U-BT Cluj-Napoca

U-BT Cluj-Napoca
U-BT Cluj-Napoca logo
NicknameȘepcile roșii
(The Red Caps)
Studenții
(The Students)
Alb-Negrii
(The White and Blacks)
LeaguesEuroCup
Liga Națională
Romanian Cup
Founded1947; 77 years ago (1947)[1][2]
History
List
  • Clubul Sportiv Universitar Cluj
    (1948–1950)
    Știința Cluj
    (1950–1955)
    IMF-Progresul Cluj
    (1955–1957)
    Știința-IMF Cluj
    (1957–1966)
    CS Universitatea Cluj
    (1966–1974)
    CS Universitatea Cluj-Napoca
    (1974–1990)
    Universitatea Metalul Roșu Cluj-Napoca
    (1990–1991)
    "U" Fimaro Cluj-Napoca
    (1991–1995)
    "U" SM Invest Cluj-Napoca
    (1995–1997)
    "U" Sanex Cluj-Napoca
    (1997–1998)
    "U" Carbochim Cluj-Napoca
    (1998–2002)
    Policarbochim Cluj-Napoca
    (2002–2005)
    U Poli-Mobitelco-Carbochim Cluj-Napoca
    (2005–2006)
    U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca
    (2006–2014)
    U-BT Cluj-Napoca
    (2014–present)
ArenaBTarena
Horia Demian
Capacity10,000[3]
2,525
LocationCluj-Napoca, Romania
Team colorsWhite, Black
   
Main sponsorBanca Transilvania[4]
PresidentMarius Bojiță[5]
Vice-president(s)Mircea Cristescu
Sergiu Mircea
Head coachMihai Silvășan[6]
Team captainPatrick Richard
Championships8 Romanian Leagues
7 Romanian Cup
4 Romanian Supercup[7]
Websitewww.u-bt.ro

U-Banca Transilvania Cluj-Napoca, commonly known as U-BT Cluj-Napoca, is a professional basketball club based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania that competes domestically in the Liga Națională de Baschet and internationally in the EuroCup. Like other teams that were initially part of the Universitatea Cluj multi sports club, the basketball team keeps the letter U (short form of Universitatea) in its name.[1] The main sponsor of the team is the locally based banking institution Banca Transilvania.[4] The team colors are black and white. U-BT Cluj plays its home games at the BTarena, which accommodates 10,000 spectators,[3][8] or in Horia Demian Sports Hall with a capacity of 2,525 spectators.[8]

Initially being founded in 1947, the basketball team split from the parent sports club at the beginning of the 2000s, due to financial difficulties, retaining its place in the top tier of Romanian basketball.[1][2] While the fans consider the current club as the moral successor of the team that won three league titles before the turn of the century, the parent club claims all the trophies won before 2002 as part of its own records.[9] In 2017, an image partnership was agreed between U-BT Cluj-Napoca and FC Universitatea Cluj (the local football club which itself was functioning as a private entity following its split from the parent sports club), uniting them under the same brand.[10] Therefore, beginning with the 2017-18 season, U-BT Cluj-Napoca uses the same logo as the football club.[11][12]

History

Early history (1947-1990)

Whilst the Universitatea Cluj multi sports club was founded in 1919, the basketball team was only established in 1947, coexisting for about a year with its equivalent at the Bolyai University, before their merger in December 1948. The club later changed its name to Știința Cluj in 1950, before switching it back to Universitatea in 1966.[13] In its early stages during the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Romanian championship was played in a qualification format, teams having to play in local and regional championships in order to qualify for the final tournament. Therefore, this period was marked by a battle for local supremacy between Știința and teams like Dermata (later renamed Flamura Roșie), ASA Cluj and Metalul, the students often falling short against their more established rivals. In fact, many of the better players in the team were loaned to Divizia A side Flamura Roșie, once the new divisional championship format was established. However, the 1955 season saw the students (now playing under the name IMF-Progresul Cluj) being promoted to the first tier for the first time in their history, under the leadership of coach Gheorghe Rusu. Many of the players that were loaned a couple of years earlier, now armed with experience playing at the higher level, were part of that year's roster. Following promotion, the results would continue to improve, everything culminating in a second place finish during the 1958-59 season. This result kickstarted two decades of amazing performances in the top flight, spearheaded by the talents of emblematic players for the history of the club, like Horia Demian, Imre Vizi, Mihai Albu, Gheorghe Roman and Matei Rührig.[2][14] The communism years were a time when the Romanian basketball landscape was dominated by Steaua and Dinamo Bucharest, teams which were closely tied with the army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs respectively. This translated in support from the communist regime in terms of training facilities and recruitment of the best players in the league.[14] However, Studenții were often the main challengers of their rivals from the capital, finishing once in second and nine times in third during the 1960s and 1970s. The 1980s however saw a decline in results, with lower finishes in the championship eventually culminating in relegation to Divizia B following the 1986-87 season. The turn of the decade found Universitatea back in the top flight, with a young Gheorghe Mureșan starring alongside other players that were going to play an important role for the club in the years to come.[2]

Three Romanian Championships (1990-1999)

Gheorghe Mureșan

The new decade saw a turn in fortunes for the Cluj team. This was made possible by some marquee signings: Mihai Sinevici, Bruno Roschnafski and Mircea Cristescu; all national team players, cumulated with a progress in training and preparations under the coaching duo of Gheorghe Roman and Liviu Morariu. It didn’t take long for the results to show on the court, the students establishing themselves as title contenders during the 1990-91 season, while also managing to defeat Panionios B.C. (a strong representative of Greek basketball at that time) in the first round of the FIBA Korać Cup.[15] Unfortunately for them, the season would end in disappointment, following a best-of-three play-off final defeat against Steaua Bucharest.[2] However, this result would bring a new premiere for The White and Blacks: their first ever participation in the FIBA European Cup, entering to compete in the second round of the 1991-92 season against Pau-Orthez. In the first leg, Universitatea managed a famous home win against the French team, 107-101.[16] However, it wasn't enough to advance for the next round, Pau-Orthez winning the reverse leg by eleven.[17] On the domestic front there would be no mistakes this time. With the presence of the best two centers in the league in their roster (Ghiță Mureșan and Bruno Roschnafski), and the addition of Marcel Țenter at point guard, Universitatea won the first title in their history after a play-off final against Dinamo Bucharest, becoming the first team from outside the capital to be crowned as Romanian Champions. The following season would see the departures of Mureșan and Roschnafski from the team, to France and Germany respectively, and the addition of Cornel Geomolean.[2] Mureșan would become the first (and so far only) Romanian to play in the NBA, by signing with the Washington Bullets in 1993. He played six successful seasons with the Bullets and the New Jersey Nets, averaging a career 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists, and he won the NBA Most Improved Player Award following the 1995–96 NBA season.[18] For the students, their first domestic championship title would translate into their first participation into the FIBA European League. Entering into the first round, they would lose both legs of their clash against USK Prague.[19] Internally, history would repeat itself during the 1992-93 season with a second consecutive title, again beating Dinamo in the final.[2] For the 1993-94 season, Gheorghe Roman would fully take charge as head coach.[20] During that campaign, Studenții suffered some setbacks, with short and long-term injuries keeping key players (Sinevici, Cristescu, Olpretean) out of action for some matches. The team managed to reach the play-off final again, going into the best-of-five final clash against Dinamo without home-court advantage. This would prove decisive in the end, Dinamo winning the final 3-2.[2] The following season, the team came in third, representing the first season in five years in which they didn’t reach the final. By then, the team had the financial support of SM Invest (playing under the name "U" SM Invest), which would go on to bring much needed resources heading into the 1995-96 season.[20] Decisive would also prove to be the appointment of Dragan Petričević as head coach in January 1996, the Bosnian becoming the first ever foreigner to coach in Romania, at only 27 years old.[21] Everything culminated in a best-of-five play-off final against Steaua Bucharest. It was 1-1 after the first two games in Cluj, and 2-2 after the next two games in Bucharest. The decider took place back in Cluj, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Horia Demian Sports Hall. The match ended 86-75 in favour of the home team, Universitatea becoming Romanian champions for the third time.[2][20] What followed was another participation in the newlly rebranded FIBA EuroCup, with no notable results. In January 1997, after just one year spent coaching Universitatea, Dragan Petričević decided to leave the club, signing a contract with Politehnica Iași. After this period of success, the team went through times of unrest and concern. Beginning with the 1997-1998 season, the city of Cluj had two teams in Divizia A: Carbochim and Universitatea (now under the name ”U” Sanex Cluj-Napoca). The White and Blacks ended that year’s championship in sixth, while Carbochim finished in third. The two teams merged that summer, under the name “U”Carbochim Cluj-Napoca, while ex-player Gabriel Olpretean took over as head coach. Studenții managed a third place finish in the 1998-1999 season, to end a decade in which they managed seven top three finishes, including three Romanian Championship titles.[20]

Fans and rivalries

U-BT Cluj has the largest fan base in Romania. It was the first team in Romania to have 10,000 people in the stands at a basketball match (Basketball Champions League quarter finals, April 2022).The main rivalries of "U" are the ones with CSU Sibiu ("The derby of Transylvania"), CSM Oradea and CSA Steaua Bucharest.

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

U-Banca Transilvania Cluj-Napoca roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Age
G/F 0 Cuba Guzmán, Karel 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 29 – (1995-02-07)7 February 1995
F/C 5 Latvia Mejeris, Mareks 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 32 – (1991-09-02)2 September 1991
PG 8 Romania Lăpuște, David 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 19 – (2004-11-08)8 November 2004
PF 9 Romania Roschnafsky, Eduard 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) 20 – (2003-06-20)20 June 2003
G 11 United States Seeley, D. J. 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 34 – (1989-11-28)28 November 1989
SG 12 Romania Petric, Alexis 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 16 – (2007-09-06)6 September 2007
C 13 Bosnia and Herzegovina Stipanović, Andrija 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) 37 – (1986-12-18)18 December 1986
C 15 Romania Cățe, Emanuel 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 26 – (1997-07-30)30 July 1997
SF 20 Romania Fîntînă, David 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 17 – (2006-06-20)20 June 2006
SF 25 Romania Măciucă, Mihai 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 23 – (2000-05-25)25 May 2000
F 31 United States Eddie, Jarell 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 32 – (1991-10-30)30 October 1991
PG 32 United States Jones, Bryce 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 29 – (1994-10-12)12 October 1994
G 35 United States Richard, Patrick (C) 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 34 – (1990-01-25)25 January 1990
G/F 95 France Mokoka, Adam 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 25 – (1998-07-18)18 July 1998
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Serbia Dean Medan
  • Romania Răzvan Cenean
Sporting director
  • SerbiaRomania Branko Ćuić
Team manager
  • Romania Dorin Pintea
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
  • Roster
Updated: April 23, 2024


Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Andrija Stipanović Emanuel Cățe
PF Jarell Eddie Mareks Mejeris Eduard Roschnafsky
SF Karel Guzmán Mihai Măciucă David Fîntînă
SG D. J. Seeley Patrick Richard Alexis Petric
PG Bryce Jones Adam Mokoka David Lăpuște


Season by season

Season Tier League Pos. Romanian Cup European competitions
1990–91 1 Divizia A 2nd 3 Korać Cup R1
1991–92 1 Divizia A 1st 2 FIBA European Cup R2
1992–93 1 Divizia A 1st 1 FIBA European League R1
1993–94 1 Divizia A 2nd 1 FIBA European League R1
1994–95 1 Divizia A 3rd Champion 2 FIBA European Cup R2
1995–96 1 Divizia A 1st 2 FIBA European Cup R1
1996–97 1 Divizia A 2 FIBA EuroCup PGS 0–10
1997–98 1 Divizia A 6th
1998–99 1 Divizia A 3rd
1999–00 1 Divizia A 4th
2000–01 1 Divizia A 5th
2001–02 1 Divizia A 6th
2002–03 1 Divizia A 5th
2003–04 1 Divizia A 7th
2004–05 1 Divizia A 4th
2005–06 1 Divizia A 2nd Runner-up 4 FIBA EuroCup Challenge RS 1–3
2006–07 1 Divizia A 3rd Semifinals 4 FIBA EuroCup Challenge QF 4–4
2007–08 1 Divizia A 2nd 3 FIBA EuroChallenge QR2
2008–09 1 Divizia A 5th Eightfinals 3 FIBA EuroChallenge QR1
2009–10 1 Divizia A 2nd Quarterfinals R Central European Basketball League RU
5–1
2010–11 1 Divizia A 1st Eightfinals
2011–12 1 Divizia A 4th Eightfinals 3 FIBA EuroChallenge RS 1–5
2012–13 1 Liga Națională 7th Runner-up
2013–14 1 Liga Națională 4th Quarterfinals
2014–15 1 Liga Națională 5th Eightfinals 3 FIBA EuroChallenge RS 1–5
2015–16 1 Liga Națională 4th Champion
2016–17 1 Liga Națională 1st Champion 3 Basketball Champions League QR2
4 FIBA Europe Cup R2 7–5
2017–18 1 Liga Națională 3rd Champion 3 Basketball Champions League QR2
4 FIBA Europe Cup R16 8–6
2018–19 1 Liga Națională 3rd Semifinals 4 FIBA Europe Cup QR2
2019–20 1 Liga Națională Canc.[a] Champion 4 FIBA Europe Cup
QF
 12–4
2020–21 1 Liga Națională 1st Semifinals 3 Basketball Champions League QR1
2021–22 1 Liga Națională 1st Semifinals 3 Basketball Champions League QF 14–4
2022–23 1 Liga Națională 1st Champion 2 EuroCup RS 5–13
2023–24 1 Liga Națională Champion 2 EuroCup QF 13–6
  1. ^ The 2019–20 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours

BT Arena hosting a basetball game.
BT Arena (U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs MHP Ludwisburg ; Basketball Champions League quarter finals)
Timeout at a 2021–22 Champions League game.

Domestic competitions

  • Liga Națională
    • Champion (8): 1992, 1993, 1996, 2011,[22] 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023
    • Runners-up (7): 1959, 1962, 1991, 1994, 2006, 2008, 2010
    • Third place (14): 1960, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2018, 2019
  • Romanian Cup
    • Champion (7): 1995, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024
    • Runners-up (2): 2006, 2013

European competitions

Notable players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Head coaches

References

  1. ^ a b c "Aproape 80 de ani de istorie și tradiție" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "ISTORIC BASCHET MASCULIN" (in Romanian). u-cluj.ro. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Marc, Iulia (5 January 2017)."10 000 de locuri la Sala Polivalentă în 2017" (in Romanian). cluj.com. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  4. ^ a b "U-Mobitelco devine U-BT" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Structură și conducere" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Lotul echipei U-BT Cluj-Napoca" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Palmares U-BT" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Baze sportive U-BT Cluj-Napoca" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  9. ^ totalbaschet.ro (2 June 2014)."Ovidiu Vasu: Palmaresul secţiei de baschet e al Universităţii Cluj-Napoca" (in Romanian). Baschet.ro. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  10. ^ "Alianță între FC Universitatea Cluj 1919 şi ACS U-BT" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Noul echipament, prezentat în conferința de presă" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  12. ^ Popa, Robert (18 September 2017)."U-BT atacă titlul la baschet cu emblema FC Universitatea Cluj pe piept" (in Romanian). Ziua de Cluj. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Istorie baschet masculin Universitatea Cluj-Napoca" (in Romanian). ucluj.ro. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Vizi Imre, căpitan împotriva legendelor baschetului mondial" (in Romanian). u-bt.ro. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  15. ^ Suciu, Cătălin (10 March 2015). "REPORTAJ La Cluj înveți să iubești". Actual de Cluj. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  16. ^ "UNIVERSITATEA - EB PAU-ORTHEZ 107-101". FIBA. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  17. ^ "EB PAU-ORTHEZ - UNIVERSITATEA 100-89". FIBA. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  18. ^ "U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca" (in Romanian). cluj.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  19. ^ "1992–93 FIBA European League Results". FIBA. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d "MEN’S BASKETBALL, THE WAY TO GLORY" (pages 17-24). studia.ubbcluj.ro. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  21. ^ "C.S. Universitatea Cluj-Napoca" (in Romanian). ajbcluj.ro. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  22. ^ Ziua de Cluj (31 May 2011)."Publicul a invadat Sala Sporturilor, strigând" (in Romanian). Ziua de Cluj. Retrieved 31 May 2011.

External links

  • Official website (in Romanian)
  • Baschetromania.ro U-BT Cluj-Napoca Team Profile (in Romanian)
  • Baschet.ro U-BT Cluj-Napoca Team Profile (in Romanian)
  • FRB U-BT Cluj-Napoca Team Profile (in Romanian)
  • Eurobasket.com U-BT Cluj-Napoca Team Profile
  • Basketnews.com U-BT Cluj-Napoca Team Profile
  • Euroleague Basketball U-BT Cluj-Napoca Team Profile
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