By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Pinar Karsiyaka big man Raymar Morgan was the pillar behind the team’s return to the Basketball Champions League playoffs and has earned the first monthly MVP honor of 2021.
Per championsleague.basketball:
The 32-year-old power forward averaged 20.7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.7 steals and an efficiency rating of 25.3 per game through January to lead Karsiyaka to three wins in as many games during this month.
Morgan was the fifth-leading scorer in the 2020-21 Regular Season, averaging 19.5 points per game, as Karsiyaka finished on a 4-2 record in Group F and clinched a spot in the next stage.
“Thank you for this honor, it brings me great pleasure, I was very excited to hear this news,” was the immediate reaction of the Karsiyaka big man to the official BCL website.
“As an athlete, these are the moments you work so hard for during the off-season. I like to think positive at all times, even when things aren’t going your way.”
“So yes, I thought we had a great chance to make the Play-Offs, but we have to be realistic as well: A playoff spot wasn’t going to just fall in our laps, we had to go out and earn it,” Morgan added.
Having players with a mindset that prioritizes team success over individual honors is of course something every coach strives for, but in the case of Karsiyaka it certainly seems like it’s already the everyday reality of the team.
Ufuk Sarica, the head coach responsible for arguably the most successful stretch in Karsiyaka club history, has put together a team that runs an egalitarian offense – and where a player that doesn’t have the ball in his hands a lot, like Morgan, can lead the team in scoring.
Morgan gives as much credit to the team as to himself for his extraordinary January statline. “First of all I have to thank my teammates and coaching staff, they are a huge part of my success. They make my job easier,” he explained.
Photo: BCL