burgos
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