Team profile: BC Rilski Sportist

BC Rilski Sportist can definitely be described as the most successful club in the brief history of the EUROHOLD Balkan League. For three seasons so far, they have appeared in the Final Four two times, and they have played in the final two times. In 2009 they were crowned BIBL champions, while in 2011 they had to go home with the silver medals as runners-up.

However this year, for the second straight campaign they will have to go through the quarterfinals and fight for their way to the Final 4, as BC Hapoel Tel Aviv is their opposition for the next phase of the EUROHOLD Balkan League.

Rilski Sportist finished third in Group A of the 2011/2012 EUROHOLD Balkan League with a balance of 6 wins and 4 losses, the same as the second-placed team KK Mornar Bar, but however the Montenegrin side has advantage in the direct games between the two clubs.

In Group A Riletso already faced an Israeli opposition, as they played twice against the vice-champion of Israel – BC Galil Gilboa. In the game in Israel Rosen Barchovski’s side lost by 9 points – 76:67, but at home in Samokov in front of their hometown fans they celebrated a 72:70 victory, as this happened to be Galil Gilboa’s only loss in the competition.

Currently BC Rilski Sportist are averaging 78.3 points, 28.4 rebounds and 15.0 assists per game. The team also adds 6.6 steals and 1.9 blocked shots, along with 14.5 turnovers per contest.

Branko Mirkovic is the team’s leading scorer with 18.0 points per game, as he also leads the team in assists – 5.0 average. Filip Vukosavljevic adds 16.0 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds. Asen Velikov and Martin Marinov are adding 8.6 points each, while Hristo Zahariev scores 8.4 points and a team-high 2.4 steals per game.