By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
U-BT Cluj-Napoca’s Elijah Stewart was the big star of the Basketball Champions League Top 10 Plays of the 2021-22 season. In the build-up to the Final Four, the Top 10 Plays, Dunks, Assists, and Blocks increase our appetite as Baxi Manresa, Hapoel U-NET Holon, Lenovo Tenerife, and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg prepare to battle it out at Bilbao Arena from 6 to 8 May.
Stewart, 26, ranked first thanks to a high-flying dunk with some lifting help from Brandon Brown. In addition, he captured the seventh place behind a solid block on Jonah Radebaugh. Both top-10 efforts were part of the Quarterfinals best-of-three series opposite Ludwigsburg. However, the German side progressed to the championship-crowning stage of the campaign.
Bonzie Colson hitting an early-season game-winning three-pointer for Pinar Karsiyaka at Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem dropped in second. The Turkish club was eliminated by Tenerife in the Play-Ins.
Also back in the Regular Season, SIG Strasbourg captain DeAndre Lansdowne dunking over half of the Filou Oostende defense got him in third place. His team reached the Playoffs but was swept by Hapoel Holon.
Ukraine champion Prometey withdrew its participation during the Round of 16. Before Russia’s invasion abruptly ending the Cinderella run, Chris Dowe had forced Game 3 in the Play-In best-of-three series opposite Hapoel Jerusalem with a triple at the end of overtime.
In the fifth spot was Ludwigsburg’s Justin Simon rejecting Tyus Battle of Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari at the rim. In the first step of a great run so far, his side finished first over Tenerife, Prometey, and Sassari in Group A of the Regular Season.
Another Final Four team, Manresa required a midrange jumper netted by Joe Thomasson to complete the two-game sweep against ACB rival Unicaja in the Quarterfinals. The Wright State product landed the sixth place. A couple of spots lower, Dani Garcia of the Catalonia outfit provided a nutmeg assist to Luke Maye.
Veteran Marcelo Huertas was a key part of the success of Tenerife and also the holder of ninth place in the Top 10. His game-winning and series-clinching effort in Game 2 versus Tofas punched in the ticket to the Final Four.
AEK’s Quino Colom wrapped up the list with a behind-the-back assist securing the tenth spot.
Hungry for more, rewatch the Top 10 Plays and much more in the Top 10 Dunks, Assists, and Blocks of the season.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League