As one of the fastest-rising teams in European basketball, BC Donetsk re-enters the Eurocup full of ambition barely six years after its foundation – and now with an Ukrainian League title under its belt. Despite losing in the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds last year - like this year also - , Donetsk bounced back with a fantastic Eurocup debut season. Vule Avdalovic, Ramel Curry, Ivan Radenovic and head coach Sasa Obradovic helped Donetsk win its Last 16 group - which featured eventual champion BC Khimki – before losing against Lietuvos Rytas in the quarterfinals. Donetsk added its first Ukrainian League title after sweeping the best-of-seven finals against Azovmash. Basketball has enjoyed a long tradition in Donetsk, where Shakhtar previously reached the Ukrainian League finals and took part in 24 games in European competition during the 1990s. In 2006, Valery Plekhanov founded BC Donetsk club and became its first head coach in the Ukrainian third division. Donetsk won all 34 games that season to achieve promotion to the next level. Plekharov and center Konstantin Galenkin helped Donetsk win the Ukrainian second division in 2008 and make it to the first, where the team has been ever since. Donetsk made its European debut in 2008-09 but lost against Proteas EKA AEL of Cyprus in the EuroChallenge qualifying round. Back in Ukraine, with Andres Rodriguez, P.J. Tucker and Demetrius Alexander as its stars, Donetsk stormed into the league finals but could not get past Azovmash for the crown. The club returned to the EuroChallenge in 2009-10, though it did not survive the first group stage. Donetsk folded in January 2010 only to reappear the next summer, when an ambitious project was re-launched with Obradovic as head coach. Donetsk did not disappoint and delivered by winning the Ukrainian regular season with a 37-11 record and reaching the finals against Budivelnik. Despite a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, Budivelnik ended up rallying to win the title. That did not stop Donetsk from being ambitious and the team came back last year with its best season ever, winning the Ukrainian League title and coming close to the Eurocup Finals.