Team Profile: CMB Cargo Uni Gyor
GYOR (EuroLeague Women 2017) – Our next stop on our pre-season tour around EuroLeague Women 2017 is at Hungarian club CMB Cargo Uni Gyor, who are making a return to the competition, having stepped out in EuroCup Women for the past two seasons.
Last season: Uni Gyor had a disappointing campaign in EuroCup Women, losing all six of their Regular Season outings and five of them by double-digits.
Roster: Roughly half of the team from last year have been retained with headliner Cyesha Goree remaining on board, which means Gyor will be able to once again rely on her defensive tenacity, smart finishing at the basket and athleticism. There are also returns for a Hungarian contingent including the likes of Anna Lakloth, Zsofia Varga and Krisztina Horvath.
The new arrivals come in the shape of a swoop for Slovak Republic talent in Zofia Hruscakova who is brought on board from Good Angels Kosice to lead the frontline. She has regularly led the Slovak Republic team in scoring and rebounding, while Marta Palenikova was also due to line-up alongside her compatriot but has been injured and replaced by Belarusian wing, Tatsiana Likhtarovich. Meanwhile, there’s no doubt that there is big excitement about WNBA talent landing in the form of Brianna Kiesel, who has flown with Dallas Wings.
Key player: She is still relatively early in her career at 21-years-old, yet Hruscakova is as mature as most veterans and she will have that kind of same level of responsibility. She knows how to fight against the odds from playing with underdogs who have arguably overachieved at the top level in Kosice and she’s also been a central part of Slovak Republic continuing to punch above their weight in making it to EuroBasket Women Final Round with some major performances. If Gyor are to find any kind of wins this season, she will have to be at her best.
‘X-Factor’: Maybe it will be about whether Kiesel can live up to her reputation and bring the noise in the backcourt. She needs to shoot high percentages, because she will certainly get a high volume of looks and freedom to express herself, but with limited offensive options down the roster, the guard needs to be as efficient as possible.
Stat attack: Gyor are 0-20 across the last three seasons in EuroLeague and EuroCup Women and on a 24-game losing run. They last won on the road some four years ago in Krakow.
Social media stars: Try following Cysesha Goree [cgoree22] and Anna Lakloth [laklothanna] on Instagram
Outlook: It's great to see Gyor back in the competition after their last campaign was played out during the immediate aftermath and trauma of the tragic traffic accident, which took place on the eve of the 2013-14 season. It's going to be difficult to make the post-season as they don't necessarily have the heavyweight stars of many of their rivals in Group A. But especially at home they could prove to be a real handful and hopes will be high that they can remain competitive and at least get a handful of wins on the board. If nothing else, they will want to end their three-year European losing streak.
FIBA
