By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Since the first ever Basketball Champions League Final Four back in 2017 in Tenerife, a lot has happened, including a global pandemic.
However, the BCL had a plan and they delivered. For the first time ever, the BCL Final Four will be held in a neutral venue and the host city is announced three months before the event, giving a big enough window for proper marketing and the chance to the organizers to make it something more than just four games.
It’s the natural evolution of the BCL project, which has already weathered the COVID storm by adopting a flexible schedule and currently includes a mix of old and new contenders in the round of 16.
FIBA is proving constantly that the whole organization has changed and has adapted to modern times. The BCL is the spearhead of this change at the club competition level having a “less is more” approach in the number of the games, while giving the chance to representatives from countries where basketball still has a tone of room for developement.
The eventual champion will need a minimum of 16 games and a maximum of 20 games in order to get the title, not counting the qualifiers. It’s a very manageable number of games during the pandemic.
And it’s only fitting that Spain gets the first node for the first “neutral” Final Four, a country with the strongest domestic league in Europe in all aspects that has three teams currently competing in the BCL Round of 16.
After all, the BCL works as an extension of the domestic leagues and needs them to be strong in order for the BCL to thrive. This is obviously a two-way street with the BCL giving revenues to club, helping them grow and elevating the basketball product of the domestic leagues.
Considering the circumstances and the line of succesful Finals events, Bilbao is set to be a landmark as the BCL continues to grow