By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
An injury setback forced a premature ending to the 2023-24 campaign for Giorgi Shermadini.
Lenovo Tenerife officially ruled out the Georgian center for the remainder of the season on Tuesday.
Shermadini, 35, was hurt during Round 32 of Spain’s Liga Endesa. Limited to four minutes against Rio Breogan in Pazo dos Deportes on Sunday, he was immediately transferred to a hospital. Following the return to the Canary Islands, further medical exams confirmed a rib fracture.
Recently returning to the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League with Tenerife, Shermadini climbed to the top of the all-time scoring list, leapfrogging Vojtech Hruban and settling at 1,132 points. Losing to ACB rival Unicaja in the championship game, his side ranked second in Belgrade on April 28.
Over 17 appearances in his fifth BCL campaign, he tallied 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.4 steals per contest. His 12.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game at the domestic level pushed the team coached by Txus Vidorreta to a 20-12 record, good enough for a ticket to the postseason for a fifth year in a row.
Down the stretch of the Liga Endesa Regular Season, Tenerife can go from fourth to eighth on the Playoffs bracket, depending on remaining outings in Round 33 and Round 34, on the road versus Joventut Badalona on Thursday and at home against BAXI Manresa on Sunday, respectively, and other results.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League