By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The Turkish side took down Rosa Radom this week at home. That was their fifth straight victory and they are on the top of the standings in Group C with the 9-3 record.
And there’s a link between Banvit and Monaco. Last year both teams went far in the Basketball Champions League. Banvit was a runner-up after failing to beat Iberostar Tenerife in the final. In their road to the final, they ended Monaco’s journey in the semi-final game.
The French team was leading by 13 after the first quarter of the game and with a push by Jordan Theodore, Banvit bounced back and booked their ticket for the final game.
Theodore was the MVP of the last year’s BCL season. That wasn’t the only award for Banvit’s players. Furkan Korkmaz won the award for the best young player in the competition. With two awards and their presence in the final, it was a successful season for Banvit, to say the least.
This year they are aiming to go all the way. The frontcourt trio Gasper Vidmar, Damian Kulig and Angelo Caloiaro are carrying Banvit this season. All of them are scoring in double-digits and grabbing more than five rebounds per game each.
Banvit was founded in 1994, by workers of the company with the same name. The company is placed in Bandirma and it’s a feed and poultry producer. The team began playing in the Turkish regional leagues in 1998 and were promoted to the Turkish second division in 2001. In 2004, the team reached the Turkish top-tier level of BSL, as champions of the second division.
In their first BSL season, they reached the league’s semifinal. And since then the team played in the BSL semifinals five times while reaching the final of the Turkish Cup twice. Their best season was back in 2013 when they beat Besiktas and Anadolu Efes in the playoffs to reach the league finals, where they were eventually defeated by Galatasaray.
And you can see what’s the issue here. While Banvit has been in the finals enough times, they are still chasing their first trophy. Can this be the year during which they will go all the way? Can coach Saso Filipovski lead them to the first trophy? Can this roster make history for Banvit?
It will be difficult, it will be hard, but they have already demonstrated their strength. There are many good teams in the Basketball Champions League. Every one of them is dreaming of lifting the trophy, but only one team will be able to.
Is it Banvit’s turn? Stay with the Basketball Champions League until the end and find out..