R.J. Cole from Venezia and Darius McGhee, who plays for Bourg, are players who are seriously attracting the attention of major basketball clubs across Europe.
We know very well that teams in the EuroLeague, the most elite European competition, are quite cautious about whom they bring in and to whom they give opportunities from the EuroCup and the FIBA Champions League.
Only a few are willing to bet on themselves in that regard and take a certain level of risk so that individuals can find themselves for the first time at the highest level of European basketball.
What we see much more often is that a large number of names simply circulate in the EuroLeague for several years, changing clubs, and when the summer arrives we usually read in European media about the interest of many teams in the same players. The only thing that changes is the date, or more precisely the year in which it happens.
The second most common scenario is signing aging NBA veterans or players who simply could not find opportunities in the NBA and then decided to try to build their careers through Europe and make the biggest steps forward. There are many examples, but this is not a story about them.
Claim Now This is a story about two players who are strongly presenting themselves to EuroLeague clubs as potential moves worth the risk, and those players are R.J. Cole and Darius McGhee.
During the weekend Venezia defeated Udine 101-94, and once again the most attention was drawn by R.J. Cole, who is having an impressive season.
He finished the game with 27 points, six assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes on the court, shooting 7/16 from the field and a perfect 11/11 from the free throw line.
On the season level he is averaging 15.9 points along with 4.6 assists and three rebounds, shooting 43% from two point range, 33% from three point range and 92% from the free throw line. This year he has scored at least 20 points in a game on eight different occasions. In the EuroCup, through 18 games played, he averages 13 points and nearly five assists with shooting percentages similar to those in Serie A.
16 punti e 5 assist per R.J. Cole nella vittoria di Venezia vs Treviso 🙌#TuttoUnAltroSport pic.twitter.com/G9KrlhA8to
— Lega Basket Serie A (@LegaBasketA) March 9, 2026
On several occasions this year he recorded double double performances combining points and assists, and during the February international break he played for the Armenian national team. Against Bulgaria he scored 35 points in 40 minutes, adding seven assists and four rebounds.
He averages 11.5 points and six assists. If we pay attention to shooting percentages, that is the category where he does not shine as much, with 36% from two point range, 33% from three and 83% from the free throw line in the LNB Pro A.
Those numbers look much better in the EuroCup where he averages 13.9 points and five assists per game, along with an excellent 52% shooting from two point range and 38% from three. The fact remains that his lack of height creates the biggest challenge for him since he stands at only 176 cm, but he would not be the first example of a very small player capable of making a major difference on the court.
Darius McGhee en feu 🔥
— Betclic ELITE (@Betclic_ELITE) March 14, 2026
Le meneur de @JLBourgBasket a inscrit 8 tirs Ă 3 points avant la pause face au Mans.
Il termine la rencontre avec 29 points 🎯#BetclicElite #Basketball pic.twitter.com/pe051dmu5g
Both players were born in 1999, which already places them in serious basketball years, and it appears that their development as players is moving only in an upward direction. The question is who will be ready to take a certain level of risk and give them the opportunity.
If we also take into account the financial power of EuroLeague clubs, the reality is that both would fall into the category of “small risk – high reward”, because in this situation no one really has anything to lose.
It remains to be seen whether someone will make such a move during the summer and whether R.J. Cole or Darius McGhee will receive the call that cannot be refused.
