The Final Phase of the Championship Begins with More Changes to Teams

Kosovo’s game against Slovakia left a bitter taste. Kosovo lost in Prizren last week, while the break for national-team matches gave teams enough time to prepare for the fourth and final phase of the regular season in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague.

There are seven rounds left in the regular season. After that comes the playoffs. Monday was also the deadline for registering new foreign players, while the 22nd-round games are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

As expected, teams made changes on the final day of the deadline. Trepça has put its faith in the team that dominated over the past two months and secured the Cup trophy.

Bashkimi has added American guard Jalen Riley to its roster. On Monday, Bora introduced American Carlton Bragg, and a few days earlier, Jordan Dingle.

Daquan Bracey is the new player for GO+ Peja. In the final days of February, the Peja club also signed De’jon Davis and Cecil Williams.

On Monday, Golden Eagle Ylli introduced experienced Lithuanian player Donatas Sabeckis. 

Vëllaznimi has not introduced any new players, while Sigal Prishtina signed Dericko Williams on February 24. 

Richard Granberry is the new player for Rahoveci 029.

Last-minute changes do not always prove successful. But the other teams hope to challenge Trepça, which has dominated in recent years.

The 22nd-round derby between Peja and Trepça will take place on Wednesday at 19:30. The game will be played at the “Karagaçi” sports hall. Trepça leads the table with 39 points and, in all likelihood, will start the playoffs in first place. Peja is fourth with 31 points and is aiming for a win to show that it has big ambitions, despite the difficulties it has faced.

Also on Wednesday at 19:30, Rahoveci 029 will face Bora. 

Thursday’s derby is considered to be the game between Sigal Prishtina and Golden Eagle Ylli. This game also starts at 19:30.

Both teams are vying for the title, but at the moment they are more focused on avoiding relegation.

Ylli, in fifth place, and Prishtina, in seventh—one place from the bottom—have 29 points each, the same as Vëllaznimi in sixth place. Rahoveci 029 is last with 28 points.

Thus, the fight to avoid relegation is much more open than the race for first place.

The other game on Thursday, Bashkimi – Vëllaznimi, will be played from 19:30.

Prizren team Bashkimi is second in the standings with 35 points, four behind Trepça. Bora is third with 32 points. 

While Kosovo’s game was played in a half-empty sports hall, the games in the Superleague’s final seven rounds are expected to draw large crowds to the halls.