By Johnny Askounis, Achilleas Mavrodontis/ info@eurohoops.net
Tyson Carter outperforming more experienced players facing teams better adapted to the Basketball Champions League may come as a surprise. For most fans not closely following Lavrio Megabolt, the Greek side debuting in FIBA’s premier European club competition with major wins versus JDA Dijon and Nizhny Novgorod was not expected. The young explosive guard firing at all cylinders has eclipsed any sort of handicap.
Carter, 23, banked in a personal best as a professional with 35 points in Tuesday’s win against Nizhny Novgorod, also the top-scoring performance in a single game of the 2021-22 BCL season. With 23.7 points, 3.7 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game over his first three BCL appearances, he undoubtedly is the main reason the team coached by Christos Serelis is 2-1 in Group C, trailing only Unicaja Malaga, among the teams of the ACB, arguably the strongest European domestic league.
The six assists in the most recent win made him the fourth player combining at least 35 points and six assists in a single game of the Champions League. Q.J. Peterson was the last player to make it to 35 points and Steven Gray the last player over 35 points and six assists, in January 2021 and October 2020, respectively.
The double-legged round-robin schedule traveling the Greek club to France and Russia seems unfavorable. However, the home wins opposite Dijon and Nizhny Novgorod have shaped an advantage for the spots leading to the Play-Ins, assuming Unicaja is likely to secure the first place. Across all eight groups of the Regular Season, the teams ranking second and third will earn the second chance for a spot in the Round of 16, while the top-seed will clinch directly.
The Basketball Champions League since its inception has been providing an excellent launch base for multiple promising young players early in their careers. Carter seems more than ready to become the next example. He recently walked through his goals talking to Eurohoops’ own Achilleas Mavrodontis. “I want to play at the highest level that I can and be the best player I can be,” he explained, “I will continue to work hard.”
“I want to help my team win as many games as possible. It’s not just about scoring, but if I have to score to help my team win, then that is what I am going to do,” added the Mississippi-born player a few days before exploding versus Nizhny Novgorod.
Coming out of Mississippi State with career averages of 10.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals per contest, Carter opted to begin his pro career in Greece. During the recent offseason, he penned a contract extension and also played for the Miami Heat in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League posting 6.3 points, 2.0 assists, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per match.
“Summer League was a very good experience for me,” he told Eurohoops, “I had the opportunity to play with a lot of good players and learn a lot from good coaches, just positive feedback.”
Carter was already looking great through his rookie pro season as the cornerstone for Lavrio making it to the Basket League finals and Greek Cup semifinals for the first time in team history. His season averages settling at 13.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game over 33 appearances in the Greek league attracted the interest of the major teams of the country, including Olympiacos.
“I was communicating with Olympiacos, but it ended up falling through,” he confirmed to Eurohoops regarding the offseason discussions, “You never know what could happen in the future.”
Extending his run at Lavrio for a second year has expanded the viewing range to the BCL, but has also generated 17.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.6 assists per match at the domestic level with his side carrying a 4-1 W-L record.
“I decided to stay in Lavrio. It was the best situation for me. I am very familiar with the coach,” he mentioned, “Those keys for success, I knew I wanted to be a part of that again. I thought it was a good decision for me. Right now, I am focused on our team and what we can do to make our team better.”
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League