Team Profile: CCC Polkowice
POLKOWICE (EuroLeague Women 2017) – We head to Poland next to check in with CCC Polkowice who return to EuroLeague Women 2017 following a two-year hiatus.
Last season: CCC Polkowice didn’t compete in any European club competition and were focusing on re-establishing themselves as serious challengers in the Polish BLK.
Roster: There’s a buzz back at the club as they prepare to re-enter the tournament and with an almost entirely new-look roster from last season, it really is all change. However, there are a few familiar faces as Magdalena Leciejewska returns via Sleza Wroclaw and Valeriya Musina ends her sabbatical from the sport, with both players having stepped out for the club’s previous EuroLeague Women adventure. Musina is also joined by her younger sister Raisa, who is seen as the future of the Russian national team frontcourt alongside her former Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje team-mate Maria Vadeeva who is now with Dynamo Kursk in Group A.
Different morning in Polkowice! 📸💄#mediaday #CCC #goformore pic.twitter.com/fDHwvkzG6l
— Mariona Ortiz (@marionaortiz8) September 30, 2016
Another major arrival in the paint is Croatia star Marija Rezan and the center will be a go-to player this season along with Isabelle Harrison who has just recorded a WNBA summer with the Phoenix Mercury. There is also WNBA quality in the guard spots too, with New York Liberty’s Brittany Boyd landing alongside Belgian Noemie Mayombo and former Avenida playmaker, Mariona Ortiz. The wings will see plenty of minutes for the underrated Marta Urbaniak and Ewelina Gala is back as one of only a couple of survivors from last season.
Key player: Brittany Boyd will have a lot of responsibility and will have to come up with the firepower and creativity to give CCC Polkowice a solid backcourt foundation. Her energetic approach will be required to set the tone on offence and defence, because while CCC Polkowice should have enough scoring in the frontcourt, it seems like there is more of a question mark hanging over the guards capacity to put points on the board at this level. She will also be key because its her first season in Europe and needs to adapt quickly.
‘X-Factor’: The disappointment at Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje was huge this summer when Russian rising star Raisa Musina opted to move to Poland. Now it will be fascinating to see if the extraordinary talent she has shown at youth levels and in EuroCup Women will translate to this elite level. With some saying she is as good and maybe even potentially better than Vadeeva, the opportunity has come for her to deliver and announce her arrival on the EuroLeague Women stage. It might feel like a little too early in her career to take this leap, but she is an incredibly skilled frontcourt player and if she does contribute positively as expected, that will be a huge bonus for Polkowice.
Stat attack: The last EuroLeague Women campaign in 2013-14 witnessed CCC Polkowice finish the Regular Season with a 4-10 record.
Social media stars: Hit up Isabelle Harrison [omg_itsizzyb] on Instagram and go for Mariona Ortiz [marionaortiz8] on Twitter.
Outlook: It feels like CCC Polkowice are so much of an unknown quantity because the roster is made up of so many new players who are largely playing together for the first time. With a number of EuroLeague Women rookies in the mix as well, it’s tough to predict how they will perform collectively as they look to gel and find some quick chemistry. However, in terms of talent, they have enough on their roster to head into the campaign targeting enough wins to be very competitive and maybe a claim to being a potential dark horse in Group B.
FIBA
