By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Since he joined Fenerbahce in the summer, Nigel Hayes-Davis has been one of the most important players for Dimitris Itoudis, and he proved it once again in Round 23 of the EuroLeague against ALBA Berlin.
The former Zalgiris Kaunas and FC Barcelona small forward was named MVP of the Round for the first time in his career thanks to his best performance of the year so far.
The 28-year-old had a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds, drawing 8 fouls while shooting 8/13 from the field and 6/8 at the line. He had a career-high 37 of PIR, dishing also 3 assists with 3 steals.
“We just wanted to come out and focus on two things: playing defense and moving the ball. It is never going to be perfect but we did a better job. We’re just trying to build back to get to where we were, playing good Fenerbahce basketball starting, like I said, on defense first, sharing the ball, and always playing hard”, Nigel Hayes-Davis commented on his performance after the 101-86 win.
“Coach told me if I don’t rebound and make threes, he was going to send me home, so I just wanted to come out and do my best to try to do that. Team effort, though. We were playing good defense a lot of possessions, so a lot of opportunities to rebound the ball. We did a good job and were able to come out with a win”, the Wisconsin Badgers product added.
Hayes-Davis has been averaging 9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, shooting 60.4% from two, 35.4% from beyond the arc, and 78.2% at the charity stripe.
He has been consistent for the Turkish side, being an essential element to push Fenerbahce to the current 4th place in the standings with a 14-9 record.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague