The FIBA EuroCup Challenge was the 4th-tier level transnational professional continental club basketball competition in Europe, organised by FIBA Europe. However, it was considered Europe's 3rd tier level club basketball competition in its inaugural 2002–03 season.

The competition was founded in 2002, following a conflict between FIBA Europe and ULEB during the 2001–02 season. It was an attempt by FIBA to expand its secondary tournament held during the previous season:, the FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup, by merging it with the FIBA Europe Champions Cup.

Each season's finalists were promoted to the next season's more prestigious 3rd-tier level competition, the FIBA EuroChallenge. The competition ultimately ceased in 2007.

History In 2002, FIBA Europe abolished its two main club tournaments, the FIBA Saporta Cup and the FIBA Korac Cup, and invited European teams to join their two newly formed competitions, the FIBA Europe Champions Cup and the FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup, which would function as FIBA's premium and secondary-tier tournaments, respectively, in an attempt to compete against the newly formed EuroLeague, already run by ULEB since 2001.

However, the revived Champions Cup never became a true rival to the ULEB Euroleague, and FIBA therefore decided that a pan-European competition, on top of the previous season's regional competition, would be organised for the 2003–04 season. The FIBA Europe League was launched in 2003, as its top competition and the FIBA Europe Champions Cup ultimately merged with FIBA's second-tier tournament, the FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup, to form the FIBA Europe Cup, which instead functioned as FIBA Europe's second-tier tournament, and the fourth-tier overall on the European pyramid.

The competition was played during the 2002–03 to 2006–07 seasons. It was variously known as the FIBA Europe Championship Cup / FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup (2002–03), the FIBA Europe Cup (2003–05), and the FIBA EuroCup Challenge (2005–07).

Overall during those five seasons, several historic European clubs played in the competition, such as ASK Riga, Fenerbahçe, Split, Khimki Moscow Region, EKA AEL, Bayer Giants Leverkusen, Azovmash Mariupol, PAOK Thessaloniki, Hapoel Jerusalem, Rytas, Ventspils, Ural Great Perm, Belenenses, Academic, UNICS Kazan, Prokom, Dinamo Bucharest, Benetton Fribourg, etc.

Names of the competition

FiBA Europe Champions Cup / FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup: (2002–2003) FIBA Europe Cup: (2003–2005) FIBA EuroCup Challenge: (2005–2007)

Finals YearChampionScoreSecond place3rd4th2002–03 (FECC) Aris Thessaloniki84 – 83 Prokom Trefl Sopot Ventspils Hemofarm2002–03 (FERCC) North Mariupol88 – 61North Bayer LeverkusenNorthKaposváriNorth Khimik South EKA AEL92 – 82South IgokeaSouth West Petrom AradSouth Pizza Express Apollon2003–04 Mitteldeutscher84–68 SAOS Dijon Tuborg Pilsener Dynamo Moscow Region2004–05 Asesoft Ploiești75–74 Lokomotiv Rostov Dynamo Moscow Region Bandırma Banvit2005–06 Ural Great Perm154–147 Khimik Olympia Larissa Lappeenrannan NMKY2006–07 Samara184–166 Keravnos Pizza Express Apollon Dnipro

Finals MVP Season Player Club Will Solomon Aris Thessaloniki Duane Woodward EKA AEL Marijonas Petravičius Mitteldeutscher Vladimir Kuzmanović Asesoft Ploiești Derrick Alston Ural Great Perm Nikita Shabalkin Samara

Titles by club RankClubTitlesRunner-upChampion years1Aris Thessaloniki102002–03 (A)Mariupol102002–03 (B) EKA AEL Limassol 1 0 2002–03 (B) Mitteldeutscher 1 0 2003–04 Asesoft Ploiești 1 0 2004–05 Ural Great Perm 1 0 2005–06 Samara 1 0 2006–076 Bayer Leverkusen01Igokea01 Prokom Trefl Sopot 0 1 Dijon 0 1 Lokomotiv Kuban 0 1 Khimik 0 1 Keravnos 0 1Total 7 7

Winning rosters FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup:

North Conference:

2002–03 Mariupol

Volodymyr Gurtovyy, Andriy Kapinos, Andriy Botichev, Oleksandr Skutyelnik, Igor Kharchenko, Sergiy Moskalenko, Petro Podtykan, Yevhenii Annienkov, Dmytro Briantsev (Head Coach: Andrij Podkovyrov)

South Conference: 2002–03 EKA AEL Limassol Dimitris Prokopiou, Marcos Asonitis, Georgios Kouzapas, Michalis Kounounis, Davor Kurilic, Konstantinos Perentos, Ranko Velimirovic, David Michael Van Dyke, Christos Spyrou, Duane Woodward (Head Coach: Dragan Raca).

FIBA Europe Cup: 2003–04 Mitteldeutscher Wendell Alexis, Manuchar Markoishvili, Paul Burke, Marijonas Petravičius, Misan Nikagbatse, Sebastian Machowski, Stephen Arigbabu, Jonas Elvikis, Per Ringstrom, Chauncey Leslie, Peter Fehse, Paul Bayer, Michael Krikemans (Head Coach: Henrik Dettmann) 2004–05 Asesoft Ploiești Cătălin Burlacu, Ivan Krasic, Nikola Bulatović, Vladimir Kuzmanović, Paul Helcioiu, Marko Rakočević, Rares Apostol, Antonio Alexe, Levente Szijarto, Predrag Materić, Nicolae Toader, Marko Peković, Adrian Blidaru, Saša Ocokoljić (Head Coach: Mladjen Jojic)

FIBA EuroCup Challenge: 2005–06 Ural Great Perm Derrick Alston, Terrell Lyday, Vasily Karasev, Jurica Golemac, Jasmin Hukić, Andre Hutson, Andrei Trushkin, Egor Vyaltsev, Vadim Panin, Evgeni Kolesnikov, Aleksandr Dedushkin, Arseni Kuchinsky, Vyacheslav Shushakov, Artem Kuzyakin (Head Coach: Sharon Drucker) 2006–07 Samara Nikita Shabalkin, Omar Cook, Georgios Diamantopoulos, Kelvin Gibbs, Evgeni Voronov, Pavel Agapov, Gennadi Zelenskiy, Yaroslav Strelkin, Oleg Baranov, Pavel Ulyanko, Taras Osipov, Anton Glazunov, Alexei Kiryanov, Valeri Likhodey (Head Coach: Valeri Tikhonenko)

See also FIBA EuroChallenge FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup

References

External links FIBA EuroCup Challenge Homepage