By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Jonah Radebaugh of MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg has been announced at the Basketball Champions League October MVP. The former Northern Colorado standout was nominated as a member of the Team of the Month.
Per Basketball Champions League: “From studying Patrick Beverley and PJ Tucker to starting his professional career in Sweden, Jonah Radebaugh always kept on improving. Leading MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg to a 3-0 start to the Basketball Champions League Season Six got the 24-year-old the MVP of October award.
Radebaugh did a bit of everything for coach John Patrick, getting 16.3 points on 60 percent shooting from three-point range – done on more than three attempts per game – with 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Perhaps the most impressive part of his stats is the number 60. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg were a +60 team with him on the floor over the 97 minutes he has played in the first three games of the Basketball Champions League!
He did it against contenders like Lenovo Tenerife and Banco di Sardegna Sassari, and against the ambitious Ukrainian champs Prometey.
“It’s an honor to be selected as the MVP this month. For me personally, it’s about winning games so this is an award that reflects the whole team’s effectiveness on the court and not just me individually. Thank you God for being with me out there on the court,” the explosive guard told championsleague.basketball.
Just a year ago, Radebaugh was starting his professional career with Koping Stars in the Swedish League. It did not take long for coach Patrick and the Ludwigsburg front office to notice that he has all the MHP Riesen traits, so they signed him to finish the 2020-21 season.
The former Northern Colorado Bear decided to stay with the Giants for another year, and the hard work he put in is already showing on the floor.
“As his teammate and captain, I am really happy for Jonah and him receiving this honor,” team captain Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann told us.
“(Jonah) deserves this, as he is definitely a leader on the Basketball Champions League court so far, and one of the main reasons we are in the first place of Group A. As a rookie in an international competition, this is very impressive and the award therefor very well deserved.”
The last quote is equally impressive and scary. Jonah joined Hoops Prospects for an interview in the summer of 2020, straight after finishing his college career with the Northern Colorado Bears. When asked about room for improvement, he threw out this gem of an answer:
“Something that I need to work on the most is overall confidence while playing. Once I start playing with that confidence, I feel like ‘I might not be the most talented, but I’m one of the smartest and probably the best player on the floor more often than not.’ If I could just keep that confidence going with me, I feel I’m pretty unstoppable most times,” Radebaugh said in July 2020.
Fast forward 15 months – he was right all along.
Confident is a good word to describe not just his game, but also his style. The recognizable haircut made him a fan favorite already in high school, leading to cheers of “Fear the mullet!” from the stands, and by the time he became a walk-on in Northern Colorado, fear is all you had when he was on the other end of the court.
Chasing around the former BAXI Manresa and Rasta Vechta point guard Jordan Davis in practices every single day for three years made Radebaugh a defensive specialist. He observed what guys like Patrick Beverley and PJ Tucker did, then tried to mold his game to Paul George’s type once he was asked to do more offensively.
All of that earned him three Defensive Player of the Year awards in the Big Sky conference.
The fact that he guarded power forwards and even centers to start his collegiate career, and then moved to the point guard spot after teammate’s injury is just another part of the aforementioned MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg traits: An athletic, versatile player able to shoot well above 40 percent from deep, a hard worker with a whole lot of personality.
Almost like it was scripted for him to end up on a team coached by John Patrick.
“As his coach, I am really happy for Jonah. He is a tough kid and a hard worker on both ends of the court. This award shows that all his efforts are paying off,” Ludwigsburg playcaller said. He knows a thing or two about individual awards, Patrick was the BCL Coach of the Season in 2018.
Radebaugh will receive his MVP of October award ahead of an upcoming MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg game, giving the fans a chance to congratulate him as well. With the way Ludwigsburg entered the season, it doesn’t feel like it will be the only trophy they get to applaud.”
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League