10 Juventus players for whom Utena has become or could become a springboard to the next level

Utena’s Uniclub Casino – Juventus team has promoted many players over the past decade. We singled out ten basketball players who increased their value after a year in Utena.

Spencer Butterfield

The American is currently 31 years old. He arrived in Utena back in 2015, after his first year in Europe, which he spent at the club in the Spanish city of Melilla. At that time, the young defender was the essential guide of the Utena team, who played even 32 minutes, scored 14.5 points, rebounded 6.2 balls, made 1.9 assists and collected 15.4 utility points. S. Butterfield became one of the main reasons why the team reached the semi-finals of the LKL that year. True, both he and Uniclub Casino – Juventus faded in the fight for medals and lost both series 0:3. After leaving Lithuania, the legionnaire moved to the Nanterre 92 club, later played for ALBA in Berlin, UnaHotels in Emilia Redžo, Lenovo in Tenerife, and currently defends the honor of Antwerp Giants. S. Butterfield managed to win the French, Belgian and FIBA ​​European Cups. By the way, he became the MVP of the cup in Belgium in 2023. During all these years, only in Tenerife did his performance not reach double digits.

Aaron Best

This defender joined the Utena team a year later – in 2016, when he started his career in Europe. If S.Butterfield shone in Utena, then A.Best faced the reality of a rookie and scored only 6.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and collected 4.8 utility points in LKL. Nevertheless, he later tried to establish himself in the G League, representing such solid clubs as Riesen Ludwigsburg, PAOK Thessaloniki or London Lions, with whom he played in the European Cup and scored 7.4 points here last season. At the moment, A. Best is defending the honor of Trefl Sopot and doing so as one of the leaders.

BIčkauskis

Dovis Bickauskis

There are also some Lithuanians on the list. When D. Bičkauskis arrived in Utena in 2016, the highest point of his career until then was the National Basketball League (NKL). The 30-year-old offensive player, after a great season in Marijampolė, had outgrown the NKL shirt and thus got a chance in Utena. Although the first season was more difficult for him, D. Bičkauskis made a breakthrough in the second season and scored 10.3 points, completed 4.7 assists and collected 14 utility points in the LKL. He stayed in Utena for another year, and then in 2019 Vilnius “Rytas” put a contract on the table for him. It is true that two years later D. Bičkauskis moved to Jonava, but currently he has a solid role in “7bet-Lietkabel” in Panevėžys.

Martin Geben

The situation of this Lithuanian in 2018-2019 was a little different. At that time, a year later, Kaunas “Žalgiris” signed an NCAA contract with the tall man, having loaned M. Geben to the “Uniclub Casino – Juventus” team in order to check his ability to play at the men’s level. The center then needed 22 minutes to score 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and collect 16.5 utility points in the LKL. Thus, the door to “Žalgiris” opened for him, where M. Gebenas spent a couple of years. He did not become a EuroLeague player, but later represented the teams of Bamberg, Frankfurt, and now plays in Manresa.

Gytis Radzevičius

His situation is similar to that of D. Bičkauskis, and they competed together in Utena. At that time, G.Radzevičius quickly rose from a player in the RKL to an elite basketball player in the NKL, the striker shone in the Šakių club and so in 2018-2019. added to Utena’s team. 28 minutes, 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 15.3 utility points – that’s how much G.Radzevičius collected in his second year at Uniclub Casino – Juventus. During this season, Žydrūnas Urbonas said that he would not be surprised if Vilnius “Rytas” put this offer on the table. That’s what happened. G. Radzevičius has been successfully representing the capital’s team since 2020 and is already the face of the organization together with Margiris Normant.

Miller

Patrick Miller

Mr. Miller came to Utena having already seen the world and a good level of basketball. At that time, he was 28 years old and he managed to represent Istanbul Beşiktaş or Belgrade Partizan clubs, but he went to Utena to make his name heard more in Europe. In 2022, Mr. Miller became the most productive player in the LKL (17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 18.3 utility points), which led to his signing with the Bamberg Brose Bamberg club. In the powerful German league, P.Miller also dominated, collecting 17.7 points, 6.2 assists and 18.6 utility points. However, recently P.Miller chose to earn money: he started the season impressively in the Australian league, but now he plays in Krasnodar.

Alex Hamilton

The 30-year-old defender had two stints at Utena in his career. He came here for the first time back in 2018, after the stage in the G League. A.Hamilton then dominated the LKL, scoring 13.5 points, making 3.6 assists and collecting 15.4 utility points. This led to his contract in Israel, and later the American moved to Galatasaray Istanbul and Bonn. After a slightly duller 2021-2022 At the end of the season in Eilat, A.Hamilton returned to Utena to raise his value. True, later he only went to Poland, but at the moment he is back in the well-known Israeli league, where he is scoring 10.6 points per game in Haifa.

Alston

Justin Alston

This center arrived in Utena last season as a completely “noname” market. Until then, the tall man had only played in the second league of Germany, Estonia, Portugal and Hungary, so the LKL became a chance of a lifetime for him. J. Alston scored 12.6 points, rebounded 5.7 balls and collected 12.6 utility points in the LKL, which allowed him to sign a contract with the Champions League club – Thessaloniki PAOK. Although it was the American’s first year on the international front, he did not fade and scored 7.4 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes. In Greece, the numbers are more solid – 12.8 points.

Billy Ivey

One transfer took place this season as well, which really derailed Utena’s team, and it did not benefit B.Ivey himself. The legionnaire, who looked impressive in the LKL (25 minutes, 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 17.1 nb) got a chance to fulfill his dream and debut in the Spanish league. It is true that B. Ivey did not fit in the Girona “Basket” team, so he had to look for a new place. He currently plays in Germany for Hamburg Towers, where he averages 8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 6.7 assists. One can only guess what would have happened if B.Ivey had stayed in Utena until the end of the season.

Scoochie Smith

One name on the list is for the future. The 29-year-old, 191 cm guard is having a breakout year in Utena and has been a key weapon for the team lately, averaging 12.9 points, 5.9 assists and 16.7 rebounds. S.Smith is playing his best years, although until then he did not find his leadership in clubs like Peristeri of Athens or Mega Mis of Belgrade. Only last season in Poland was brighter in his career. There is no doubt that Smith has significantly increased his value this season and should sign a lucrative contract in the summer.