After ending an extensive five-season spell in the Aragonese capital, Santi Yusta has begun his first international experience in the best possible way. The former Casademont captain has won the VTB United League SuperCup with Anadolu Efes after beating Russian side Lokomotiv Kuban in the final, a game in which the Madrid-born forward recorded three points, three rebounds and a performance index rating of two.
The Turkish team, coached by Spaniard Pablo Laso since this season and invited to take part in the tournament, has become the first team from outside Russia to lift the title in a six-team competition. In addition to Lokomotiv Kuban, Anadolu Efes defeated Zenit and UNICS Kazan in the earlier round. Yusta played a part throughout, producing his best performance against UNICS Kazan, when he scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and posted a performance index rating of 15.
The achievement comes after the Madrid-born forward left Casademont this summer by paying his release clause in order to join the Turkish side. His departure was part of the major overhaul carried out by the red-and-black club, which lost its first captain and the leading figure of the Zaragoza team over the previous five seasons when Yusta left.
SULEJMANOVIC, KEY
Emir Sulejmanovic played a more decisive role in helping Joventut lift a title again for the first time in 18 years. The Bosnian power forward was the Catalan team’s second-highest scorer, with 19 points, and its highest-rated player, with a performance index rating of 27. After beating Baskonia in the Supercopa semifinals, Joventut defeated Barcelona 101-87 in a final that was blown open by Argentine point guard Nico Laprovittola in a brilliant display.
As a result, Sulejmanovic has lifted the first title of his career after signing for Joventut this summer. Having arrived in the summer of 2023, the Bosnian spent two seasons in Zaragoza and fully blossomed in his second campaign, when he averaged impressive numbers of 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and a performance index rating of 15.7.
An outstanding performance that led him to take a step forward in the ACB and sign for Unicaja at the end of the 2024-2025 season. With the Malaga team, the power forward failed to fully settle last season, which prompted his departure and the start of a new chapter at Joventut—one that has begun in spectacular fashion with a title under his arm.
