2002–03 FIBA Europe Champions Cup


The 2002–03 FIBA Europe Champions Cup was the first edition of Europe's transnational competition for men's professional basketball clubs, the FIBA Europe Champions Cup, following the abolushment of the FIBA Korać Cup and FIBA Saporta Cup competitions and the launch of the ULEB Cup.
It was FIBA's top tier competition. In this first edition, it was actually the 3rd tier level on the European club basketball pyramid, featuring 15 domestic league champions. Except Lithuania, the champions were only from the countries, which wasn't represented in the Euroleague or the ULEB Cup.
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.
The competition, which was initially advertised as FIBA's attempt to revive the FIBA European Champions Cup. 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 Split, Aris, PAOK, Lietuvos Rytas, Kalev, Fribourg, Planja, Academic, Levski, APOEL, Ventspils, Rabotnički, and Porto had played for years in FIBA's former Champions Cup.
Apart from Lietuvos Rytas and UNICS, no other participant of the FIBA Europe Champions Cup finished higher in their national championship in the previous season than any of the participants of the 2002-03 season of the Euroleague or the ULEB Cup.
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.

Draw and promotion

The participating teams were announced on 21st July, 2002. The draw took place on the 30th July, 2002,in Munich. FIBA appointed legendary former players who had played in the FIBA Champions Cup to promote the new competition:

Competition system

  • 64 teams from countries affiliated to FIBA Europe enter a Regional Qualifying Round, distributed in three major conferences 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. 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.
  • 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.
  • The four winners of the quarterfinal play-off qualify for the final stage, 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.
Top two places in each group advance to PEP
Eliminated

Semifinals

January 14, Vilnius Palace of Sports, Vilnius

3rd place game

January 15, Vilnius Palace of Sports, Vilnius

Final

January 15, Vilnius Palace of Sports, Vilnius

Conference South

The season ran from October 1, 2002 to November 5, 2002.
Top two places in each group advance to PEP
Eliminated

Semifinals

January 16, Universiada Hall, Sofia

3rd place game

January 17, Universiada Hall, Sofia

Final

January 17, Universiada Hall, Sofia

Conference West

The season ran from October 1, 2002 to November 5, 2002.
Top two places in each group advance to PEP
Eliminated

Overall winners

Pan-European phase

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

Group F

*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.

Final Four

Semifinals

3rd place game

Final