By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Scottie Wilbekin had a career-night 41 points (10/15 three-pointers) for the ages on his way to leading Darussafaka to a victory over Bayern Munich that sent his team to the EuroCup Finals for the first time in the history of the franchise.
After the game, Bayern Munich head coach Sasa Djordjevic had nothing but praise for the offensive spectacle that Wilbekin put on the court.
“We witnessed an incredible individual show by Wilbekin, who really put up some great stuff tonight,” Djordjevic said.
It’s quite possible that the Serbian coach also remembered some of his own feats as a player by watching Wilbekin wreaking all sorts of havoc. After all, one of his own phenomenal displays back in the day mirrored the 3-point rampage with which Wilbekin “slew” the Bavarians.
In the EuroBasket 1995 Final, Djordjevic also scored 41 points (with a rain of 3s, 9/12), propelling Serbia towards a victory over Lithuania and the gold medal accomplishment.
Perhaps what Wilbekin did against the Bavarians, brought Djordjevic a weird case of deja-vu. The American player’s performance certainly impressed him enough to use it as an example of why the players are the indisputable protagonists of the game.
“We tried to change a lot of defenders on him. But tonight was really something that goes beyond – that shows you why the players are the biggest stars of this sport and why they make this sport great and make us, the coaches, better,” Djordjevic said.
Photo: EuroCup