By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Ismael Bako picked up an injury on his left hand and will miss the next few weeks, Baxi Manresa announced Wednesday.
Bako, 26, was slated to play for Belgium in the approaching home-and-away series versus Latvia. Besides the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers Gameday 3 and 4 affairs, he is projected to remain sidelined through Basketball Champions League and ACB contests coming up on Manresa’s 2021-22 schedule.
The Catalonian outlet, after beginning BCL Round of 16 Group J at 1-1, is scheduled to visit NutriBullet Treviso in a Gameday 4 fixture on March 7 and then host the Italian side in a suspended Gameday 1 contest three days later. On March 5, a home ACB Regular Season Round 24 game opposite Urbas Fuelabrada is scheduled to resume action for the team coached by Pedro Martinez following the international break.
Bako, 26, has averaged 9.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.6 steals per contest in a pivotal role for Manresa so far in the Champions League season. Domestically, he has generated 11.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.4 steals per ACB contest over 21 appearances helping his side make it all the way up to 14-7, good enough for third place in the standings.
Prior to joining Manresa carrying the experience of 36 BCL games as a member of Telenet Giants Antwerp, he spent a couple of years in France at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne making his way to 50 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games and was crowned both League and Cup champion in 2021.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League