By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
R.J. Cole was named Player of the Week in the Basketball Champions League on Friday.
Previously in the Team of the Week alongside Darius McGhee, Christian Vital, Derrick Alston Jr., and Stephane Gombauld, he went on to win the fan vote to decide the fifth Player of the Week of the Basketball Champions League Regular Season.
Launching the 2024-25 edition of FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition, Zoltan Perl of Falco Vulcano Szombathely was named Player of the Week for the first and third weeks. Zac Seljaas of FIT/One Wurzburg Baskets got the nod in the second week of the Regular Season. In the fourth week, the award went to Jaromir Bohacik of ERA Nymburk.
After helping the Vilnius outfit win Lithuania’s Betsafe LKL and introducing himself to the Champions League last season, Cole running it back with Rytas includes 14.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 installment of the BCL.
In Gameday 3 of the ongoing Regular Season, the 25-year-old American point guard scored a team-high 19 points with 7/12 from the field, fueling a win against Szombathely in Twinsbet Arena on Wednesday. Adding eight assists and five rebounds amounted to a game-high efficiency rating of 27.
Top 5 Plays
A big-time dunk by Rytas teammate Azuolas Tubelis ranked first in the Top 5 Plays of the fifth week of the Regular Season. Bertram Derthona Tortona’s Retin Obasohan and Paul Biligha, a stunning offensive sequence of La Laguna Tenerife, and Jaquan Lawrence of VEF Riga also featured.
Photo Credit: FIBA