By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
With the Antwerp Final Four about a month away, let’s take a look at those players that stood out the most in the Quarter-finals and led their teams to the big event!
Per, Basketball Champions League:
It took a total team effort for each to reach next month’s Final Four, yet there were some stunning individual performances in every one of the Quarter-Final ties that were won by Brose Bamberg, Iberostar Tenerife, Segafredo Virtus Bologna and Telenet Giants Antwerp.
Talking about making a huge splash in the most pivotal 90 seconds or so of Brose Bamberg‘s season, did anyone see Bryce Taylor’s three clutch 3-pointers that paved the way for their dramatic comeback at AEK Athens?
Paris Lee, Guard
Tyrese Rice, Guard
Rice, a strong MVP candidate for the season like Lee (above), followed up his 7-point display in the 71-67 home triumph over AEK with 25 points and 5 assists on Wednesday night to help Brose Bamberg walk off the OAKA court in Athens with a 69-67 defeat, which was good enough for a 2-point triumph on aggregate. Some of his points came in crunch time, too, and they were of the spectacular variety. Rice could care less about his numbers. He only wants to win, which was clear after he earned the MVP of the Round of 16 honor. In his interview with the Basketball Champions League website, Rice said: “In the end, it’s all about the win. It doesn’t matter how many points you scored as an individual or any of that, if you don’t win the game, all that other stuff doesn’t matter in my eyes.”
James Feldeine, Guard
Amath M’Baye, Forward
If there were a Relevation of the Season award, France international M’Baye would be a leading contender because he’s come up big on numerous occasions for Virtus. The 2.06m (6ft 9in) forward had 11 points in an 83-75 first leg defeat at Nanterre and 16 in Wednesday’s 73-58 second leg triumph in Bologna.
Tim Abromaitis, Forward
Abromaitis can flat out shoot! There’s no other way to put it. A star in the Tenerife team that won the inaugural Basketball Champions League crown, Abromaitis was a combined 6 of 9 from the arc in the Quarter-Finals. He had 16 points in the two-point defeat at Hapoel Jerusalem and 31 in Wednesday’s 17 point win.
Photo credit: Basketball Champions League