By Stefanos Tatsios/ info@eurohoops.net
AEK, Monaco, Murcia and Ludwigsburg were the four teams that managed to overcome all the difficulties faced throughout the season to reach the ultimate appointment, which will be held in Athens this year.
All four aspiring champions of this season’s Basketball Champions League have very good teams, but also excellent units that carried the team and made the difference in crucial games by coming up with golden wins on this year’s road to the ultimate goal.
Eurohoops picked a key player from every one of this season’s finalists and presents you their record in the competition shortly before they throw themselves in the arena of the Final Four.
AEK
Manny Harris: In 16 games he has 17.4 points, 5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals, 17.1 points in the ranking, 51.6% in two-point shooting, 32.8% in three-point shooting
Manny Harris is AEK’s main weapon in the offense, since we’re talking about a charismatic and classic scorer who can “kill” an opponent both with the excellent shooting ability he possesses (from long- and mid-range), but also his drives in the paint.
Dragan Sakota must have felt very lucky as a coach when he saw that the American guard was in top form in the knockout games of the Basketball Champions League, taking the team all the way to the Final Four of the competition.
The only thing that is certain is that, if Harris reaches the levels everyone knows he can reach in the big semifinal against Murcia (4/5), AEK will get very close to qualifying for the final (6/5).
Game of the season: In AEK’s second game against Nymburk in the Czech Republic, the Greek team got a huge qualification thanks to Punter’s shot, but Harris was unbelievable. The American proved what a great scorer he is by chalking up 36 points (second highest in his career) in 9-for-14 in two-point shooting and 3-for-8 in three-point shooting, while he also had 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 32 points in the ranking!
MURCIA
Brad Oleson: In 12 games he has 11.4 points, 2.5 assists, 1.4 rebounds, 2 steals, 11.3 points in the ranking, 61.8% in two-point shooting, 40.3% in three-point shooting
Murcia went through the “civil wars” of the quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League against Tenerife and advanced to the Final Four at the Olympic Sports Center Athens.
The Spaniards have a team that plays good and organized basketball, while they also have players with quality and experience, like Brad Oleson. The former Barcelona player makes the difference for Murcia along the perimeter in defense and offense and he can contribute to his team in crucial moments as well.
The American guard, who also holds a Spanish passport, is the barometer of a well-balanced – in terms of roles – roster and is expected to be the Spaniards’ key player in the semifinal against AEK, since he’s perhaps the biggest headache for the Greek team and Dusan Sakota.
Game of the season: In Game 2 of the quarterfinals away at Tenerife, the home team was the favorites for the qualification. However, with an amazing defense and an awesome Oleson from the perimeter, Murcia got the big qualification for the Final Four. The experienced guard had 20 points in 6-for-8 in three-point shooting, 2-for-2 free throws, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 2 steals, collecting 22 points in the ranking system.
Monaco is perhaps the highest quality team of this season’s Basketball Champions League as they have been defeated only 2 times in the competition, while the selections of their roster are players of recognized value.
Coach Mitrovic has created a balanced unit that plays good basketball in the offense, while his team’s defense is impenetrable in most games. The player who makes the biggest difference on the court for Monaco, though, mainly on the offensive end, is Gerald Robinson.
The 29-year-old American mainly plays as a shooting guard, but he can also play in 1 as he’s the epitome of the modern combo and has become a leader for the French team, especially in crucial games, scoring big baskets and putting up great performances.
Game of the season: In the second quarterfinal of the Basketball Champions League between Monaco and Banvit, the French were the favorites, since they had won in Turkey. Banvit, however, turned out to be especially tough and competitive and got close to the big qualification in France, but Robinson deprived them of it.
The American scorer put up a season-high number of points with the 30 he scored (6-for-9 in three-point shooting, 3-for-4 in two-point shooting, 6-for-6 free throws) and sent Monaco to the Final Four. In that game, he also had 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 34 points in the ranking.